Robert Reynolds Apprenticeship in France

Portland, USA

School Introduction

I offer sessions in France, in the region of the Poitou and Charentes. They are organized around a daily routine of life in a small French city. They operate between March and May.

We meet each morning for coffee. We plans menus. We shop at markets in various settings - small villages, medieval towns, port cities - Coulonges,
Parthenay, La Rochelle, Niort - each presenting the exceptional products
which come from this province of France - butter, cream, cheeses,
vegetables, poultry, beef, sea foods.

We return from the market to my house and prepare a lunch that requires us
to be impromptu - easy things which allow us to practice what we learn
without being too complicated or demanding. In the afternoon we have an
academic class session in which a menu is presented, its elements analyzed -
it has a point of view, a region, an artistic ambition, an historic
tradition, a grandmother. We discuss in detail how to achieve its goals.

Over the course of time we focus on and cover a repertoire of dishes that
constitute French food. We emphasize methods and techniques, skills. We
examine the physics and chemistry of the subject. We look at its cultural
and historic context. A solid foundation of the subject is put in place in an effort to understand food as the French perceive it.

The approach I take is based on sound culinary technique and tradition. We
want to grasp the process of gastronomy, the art and science of food, from the germination of the seed to the final presentation of dishes at the table. In this setting in France that is possible.

Then we cook, hands-on, with me providing close supervision. We look inside the pots, while theories are being applied, to figure out if we see them, understand them, can apply them and achieve the results to achieve good food. We taste, we talk, we apply ourselves, we try to go beyond and to achieve excellence.

Learning and supervision are direct; there are only 4-6 students in any
session. In the end we set a table and eat what we have prepared. Sometimes
we invite guests, often the French, to the table. And of course we learn to
pair foods with appropriate wines.

Over the period of the 8 week course, your palate is subtly formed. This is
a secondary goal, but it happens. You have the experience of tasting good
food, well prepared on a daily basis. Students always comment that the foodwe prepare ourselves is always better than anything they get in restaurants. It has the taste of France, and the authenticity and harmony that comes from studying French cooking in the place from where it issues - France itself.

We will also visit our French counterparts in their kitchens and
businesses - wine producers, cheese makers, farmers, home cooks and
restaurateurs. The classes are crafted for individuals who have either a
professional or vocational interest in gastronomy - hence it’’s name ‘‘aux
Gastronomes’’ - and want to work with those who share a passion for good
food.

I am both chef and professor, and was trained in this tradition in France. I
have offered these classes since 1987. I operated a restaurant in San Francisco which enjoyed a reputation for being in the top one percent of the
city’’s restaurants. The restaurant’’s achievements happened while simultaneously working with students. It is this distinction that I bring to
this training. If you have further interests or questions I would obviously be happy to talk with you.

The cost of the 8 week course is 8000$
The cost of a 4 week course is 4750
A 1-week course will cost 2250
All include housing and food and local travel. Week-end meals are not
included in this fee; students have always preferred to be on their own.

Special Courses & Features

Regional Culinary Styles

French Cuisine
Italian Cuisine

Contact Info

Robert Reynolds Apprenticeship in France
Robert Reynolds Apprenticeship in France
222 SE 18th Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
USA

Tel (503) 233 1934
Fax

http://www.RobertReynoldsCooks.com