WITH CHEF KATHRYN GORDON
August 11-21, 2015
August 11-21, 2015
Intensive Hands-On Culinary and Baking Program in the Loire Valley
Join ICE Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon, co-author of Les Petits Macarons, Colorful French Confections to Make at Home, for a fabulous opportunity to work hands-on with a variety of professional chefs, pastry chefs and bakers. You will work with fine dining chefs, charcuterie chefs, regional country-style chefs, and pastry chefs and an artisan bread baker in their restaurants, professional patisserie and artisan boulangerie located throughout the western Loire Valley (between Angers and Saumur). The region is a world heritage site along France’s longest river, known as the “Garden of France.” The Loire Valley, long the hunting ground of French nobility, is notable for its chateaux, historic towns, architecture, diverse food production and wines and sparkling wines.
Cafe au lait bowls
You will stay in a beautiful, award-winning luxury country inn, Le Moulin Bregeon. Le Moulin Bregeon was converted by fine artist Jonathan Robinson from a former wheat mill to an award-winning hotel filled with antiques and hand-ironed French linens on the beds. All of our cooking classes are hands-on and translated or taught in English. Each day includes delicious hands-on cooking or baking classes at Le Moulin Bregeon or on location, classes with a local wine school, and culinary-related sightseeing. In between classes, our educational visits will help you learn about traditional food production methods and include personalized visits to: artisan nut oil press, escargot farm, organic chevre farm, foie gras auberge, stone ground wheat mill, mushroom production caves, local farm markets, Loire Valley wineries, sparkling wine fermentation caves, and chateaux with historic kitchens and gardens.
The ICE Cuisine Course in France is open to all ICE alumni who have completed their externship, and the general public interested in expanding their culinary skills and knowledge of organic food. For photos of Le Moulin Bregeon and chef bios see our cooking program website, www.loirevalleycooking.com
AND JOIN US FOR THIS SPECIAL COURSE
August 11-21, 2015
Note: Order of daily activities subject to change until our arrival,
depending on chef schedules. You will be given an updated schedule prior to travel.
depending on chef schedules. You will be given an updated schedule prior to travel.
Dining Room at Le Moulin Bregeon
Course Instructor: ICE Chef Kathryn Gordon
Course Dates: August 11-21, 2015
Tuition Fee: $3,650 (price breakdown is below)
Participants: Course is limited to 6-12 participants
Le Moulin's pet goat Blanchette
Tuesday August 11: Depart NY/NJ airports for travel to France (on your own, so you may use frequent flyer points if you have them and save some of the travel cost).
Wednesday August 12: Arrival Paris airport. Travel from Paris to Loire Valley via high speed TGV and local trains. Rendezvous Saumur train station at 5 pm for pick up of luggage (if you happen to arrive earlier, you may leave your luggage at the Saumur train station and wander across the Loire river to explore Saumur, a very pedestrian friendly city). Drive to our host hotel, our luxury country inn Le Moulin Bregeon in Linieres-Bouton. Free time to walk around Le Moulin's organic gardens. Welcome drink and 7:30 pm guinea fowl dinner at Le Moulin prepared by resident Chef Pascal Merillou. Chef Pascal comes from Bergerac along the Dordogne, worked in various restaurants in Paris, and is responsible for the organic gardens at Le Moulin Bregeon.
Chateau Chenonceau at night
Participants cooking in Le Moulin's second kitchen
Thursday August 13: 9 am Breakfast. Food history and regional introduction by Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon to the “Garden of France.” 10 am hands-on cuisine class with Chef Guy Izambard to cook pates and terrines. Chef Guy is the retired head of the regional culinary school and former chef at La Plaza Athenee in Paris. Enjoy lunch with the Chef at Le Moulin Bregeon (bring notebook; wear full uniform if you have one - or apron, and bring chef/paring knives if you have them). 2:30 pm visit to local escargot farm; optional 4 pm walk to family-run foie gras farm. 5:30 pm hands-on cuisine class with Chef Guy to cook regional specialties including lamb merguez and plum tart. Enjoy French BBQ dinner with the chef.
