Do you dream of working with chocolate or learning how to make chocolate eclairs, soufflés, macarons and other classic French pastries and desserts?

For visitors to France wishing to study pastry arts and chocolate during their stay, the following schools offer workshops and classes ranging in length from a few hours or days to eight months of full-time training.

Pastry and chocolate classes in Paris are usually taught in French, but may in some cases be translated into English by interpreters. Smaller schools catering mainly to tourists often offer classes in English.

Prices vary widely, depending on the school and type of program (amateur or professional) and space is often limited.

The list of schools on this page is intended to provide a general idea of pastry and chocolate courses available. Contact each school directly for more information. For professional pastry and chocolate programs, click here.

Pastry and chocolate classes for non-professionals

Lenôtre Culinary and Pastry School (Pavillon Elysée Lenôtre) offers a variety of 3- to 5-day courses in pastry, baking and chocolate.

Un Dimanche à Paris offers chocolate and pastry workshops in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district.

La Belle Ecole offers cooking and pastry classes, as well as a full range of French “art de vivre” workshops.

Ecole Bellouet Conseil, located on the famous rue Lecourbe, offers a full range of cooking and pastry classes.

Edwart Chocolatier offers a variety of chocolate-making workshops at its rue de Rivoli location.

Ecole Ritz Escoffier offers 12 individual “Art of French Pastry” training sessions lasting two-and-a-half days each. Two of these modules cover chocolate (All About Chocolate and Chocolates & Confectionery). The school also offers a Master of Pastry program lasting five half-days.

Ecole Valrhona Grand Chocolat organises gourmet chocolate workshops for amateurs. The school is located in the small town of Tain l’Hermitage (Drome department), the world headquarters of the Valrhona chocolate company.

Elegant Home Cooking is a small school in the Paris suburb of Suresnes providing “hands-on” cooking and pastry lessons. The school also holds events in Seattle, WA.

Kitchen Studio is self-described as a state-of-the-art “culinary club.” Recently opened (April 2010) in a spacious loft in the Parisian suburb of Boulogne, the studio offers daily classes, demonstrations and tastings.

Les Secrets Gourmands de Noemie, a small school in the lively Batignolles district of Paris, regularly offers pastry classes in English.

Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie is one France’s leading pastry schools. Located in the town of Yssingeaux (Haute-Loire department), ENSP offers a full range of pastry and chocolate classes for amateurs and professionals.

Ecole de Cuisine Alain Ducasse, a fabulous facility run by the renowned Chef Ducasse, offers several classic pastry, macaron and chocolate classes.

Ecole des Trois Ponts, located in Riorges, Grand Roanne (Loire department), specializes in week-long French language and chocolate-making classes.

L’Atelier des Sens offers 3-hour pastry classes at its Paris-Haussmann facilities.

Le Cordon Bleu offers a large selection of 3-hour workshops in pastry arts and chocolate, among which several different chocolate classes. Courses are taught in French and translated into English by interpreters.

Les Coulisses du Chef avec Olivier Berté offers three-hour workshops in which students learn to prepare a complete French meal, including dessert. Check the schedule for their chocolate menu specials.

L’Atelier des Chefs offers many different types of cooking and pastry/chocolate courses in Paris (multiple workshop locations) and several other cities in France.

La Cuisine Paris is a new Franco-American cooking school founded in the fall of 2009. Located in the 4th arrondissement, right in the centre of Paris, it offers pastry and chocolate courses.

L’Atelier Cuisine de Patricia is a culinary school in Versailles.

Le Foodist is a small school offering pastry and cooking classes at their facilities on rue Cardinal Lemoine (5th arrondissement).

Cook’n With Class is a small French cooking school in Montmartre offering a variety of culinary workshops in English, among which pastry, macaron and gourmet chocolate classes.

Promenades Gourmandes offers combined market tours and practical cooking and pastry classes in a small group setting. Instruction is given in English.

The International Kitchen offers both culinary vacations and cooking and pastry classes à la carte. A variety of courses and tours are available in various regions of France.

Cooking & Lifestyle Vacations, a French-American company based in Boston and Paris, offers a variety of cooking and pastry classes and gourmet tours.

For professional pastry and chocolate programs, click here.

To advertise on ChocoParis, click here.

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