Pino Ficara

An Italian by blood and American by marriage Pino has studied, observed, experimented with cooking from very early age. Inspired by a family of skilled cooks and bakers Pino pursued his formal training in Manhattan in French cuisine before coming to Paris to share with us his natural flair and extensive knowledge of cooking.

Chef Pino teaches regularly the Bread making class, Baking class, Desserts, Advanced Desserts class, and Macaron Class.

Don't be afraid to ask him your most quirky food questions, he will be delighted to answer...

"Nowadays cooking seems so glamorous but when I grew up it was just part of every-day family life.

In my family we learnt to cook everything from scratch and I was the designated commis Chef from a very early age! My mother would go to market religiously and bring home fresh farmers produce. I spent most of my childhood cranking the pasta machine and working the food mill. My mother would always say " use your nose!", and so every herb, ingredient was touched & smelt before and during cooking. As a Chef your nose is your second brain!

My father was from a family of bakers and they owned a Pastry shop in Southern Italy. Luckily I became friends with the local Baker and filled my summers baking cornets, making ice cream and filling crème puffs. He also took me fishing when the Bakery was closed, who would have known you could learn fishing from a baker, but such was the connection between nature and cooking.

I didn't grow up to be a Chef I was trained from a very early age and so when I became an engineer I missed what I loved most about cooking - getting your hands dirty and sharing the results with people. This was such a great pleasure that surpassed my more logical existence and that is why I returned to a career in culinary arts.

A good Chef learns the techniques but masters the use of his senses, in a way we do not develop our senses enough anymore, starting early in life is always good! I believe in the classics and that 's why I also trained in French cuisine to perfect my techniques. For me the ideal restaurant is one that uses products from local farmers while striving to be environmentally friendly. "