Chef Guy skinning eels outside by river Lathan
Friday August 14: 7 am breakfast at Mill. Visit to world renown Chateau Chenonceau, owned by Catherine de Medici. 3 pm tour at working wheat stone ground mill Moulin de Sarre. Return to Le Moulin to enjoy regional duck specialties (from the auberge) for dinner and Brittany cake.
Savory tarts you will prepare for lunch with Chef Kathryn
Saturday August 15: Breakfast at 8:30 am. Visit organic farm markets in pedestrian-friendly Saumur with Chef Pascal Merillou. Free time for shopping in the markets and shops, and finding lunch (on own, not included; bring 10-12 euros). 12:30 rendezvous at La Duchesse Anne patisserie (possible lunch location, but arrive by 12 to enjoy their lunch special). 1:30 visit to Louis de Grenelle sparkling wine caves in Saumur for tour and tasting. 5 pm hands-on regional cuisine class of chicken with vin jaune and chocolate mousse with Chef Pascal at Le Moulin.
Chef Pascal with hen of the woods mushrooms
Sunday August 16: Breakfast at 9 am. 10 am dough theory class with Chef Kathryn. Chef Kathryn became the culinary director for Le Moulin Bregeon after first meeting the owners in 1999, and is currently working on her second book (on doughs!) Enjoy savory tarts for lunch. Start confisserie maceration with Bernard Levenez (who makes all the jam for breakfast at Le Moulin). Free time or time to walk around Linieres-Bouton "the Village." 7 pm hands-on Brittany-style savory and sweet crepe class with Chef Bernard for dinner at Le Moulin, including Coquille St. Jacques. Chef Bernard grew up in nearby Brittany where his mother owned a crepe restaurant. Wear apron. Enjoy Celtic music and cider with dinner, and possible Celtic dancing lesson.
Monday August 17: Breakfast 7:15 am. 9 am hands on baking class at La Duchesse Anne Patisserie, Saumur (full uniform). 1:30 pm visit to mushroom production caves in Saumur, with mushroom lunch (included). Visit to supermarche, to shop for items not found in markets. 4:30 pm tasting/tour of Combier, 18th C distillery in Saumur (with original equipment designed by Eiffel) and original makers of Triple Sec and Absinthe. Return to Le Moulin for hands-on cuisine class on lamb with Chef Jessie Riley. Chef Jessie teaches in the culinary program at Kingsborough Community College (CUNY) in NYC, worked for a brief time at La Duchesse Anne in Saumur, teaches a series of Couples Cuisine Classes at ICE with Chef Kathryn, and is a co host of Wild Game Domain on Heritage Radio.
Monday August 17: Breakfast 7:15 am. 9 am hands on baking class at La Duchesse Anne Patisserie, Saumur (full uniform). 1:30 pm visit to mushroom production caves in Saumur, with mushroom lunch (included). Visit to supermarche, to shop for items not found in markets. 4:30 pm tasting/tour of Combier, 18th C distillery in Saumur (with original equipment designed by Eiffel) and original makers of Triple Sec and Absinthe. Return to Le Moulin for hands-on cuisine class on lamb with Chef Jessie Riley. Chef Jessie teaches in the culinary program at Kingsborough Community College (CUNY) in NYC, worked for a brief time at La Duchesse Anne in Saumur, teaches a series of Couples Cuisine Classes at ICE with Chef Kathryn, and is a co host of Wild Game Domain on Heritage Radio.
Tuesday August 18: Breakfast 8 am. Flight of pasteurized and raw goat/cow dairy tasting with Chef Jessie. 9:30 class with Chef Kathryn on French Macarons, Financiers and Sablee Cookies. 12 pm Lunch at local trucker restaurant in Linieres-Bouton (included). 3 pm visit to master cheese maker Hughes Delahaye to tour organic goat farm and learn about chevre. Wear walking shoes. Hands on class to prepare regional Brittany-specialties including "apple far" and chicken bouillabaisse with Chef Bernard for dinner at Le Moulin. Uniform or apron. Taste flight of chevre from Hughes' farm.
Wednesday August 19: 8 am breakfast. 9:30 hands on cuisine course with Chef Eric Bichon at his restaurant L’Oree des Bois in La Brielle des Pins, lunch and Q&A with the chef (full uniform). Visit to artisan nut oil press. Loire wine class and tasting in the caves at Le Tasting Room with owners Cathy and Nigel. We also recommend you try to pack. Enjoy classic French food-movie night at Le Moulin.
