Biography
   
 
 
Eric Fraudeau
 
Pino Ficara

Roots . . .

Cooking was not always my passion but once I began my studies and professional training to become a cook and eventually a chef, a love of food and culinary arts grew and grew.

I have been cooking professionally since the age of 20 after having attended a hotel/restaurant school in la Rochelle, followed by training in the kitchens of Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse.

The opportunity arose to gain further experience overseas and it was at that point in 1989 that I left France in search of new tastes and new adventures. My first stop was Montreal, Canada as Executive sous chef at the Ritz-Carlton. I stayed there for 2 years after which I left for Mexico where I worked at the Four Seasons and the Westin hotels over a period of 2 more years.

The point where I really made my mark has to be during the 5 years as the F&B Director/Executive Chef at Lowes Hotel Vogue in Montreal.

off again for other adventures . . .

I ended up in New York with Accor Hotels, owners of the Sofitel hotel as Executive Chef. I helped with the opening of the Philadelphia & Chicago Sofitels before being asked to return to Montreal as Executive chef of Sofitel Montreal.

I had not anticipated returning to France in 2003 but I followed my heart and my fiancé to Paris. I decided to take a break from the hotel industry and took a job working with the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris, where I stayed 3 years as Restaurant manager.

Back to basics . . .

So why a French cooking school? I have always wanted to create a place where people who share a love of food could come together to learn about and share new food experiences in an atmosphere that is both relaxed and convivial. Too many years in some tense kitchen environments helped shape this idea.

I hope to provide to my clients an experience that they will be able to pass on to their friends and family. In a 3-4 hour course, I hope to show people how much fun and easy cooking can be while Cook'n With Class.

Eric Fraudeau
Chef Instructor

 

Roots . . .

I come from a family of skilled cooks and professional bakers. Starting at a young age I was often "hired" as sous-chef by my mother, father or whomever was in charge of the kitchen. As a result, I have always enjoyed cooking for my friends and family. As my excitement for cuisine grew it became clear that i should trade-in a long career in science, math and software development, for that of a full-time chef.

Training...

I completed my formal training in French Pastry and Culinary Arts at ICE [Institute of Culinary Education] in New York City. And after a few years working in well established French and Italian restaurants in Manhattan, I opened a catering company that served a NYC/NJ clientele for over 4 years. During this time I re-discovered how much I enjoy teaching while training my collaborators, and as with much that came before, this naturally led to offering private cooking classes in addition to the catering.

Back to Europe...

My desire to move back to Europe made Paris the obvious choice and my wife and I have decided to make it our home. I am very happy to be sharing my passion for cooking with our students at Cook'n with Class.

Pino Ficara
Chef Instructor

 

Bernadette Laserna

 

 

Rachel Khoo

 

I grew up in a family who had a deep appreciation for home cooking, so it seemed like a natural progression to follow my innate curiosity to delve into the culinary arts. After finishing my formal studies, I was inspired by a PBS interview of Georges Blanc, and I was compelled to contact him. In turn, this led to being invited to work at his restaurant. The experience there was an educational journey in French cuisine and fine dining. This experience, as well as, working at various types of French restaurants, gave me an insight into French cooking techniques, seasonality, and diversity of products. The French appreciation for traditional methods, artisanal products, and simple yet effective techniques was the perfect match for someone having grown up in the organically-grown, locally-produced, mindset of California.

I began my formal training at the California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, in San Francisco, in 2002. My first introduction into the restaurant world began in the Napa Valley at Tra Vigne Restaurant. Deciding to focus on French cuisine, I interned for several months at the Michelin 3-star Georges Blanc Restaurant in Vonnas, France (Rhone-Alpes). I returned to Los Angeles to work at Lucques Restaurant and other well-known restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

After a couple of years, I moved back to France to pursue advanced training in French cuisine, working at several restaurants and high-end catering in Paris. La Regalade is my latest restaurant endeavor while also teaching at Cook'n With Class. I look forward to sharing with you my passion for French cuisine!

Bernadette Laserna
Chef Instructor

 

 

My first love is cooking and creating beautiful dishes and my second is styling the food to make it look tangible, even on the pages of a magazine. Whilst studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London, I discovered I had a real penchant for food that went above and beyond the usual student fare of beans on toast. I had developed a passion for cookery and food styling which would not be satiated and so I found myself trying to give this new desire for all things gourmand direction by expanding my food experience and skills working on shoots for The Sunday Times Style Magazine, The Food Observer, EMEL Magazine and M&S.

After successfully graduating I pursued a less food orientated career in the creative world of luxury fashion where I worked in Public Relations and E-Marketing, harnessing my food styling skills to that of clothes styling. Although my time here was successful, after two years I decided to take a leap of faith and say ‘goodbye’ London and ‘Bonjour’ Paris! It was here that two worlds collided as I studied French at La Sorbonne and Pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, cooking up a storm with my declensions and my millefeuille!

I then put my skills to excellent use at the delightful Paris culinary bookstore and tea salon, La Cocotte. Here I concocted delicious sweet treats: and regularly provided catering for culinary book launches and hosted my own cookery classes on site. Following the success of my edible endeavours at La Cocotte, I now work on culinary projects throughout Europe.

My role as an international food creative has spanned six-course dinners and workshops in places as far-flung as London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney. I am also a food writer with my first book “Barres à céréales, Granola et Muesli faites maison” published by Marabout and my second due out in August. And for those who want to learn or taste my expertise I also teach at Cook'n with Class.  

Rachel Khoo
Chef Instructor

 

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