Is there a better place to learn how to make French macarons than Paris, France? I think not. If you’re looking for a fun activity to do in Paris, Kellin and I both highly recommend the Macaron Class at Le Foodist. We were taught by the hilarious French Chef – Hugo – who spoke excellent English. Hugo just began an advanced culinary program in order to obtain the title of Master Chef. Outside of his job at Le Foodist (where he offers a variety of pastry courses), Hugo is a pastry chef at a local Parisian bakery. He works long, 12-hour days, and his passion for baked goods and pastries is undeniable.
Hugo helped us every step of the way – we measured all of our ingredients, prepared mixtures on the stovetop, used the mixer, and even learned French cuisine folding techniques for pastry dough. Each pair of people at the class worked on a different flavor macaron. Kellin and I made a chocolate ganache filling while others whipped up almond custard, lemon custard, and chocolate coffee ganache fillings. We piped our own cookies, baked them, and of course – ate them. At the end of the 3 hour long class, we all sat around a table and enjoyed the cookies we had made from scratch. Don’t get me wrong; they weren’t Ladureé macarons, but they were delicious! Kellin and I left with a box of 20+ macarons that we shamelessly ate for breakfast the following day.
Le Foodist offers more than just macaron classes; you can also take general French cuisine classes, croissant classes, and even chocolate eclair and puff pastry classes. It was less than $100 USD per person, and it was an activity that my husband enjoyed as well. I’ve included the link to the website below as I rate this as a must-do activity while visiting Paris.
Ashley Deglan 