Chef Eric Bichon's dessert at L'Oree des Bois
Thursday August 20: Breakfast 7 am. Visit to fleur de sel marshes of Geurande, sandwich style lunch on own in Geurande (not included). 4 pm artisan bread class with Master Boulanger Philippe Soulard at La Maison du Pain, Angers to learn about baking levain leavened breads. Bring apron/notebook; tie hair back (and ask questions!). Return to Le Moulin. 7 pm help prepare farewell dinner featuring French salads with Chef Jessie.
French Macarons you will bake at La Duchesse Anne Patisserie
Friday August 21: Breakfast. Depart for trains back to Paris or Charles de Gaulle from Saumur. Note: please coordinate return flights with Chef Kathryn; we recommend you consider staying one night in Paris since it is impossible to make morning flights coming up via train from the Loire Valley; however, afternoon flights are feasible.
Le Moulin Bregeon summer evening al fresco dining
To find out more about our host hotel for the cooking programs, you can download a free ITunes app for Iphones or Ipads, "Le Moulin Bregeon."
What's Included
- Full tuition and course food/wine costs for 13 class sessions with 8 different chef/instructors
What's Not Included
-3 sandwich style lunches en route with group (Saturday, Sunday, Thursday)
- Airfare and round-trip train from Paris/Charles de Gaulle to Saumur. Total door-to-door course cost is about $4,850
- Travel insurance (purchase on your own)
- Travel insurance (purchase on your own)
- Tips for hotel staff at Le Moulin Bregeon (please estimate $100, included in the $4,850).
- Personal laundry, phone and incidentals
Chef Kathryn and participants preparing plums for jam
1. Contact Chef Kathryn at kathrynlmg@yahoo.com to inquire about availability for tour and full description of our trip; a brief phone conversation can be scheduled
2. ASAP, please email answers to the following:
- Are you a US citizen with current passport (non-US citizens may require a via for France)
- Do you have any food allergies? Food preferences? Are you ok in a country location?
- Please confirm you are ok with family-style, shared room accommodations (each suite has private bath; every 2-3 students will share a suite and bathroom)
- Are you in good health and able to walk distances, climb stairs and stand in kitchens? We have very long days for our itinerary; consider it a delicious, educational opportunity but not just a vacation... The French tend to eat dinner much later than Americans...
- The location of Le Moulin Bregeon is in the very remote countryside; they have pet turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, goats, cats and dogs that are not allowed inside but sometimes wander in, as do the occasional insect; bring allergy medication if necessary - it is more difficult to obtain in France
- The location of Le Moulin Bregeon is in the very remote countryside; they have pet turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, goats, cats and dogs that are not allowed inside but sometimes wander in, as do the occasional insect; bring allergy medication if necessary - it is more difficult to obtain in France
- Do you understand you will be traveling with a diverse group of individuals; this requires teamwork, cooperation and maturity?
- If you went to ICE professional programs, what chefs did you have, when did you graduate and where did you extern? Are you working in the culinary field now?
3. Upon confirmation of your application, Chef Kathryn will direct you how to pay a $500 deposit to ICE Accounting (credit card to Brian Ellis, bellis@ice.edu).
4. Payment in full of $3,650 will be due to ICE by 1/15/15 (Brian Ellis in Accounting, bellis@ice.edu).
4. Payment in full of $3,650 will be due to ICE by 1/15/15 (Brian Ellis in Accounting, bellis@ice.edu).
5. Prior to travel, Chef Kathryn will provide information re train travel, packing, weather, etc. and offer a chance for local NY area participants to meet each other at ICE.
6. If you have questions, please email Chef Kathryn at kathrynlmg@yahoo.com
6. If you have questions, please email Chef Kathryn at kathrynlmg@yahoo.com
Hughes Delahaye with his chevre
Course Rules
- No smoking in Le Moulin Bregeon rooms
- Students are expected to be considerate of other travelers and staff and family-style accommodations, meals, etc.
Baking class at La Duchesse Anne in Saumur
Private culinary courses at Le Moulin Bregeon may be arranged throughout the year for 2 or more participants. For details, see loirevalleycooking.com
