Alain Ducasse Cooking Classes at Famed L’Eclaireur Concept Store

Since 1980, when Martine & Armand Hadida’s first concept store opened in an art gallery on the Champs-Elysées, L’Eclaireur has showcased cutting edge designers and artists with strong, and unusual approaches to their work. The brand quickly established itself as a visionary force in the world of fashion, lifestyle and design. By breaking away from the traditional distribution system, L’Eclaireur’s creators blazed a new path combining avant-garde choices and service dedicated to the needs of a highly specific, aesthetic-oriented and worldly clientele. Clients and creators indirectly collaborate, and thus become essential actors themselves in the L’Eclaireur experience. “L’Eclaireur always looks ahead, forecasting the future daring, disrupting. It is our duty to seduce, and to surprise”, they say. So, hardly surprising that Armand Hadida and Alain Ducasse have collaborated on a course of cookery lessons planned at the slick, state-of-the-art “No Name Kitchen” created in the former stables of the handsome 17th century hôtel particulier that now houses the rue Hérold outpost of L’Eclaireur. Julian Mercier, Executive Head Chef of Alain Ducasse Cookery School (a veteran of prestigious establishments like Benoit Tokyo, Spoon London, and Le Royal Monceau, Paris) will welcome up to 10 aspiring chefs. “Here’s the perfect opportunity for participants to increase their culinary repertoire: cooking two recipes around a seasonal theme, honoring exceptional products such as asparagus, morels, chanterelles and cep mushrooms,” says chef Mercier, who speaks perfect English. At the end of course, there’s a fun tasting (with wine) of the dishes and students leave with their aprons, the recipes and motivation to carry on cooking. THE DATES : Thursday, April 7 Theme: Spotlight on “Asparagus” Cooked and raw asparagus vinaigrette with black olives and white asparagus gratin, old comté cheese. Thursday, May 5 Theme: Spotlight on: “The Morel mushroom” Egg casserole with mushrooms, farmhouse bread, gnocchi with morels, chicken jus. Thursday, June 9 Theme: Spotlight on: “La Chanterelle” Sautéed mushrooms with almonds and lemon risotto with mushrooms and chicken stock Thursday, July 7 Theme: Spotlight on: “The Cèpe” Cèps bordelaise style : Pizza with cooked and raw mushrooms. Hours: 7 to 9 pm. Price per person: 240 € Registration: Only by telephone via the concierge at Alain Ducasse Cookery School, Camille Nicolas. Tel: +33 (0)1-44-90-91-00 Location: L’Eclaireur, 10 rue Hérold, 2nd arrondissement