Flavors of the Loire Valley

On your day of arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy a Taste of the Loire Valley Welcome Dinner. Complimentary shuttle is available for those arriving at the Chatellerault TGV Train Station.

Each morning you will enjoy a full French breakfast before the day’s activities begin. The hotel serves fresh fruit and juices, yogurts, freshly baked pastries and bread, cheeses, homemade jams, charcuterie and eggs to order.

After breakfast, you will begin with French Mediterranean dishes which are known for their seasonal, local, and fresh ingredients, something that the chef's passionately believe in and strive to share with the Culinary Family. During all your classes you will be exposed to accompaniments or side dish preparation as well..You will prepare several Mediterranean dishes using local ingredients that will include Quiche Touraine, Flatbread, Grilled Piperade and Provençale Salad. This afternoon you will continue the Mediterranean journey beyond the French borders and the chef wil share some of his favourite memories with you cooking with his mentors and a young chef. and you will prepare our Brioche dough as it needs to rest overnight. The chef will share with you two desserts that are enjoyed all over the globe, with a twist. You will also make the Brioche dough that needs to rest overnight. There will be leisure time until dinner. Tonight you will enjoy the dishes that you prepared together at a lovely dinner.

Each morning you will enjoy a full French breakfast before the day’s activities begin. The hotel serves fresh fruit and juices, yogurts, freshly baked pastries and bread, cheeses, homemade jams, charcuterie and eggs to order.

After breakfast, you are taken to Château Chenonceau, built in 1513, this castle was loved, administrated and protected by women, who were all extraordinary, and who for the most part, have marked its history. For lunch, you have a choice between the beautiful Orangerie restaurant set in the gardens of Château Chenonceau or in a bistro in the charming village of Chenonceau (please note that lunch is on your own today). The afternoon is yours to relax or for exploring the area. Tonight, dinner will be at the cooking school.

Each morning you will enjoy a full French breakfast before the day’s activities begin. The hotel serves fresh fruit and juices, yogurts, freshly baked pastries and bread, cheeses, homemade jams, charcuterie and eggs to order.

After breakfast, you are taken to the historical city of Tours and its fine food market. You will be escorted through the indoor and outdoor markets where you will learn how to identify different products. You visit the old town which clusters around Place Plumereau, which today is the place for cafés and people watching during the summer months. The other historic area, the cathedral quarter on the other side of the main Rue Nationale, is dominated by the Cathédrale St-Gatien, a flamboyant Gothic building with 12th-century decorated stonework covering the outside. A traditional French lunch will be served at the cooking school. This afternoon you learn how to prepare one of the world’s most sought after classics, the Macaron, during a hands-on pastry class. The evening is yours for relaxation, or to stroll down the river. Enjoy dinner in the hotel or in a local restaurant (dinner this evening is open to your choice, and on your own).

Each morning you will enjoy a full French breakfast before the day’s activities begin. The hotel serves fresh fruit and juices, yogurts, freshly baked pastries and bread, cheeses, homemade jams, charcuterie and eggs to order.

Fresh caught fish are delivered by boat to the Atlantic port of La Rochelle. Orders are then filled, and delivery made to the cooking school promptly at 4 AM in the morning, ensuring that you will be cooking and eating the freshest product possible. Your instructors will teach you the proper techniques for handling and preparing your fish. Your reward for paying attention in class is the lunch you will enjoy at the conclusion of your instruction. This afternoon is yours to enjoy with a stroll along the riverside, exploring the village, or simply relaxing. This evening you might consider dinner at the hotel, or one of the local restaurants (dinner this evening is on your own).

Each morning you will enjoy a full French breakfast before the day’s activities begin. The hotel serves fresh fruit and juices, yogurts, freshly baked pastries and bread, cheeses, homemade jams, charcuterie and eggs to order.

After breakfast, you will visit a local goat cheese farm producer where you will taste and experience what has come to be known as the best goat cheese in the world. Then it’s back to the cooking school where you will enjoy a hands-on cooking class, learning the art of soufflés. Lunch will be held in the cooking school’s own orchard. This afternoon is yours to enjoy with a stroll along the riverside, exploring the village, or simply relaxing. This evening, you return to the cooking school for a certificate presentation and flute of champagne, followed by a “Taste of Africa” BBQ. Your instructors visit Africa each year, and will provide stories of their adventures to sweeten the evening’s culinary commentary.

Each morning you will enjoy a full French breakfast before the day’s activities begin. The hotel serves fresh fruit and juices, yogurts, freshly baked pastries and bread, cheeses, homemade jams, charcuterie and eggs to order.

Time flies when you’re having so much fun, but alas…it is time to check out and depart this Loire Valley oasis. Transfers to the Chatellerault TGV Train Station will be provided. May your future travels come from sweet dreams, and create tasty memories!