Paris Small Group Hands-On Cooking Class with Cordon Bleu Chef

Great time. She shared some French techniques that my fiancé regularly uses now. Easy to talk to host that makes it a great value. Fun!

Amazing experience with friends at Catalina’s home. Great food, great atmosphere and a unique Parisian experience. Would definitely recommend !!

Our Parisian/Colombian Dining Experience was magical. Catalina is an AMAZING chef and the food was really extraordinary. She catered the menu to us, based on a few messages back and forth over the Viator App. The care and thought that she put into everything she served was really wonderful. We entered their home to a beautiful array of nuts, salami and cheese – to go with Champagne. They had wine for each course. The timing was really perfect, as we had time between courses to visit. The first course was arepas and yucca – accompanied by delicious guacamole, a traditional Columbian sauce called hogao (DELICIOUS), and queso fresco. The next course was the most beautiful summer salad – tomatoes, watermelon, prosciutto and mozzarella, with fresh basil, homemade pesto and Italian olive oil that they brought back from a trip to Italy. Then they served an incredible Asian lettuce wrap with chicken and a spicy peanut sauce. The main course blew us away. I had mentioned in my correspondence with Catalina that our 18-year-old daughter was open to trying duck. WOW! The shredded slow cooked duck over a lightly sweet carrot puree was FABULOUS!!! I can taste it in my mouth just thinking about it. After a long break, fun conversation and a couple of glasses of wine out on a seating area in front of their home (on a beautify side-street in Paris), we came back in for a delicious desert. Catalina and her husband, Brian, were amazing hosts. First, just being in their home was very special. It felt like visiting old friends. He is American, from Pennsylvania, and she is from Colombia – they are avid bicycle riders and they have a blended family – with two kids and and two wonderful dogs. The kids were not there, but the photos of their family are everywhere in their home. We found that we had a lot in common (my wife and I have a blended family). Brian was very generous to create an itinerary for our time in Paris, which we followed rigorously. Every suggestion was perfect, especially going to the church on the hill for the views and the Jazz club, one night. It was also fun to talk about our kids and learn about how the schools work in Paris. Again, the experience of being in their home, and visiting for hours, felt like we were at a friend’s house. We made it a point to come early and explore the neighborhood, called Les Batignolles. There is a church and a park that constitute a “kind of town square”, just down the street from their home. The square has cafés and shops all around it. I highly recommend coming a little early and visiting the park, the church and the shops. This was our first day in Paris, and I cannot think of a better way to set the tone for our trip. It was really grounding to begin in this traditional Paris neighborhood, away from the tourist spots. The dinner and our evening with Catalina and Brian was the highlight of our trip.

Our Parisian/Colombian Dining Experience was magical. Catalina is an AMAZING chef and the food was really extraordinary. She catered the menu to us, based on a few messages back and forth over the Viator App. The care and thought that she put into everything she served was really wonderful. We entered their home to a beautiful array of nuts, salami and cheese – to go with Champagne. They had wine for each course. The timing was really perfect, as we had time between courses to visit. The first course was arepas and yucca – accompanied by delicious guacamole, a traditional Columbian sauce called hogao (DELICIOUS), and queso fresco. The next course was the most beautiful summer salad – tomatoes, watermelon, prosciutto and mozzarella, with fresh basil, homemade pesto and Italian olive oil that they brought back from a trip to Italy. Then they served an incredible Asian lettuce wrap with chicken and a spicy peanut sauce. The main course blew us away. I had mentioned in my correspondence with Catalina that our 18-year-old daughter was open to trying duck. WOW! The shredded slow cooked duck over a lightly sweet carrot puree was FABULOUS!!! I can taste it in my mouth just thinking about it. After a long break, fun conversation and a couple of glasses of wine out on a seating area in front of their home (on a beautify side-street in Paris), we came back in for a delicious desert. Catalina and her husband, Brian, were amazing hosts. First, just being in their home was very special. It felt like visiting old friends. He is American, from Pennsylvania, and she is from Colombia – they are avid bicycle riders and they have a blended family – with two kids and and two wonderful dogs. The kids were not there, but the photos of their family are everywhere in their home. We found that we had a lot in common (my wife and I have a blended family). Brian was very generous to create an itinerary for our time in Paris, which we followed rigorously. Every suggestion was perfect, especially going to the church on the hill for the views and the Jazz club, one night. It was also fun to talk about our kids and learn about how the schools work in Paris. Again, the experience of being in their home, and visiting for hours, felt like we were at a friend’s house. We made it a point to come early and explore the neighborhood, called Les Batignolles. There is a church and a park that constitute a “kind of town square”, just down the street from their home. The square has cafés and shops all around it. I highly recommend coming a little early and visiting the park, the church and the shops. This was our first day in Paris, and I cannot think of a better way to set the tone for our trip. It was really grounding to begin in this traditional Paris neighborhood, away from the tourist spots. The dinner and our evening with Catalina and Brian was the highlight of our trip.

We had an amazing experience with Chef Catalina and her cooking class, 3 Placeres! First, communication was easy and fast after we reached out via her website, and they were very accommodating when we had some travel delays. We were welcomed with some delicious appetizers, and Chef crafted a perfect menu for us to all cook together. She taught us some new techniques and we gained so much confidence in the kitchen. The courses are always customized based on what’s in season and guest preferences. All throughout, the experience was hands-on, engaging, and fun- and of course delicious! We have done several cooking classes over the years, and this was one of our all time favorites.