If you are looking for an introduction to French cooking, look no further. Below are 8 hours of French cooking classes that Le Chef and I have hosted over the past 2 years with Alliance Française Washington, DC. In celebration of our 2nd anniversary of cooking with Alliance Française DC I wanted to share the classes with you. You can watch the recording on the links below, for free!
J'Adore! Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Each class is about an hour long and covers iconic Le Chef's Wife French Riviera Recipes such as Branzino with Vierge Sauce, Homemade French Baguettes, Le Grand Aïoli, Les Petits Farçis Niçois, Salade Niçoise and les Treize Desserts.
If you would like to attend the classes live, Members of Alliance Française DC are always the first to know and sign up fee is only $5 per class.
How it all began
I am so grateful to Natasha Zavadskaia, Director of Cultural Programming & Social Media at Alliance Française Washington, DC for reaching out to me on Instagram early in 2021. I had never hosted a live cooking demonstration before but she said that our recipes, and the way I portrayed them on Instagram, caught her eye.
We will never forget that first zoom call with Natasha and Sarah Diligenti, Executive Director. We spoke for over an hour about our love of French cooking and how our common goal was to break the intimidation factor around French cooking. Anyone can cook delectable French dishes at home with a little guidance.
The idea of hosting a series of live cooking classes on zoom direct from our little kitchen was born. This project has grown to attract hundreds of participants at each class and we are so proud as 100% of the proceeds go to benefit Alliance Française.
Alliance Française is the largest and oldest network of French language and cultural centers in the world. It was founded in 1883 in Paris, France. The Alliance Française chapters across the world are dedicated to promoting French language and francophone culture in order to foster relationships between people of all nationalities, ethnicity, and backgrounds.
Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. is one of the 850 chapters in the world, and one of 114 chapters in the US. The American network of Alliance Française chapters is the most important of all the Alliance Française’s networks.
8 cooking classes offering an introduction to French Riviera Cooking.
A recap of 2 years of cooking classes with Alliance Française Washington, DC including links to rewatch the classes. Baguettes, Coq au Vin, Grand Aioli and more!
4-course dinner (branzino & moelleux au chocolat)
April 17, 2021
My VERY FIRST live cooking demonstration! I love watching this class because it reminder of how much much progress we have we made over the years. This was my first time inviting literally hundreds of people into our small kitchen. Did I have any idea that 2 years later I would be cooking alongside with my husband, sharing our recipe for Moelleux au Chocolat on the Today show? Absolutely not!
Recipes demonstrated in this class:
Asparagus with Champagne Vinaigrette
Bastille Day Picnic (baguette & Le Grand Aïoli)
July 10, 2021
This recipe was ambitious! There are a lot of pots on the stove going at the same time to achieve optimal cooking time for each individual vegetable in a Grand Aïoli. In this episode you will see why I love my oven timer so much. But guess what? We did it! A great dish to serve in the warmer months when you just want to sit under a tree, drink rosé and talk and nibble for hours.
Recipes demonstrated in this class:
French Baguettes for beginners
Turkey Au Vin
November, 2021
A twist on the classic Coq au Vin Recipe, this recipe uses Turkey to create a French inspired Thanksgiving dish that all your guests will love.
Recipe Demonstrated in this class:
Les Treize Desserts
December 18, 2021
Les Treize Desserts, or Thirteen Desserts, is a Provençal tradition that is so dear to our family. I loved this class because we let you in our own family traditions for Christmas. It was so special!
Recipes included in this demonstration:
La Pompe à l'huile (Provençale Olive Oil Brioche)
Moelleux au chocolat with Le Chef's Wife
February 12, 2022
The most romantic dessert of all! I fell in love with my husband when he served me this dessert in his candlelit restaurant on the French Riviera, many years ago...I share more about our meeting in this blog post: How we met - Notre Rencontre
Recipe included in this demonstration:
Salade Niçoise & Baguettes with Le Chef's Wife
May 21, 2022
Want to learn how to make an authentic Salade Niçoise? This recipe is for you! No, it does not include potatoes or green beans! I also revisit my Baguettes for beginners - notice how my own technique has improved? I am so proud of my homemade Baguettes.
Les Petits Farcis Niçois: Bastille Day Cooking Demo
July 9, 2022
In this class we made Les Petits Farçis Niçois. Mamie Pierrette's recipe for authentic Niçois stuffed vegetables.
Kir Royale, Olive Tapenade and Branzino with Sauce Vierge
April 15, 2023
I love watching this class! The entire experience felt so smooth - Le Chef and I were in complete sync and we had so much fun!
Recipes included in this demonstration:
Did you attend any of our cooking demonstrations live? Please share your comments and feedback below - I love to hear from you!
Would you like to see more French cooking classes? We are talking about professionally producing a series of French Riviera cooking classes - would you like to see that?
A bientôt mes amis,
Le Chef's Wife
ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that busy people deserve to eat well at home.
We were just recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:
Julie Clemente says
Are you available for private catering orders in McLean? For husband and wife with busy lives and special dietary conditions. Merci!
lechefswife says
Hello Julie, thank you very much for your question. I am sorry we don't take private catering orders - my husband is employed by one family.Thank you for asking though!