Evening Class, Dinner Included

Paris Evening Cooking Class French Dinner and Market Visit Option runs through Le Foodist. Rated 4.9 across 500 reviews. Runs 6 hours. From $239.

Overview

This Le Foodist evening puts you in a working kitchen in Paris for about six hours, cooking a three-course French dinner alongside a professional chef and then sitting down to eat what the group has made. There are two versions. The market option starts at the Mabillon metro exit in the 6th arrondissement at 4.30pm, where the chef leads a shopping trip for ingredients before class. The dinner-only option goes straight to the school at 59 rue Cardinal Lemoine in Paris, arriving for 5.45pm.

Wine is poured with dinner, half a bottle per person, red and white. Recipes arrive electronically afterwards, and one small gift, a Drop-Stop pourer, goes home with each guest.

It suits travellers who want to cook rather than watch. Instruction is in English only, the group is capped at 12, and reviewers frequently praise both the food and the fellow participants they shared the evening with. The venue is not wheelchair accessible, so check the listing if mobility is a concern.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet your chefThe meeting point depends on the option booked. Market-option guests meet at 4.30pm at the Mabillon metro exit, at the intersection of Rue du Four and Rue de Montfaucon. Dinner-only guests come to Le Foodist, 59 rue Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris, for 5.45pm.
2. Market visit, if option selectedWith the market option, the group shops for ingredients with the chef before heading to the kitchen. Reviews describe this shopping leg as a fun part of the evening.
3. Cooking classOver the course of the evening the chef walks the group through a three-course French menu, with equipment and aprons provided.
4. Three-course dinnerEveryone sits down together to eat the meal they prepared, with half a bottle of red and white wine per person included.
5. Evening endsThe activity finishes back at the meeting point, roughly six hours after it began, with recipes sent electronically afterwards.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points will help you pick the right option and arrive prepared.

• Choose your start point. The two options have different meeting points and start times, so check the address on the voucher before setting out. The market version adds the shopping leg and starts earlier in the 6th arrondissement.
• Pace and format. The evening runs about six hours in total, combining instruction, cooking and dinner. Reviewers describe the classes as hands-on and interactive rather than demonstration-style.
• Group feel. The class is capped at 12 travellers and taught in English. Several reviewers mention enjoying the company of the other participants, and solo travellers report the format worked well for them.
• Food and wine. Dinner is a three-course meal cooked by the group, with half a bottle of wine per person included. Tell the operator about dietary requirements at booking, but vegan and dairy-free diets cannot be accommodated in the regular classes.
• Who can join. The minimum age is 12 and children must be accompanied. The drinking age is 18 and the venue is not wheelchair accessible, though it sits near public transport.
• Take the recipes home. An electronic copy of the recipes is included, and several reviewers said they planned to cook the dishes again at home. A complimentary Drop-Stop pourer is also part of the package.

Common issues. Gratuities and hotel pickup are not included, and there is no transport to the meeting point. The experience needs a minimum number of travellers to run; if that minimum is not met it can be cancelled, with a different date or a full refund offered. Cancellations on the traveller's side must be made at least 6 full days ahead for a full refund, and changes within 6 full days are not accepted. The venue is not wheelchair accessible and vegan or dairy-free diets cannot be accommodated. One reviewer found the price high for what was delivered.

Before You Book A Tour