What It's Like to Take Cooking Classes at the Ritz Paris

"A world-class, subterranean culinary school offering immersive, hands-on instruction for both professional students and the general public; courses range from multi-day professional tracks to shorter community workshops. Lessons emphasize classic French technique—stocks, vegetable turning, and roasting squab—alongside rigorous butchery work (deboning and dressing whole chicken, piping meat stuffing and sealing in dough) and seafood prep (skinning and filleting monkfish for a chorizo-and-mussel emulsion). Pastry classes cover pâte à choux éclairs filled with mousse and dipped in ganache, lemon curd tartlets with steamed meringue, and hazelnut praline–drizzled meringues, with focused demonstrations, small class sizes, and translators available. The tone is both exacting and playful—chefs model precise knife work and culinary theatrics—leaving students empowered to reproduce recipes at home and to approach pastry with newfound confidence." - Josh Miller