I was recently invited to a full day cooking class at Jean-Marc and Alice Villard’s cooking school in their home at Maubec. #Joblove !! haha. Maubec is located in the Luberon, about 45 minutes from Avignon an hour from Aix en Provence. The class was a wonderful way to spend a day learning about food, wine, and French culture.
The Chef
I have been to many cooking classes for amateurs in Provence and they’re all quite different. Jean-Marc is a professionally trained chef which greatly enriches the experience. He, impressively, taught at the Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon (gastronomic capital of France) as a Chef Instructor. He certainly knows his stuff!
His classes focus on traditional, though light, French cuisine. His techniques and combinations are based on his classic training as well as Provencal products and cuisine. He’s a strong supporter of local products, which is something you’ll learn about in his cooking class.
