Arrive at Bordeaux’s L’atelier des Chefs ─ a popular cooking school that also has locations in Paris and other major French cities ─ shortly before your class starts for some time to peruse the extensive cookware shop. From its wares to its teachers, L'atelier des Chefs boasts high standards when it comes to who, or what, you’re cooking with.

Select from a number of different class options, such as an hour-long session in which you master the basics and create a main course and dessert, suitable for a wide variety of occasions. Focus on seasonal produce to create a 3-course menu during the 1.5-hour class, or for more of a challenge, join the 2-hour class to practice complex skills such as how to finely chop shallots, saut□ to perfection and how to deglaze a pan, among other invaluable tips.

No matter which class option you select, you’ll gain valuable insight into traditional French cooking with helpful guidance from your knowledgeable chef. Work with a range of different seasonal ingredients, dishes and cooking styles, and pick up handy tips and tricks as the class progresses. All the classes have been carefully planned, so French-cooking enthusiasts of all levels have something new to learn. Each day’s recipe choices vary from class to class, and details of the exact dishes you’ll be working on are provided on the day.

Typical ingredients include seasonal, locally sourced vegetables from the south west of France, as well as duck, traditional foie gras, and fish from the Bay of Biscay off the Bordeaux coast. You might prepare specialty dishes such as duck confit; lamb that was reared on the salt marshes of nearby Pauillac; or the traditional cannel□ pastry with a caramelized crust and smooth custard center.

After all your hard work in the kitchen, savor or take away your carefully prepared courses to end your experience at L'atelier des Chefs.