Students testimonials and reviews

Gastón Acurio is a Chef, writer, businessman, and advocate of Peruvian culinary art. He attended law school in the late 80s but his passion for cuisine was so strong that he decided to leave to study the culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. He came back to Paris, France in 2015 to open a new restaurant.

The year at Le Cordon Bleu Paris is something everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime. The months are intensive and hard but when you see the final result, you cannot be anything other than speechless. I had never analyzed a glass of wine, a bottle, a grape variety, a region… Curiosity played a major role and opened my eyes to discover the beauty of this sector. Marketing, communication, management, soft skills… We touched on these subjects every day. The consultants are professionals, particularly good listeners and receptive, which is a very positive aspect.

I wanted to learn the basics of French cuisine which, in my opinion, is the best in the world. Le Cordon Bleu has a worldwide reputation, top quality teaching and prestigious internship opportunities. It perfectly equips you for a professional career anywhere in the world.

I learnt all the basic cuisine techniques, how to be well organized and to develop my creativity. The school also gave me the opportunity to carry out an internship at Le Galopin.

I had always dreamed of learning French cuisine in the place that I thought was best suited to me: Le Cordon Bleu.

As well as having had the opportunity to study in a multicultural environment, Le Cordon Bleu has given me the tools and the motivation to be able to achieve my future goal: Opening my own pastry store

I chose to study culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu because it is known to be one of the best culinary schools in the world. I was researching option on making my dream to study culinary arts come true, and stumbled upon various scholarship options, one among which was the JBF scholarship. It took me about 3 weeks to prepare my application for the scholarship. I've written a detailed article for those seeking to enable their studies with a scholarship. http://purplefoodie.com/how-to-win-a-scholarship-to-le-cordon-bleu/ I wouldn't have been able to pursue my studies at Le Cordon Bleu had it not been for the James Beard Scholarship.

My internship at Pierre Herme was an amazing experience for me. I sharpened the skills that I developed at the school during the 2 months I spent there. I worked in every department, from base production to dessert dressing and I also had the chance to meet and work with very strong and capable chefs.

I was, once again, delighted by our trip: the experience was extremely enriching and I really enjoyed discovering Cognac. Visiting the different Cognac Houses provides a thorough understanding of their style and philosophy. Not forgetting the Doureau cooperage visit, because I hadn’t realized the importance of wood in influencing different styles of Cognac.

Le Cordon Bleu was the starting point of my career. It has opened many doors and given me the opportunity to meet many interesting people in the French culinary field. I am currently working for of one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world.

The time I spent studying at Le Cordon Bleu exceeded all my expectations. I was taught by the best Chefs, working with the best possible raw materials and experiencing life in Paris, the world’s pastry capital.

Le Cordon Bleu was one of the best experiences of my life. I had some unforgettable moments while I was at the school. I met Chefs and other amazing people who passed on their passion for cuisine and quality to me.

From my first day at the school, I felt I was part of Le Cordon Bleu family. From the Chefs to the washer uppers and the office staff, everyone is very welcoming. It’s not always easy to do everything we’re supposed to, but we are definitely a team working together to prepare delicious food!

The Wine and Management Programme is complete. You will learn techniques and theory; you will practice and visit the places to know. You will also make contacts and become an insider of the wine world.

I was very happy when I found out that one of our trips would be to Cognac. I really wanted to see the production methods and all the cellars. It was interesting to learn about the different facets of Cognac, from small wine-growers to large groups. At first glance, the programme seemed to have a lot of visits for just one product, but by visiting lots of different Cognac Houses we were able to understand the differences in quality, style, production and the way in which the different Cognac Houses are run. We always received a very warm welcome in a magnificent setting. I would like to thank Le Cordon Bleu once again for enabling us to have such amazing experiences: we are extremely lucky!

In 2016, I decided to retrain to enable me to move into a sector about which I am passionate: boulangerie. In order to be able to master the techniques for making traditional French bread and freshly baked pastries, it was essential for me to learn with an Institute which specialized in this field : Le Cordon Bleu. I want to reach the very highest levels of excellence in my aim to become a baker, and the quality of Le Cordon Bleu programmes is renowned around the world. The training and the instructors are recognized in their field, the infrastructure, the working conditions, the equipment, and the training programme, are better than those you find when preparing for a CAP boulangerie.

Our class visited a variety of cognac houses from smaller and more "artisan style" houses such as Tesseron to very famous and large ones such as Hennessy. We were able to taste numerous selections of cognacs and we also had food pairings with each. Every host was extremely hospitable and made me feel so welcome and at-ease especially.Getting to see the hands-on approach each distiller takes was also very special. . It was truly an incredible experience to be across the world tasting cognac that is very special to me! This trip was quite luxurious too as the château we stayed in was very classic French and ornate.

I came to study cuisine lessons here as it had always been my dream to study French cuisine and in Paris! I also had friends who had already studied at Le Cordon Bleu institute, but in London. When I arrived at Le Cordon Bleu, I had the pleasure of being trained by Chefs who taught me how to appreciate and respect products in their natural state.

During school we learned so many amazing recipes and techniques, we couldn’t wait to practice them when we got back to our apartments. A few times we actually cooked dishes we had learned in class, packed them up like a picnic and had a pop-up dinner with our Parisian friends in various places around Paris. It was so delicious and so much fun—it was a great way to use what we learned in school.

Le Grand Diplome is the epitome of culinary training, as Chefs pass on a culinary legacy to those who have the will and the courage to be part of such a creative and passionate profession.

The Rhone Valley is one of my favorite regions and this trip allowed me to see the terroir up close. The meetings with winemakers and tastings has furthered my knowledge about the great wines from the Rhone. The perfect weather and beautiful scenery were also a plus!

Spending these 3 days in the Rhone Valley just increases our knowledge of wines. Tasting all these incredible wines and visiting all the winemakers, whether industry or independent winemaker, bring up so many different ideas and help us gain wine experiences. I really enjoyed the tour with Le Cordon Bleu.

I thought this trip was a success: all of the vineyards we visited were very interesting and the region is fantastic! It was my favourite trip of the whole year by far!

I am now doing what I love for a living, which had been my goal for many years. It is very important to me to have a range of quality, original, and sometimes rare, wines and spirits so that I can always try to meet the needs of my customers. The training I received at Le Cordon Bleu institute gave me the opportunity to consolidate my network thanks to the different speakers we met (sommeliers, agents, appellation representatives, etc.). Not forgetting, of course, the visits to French vineyards, the professional fairs that I took part in during the training programme, the numerous tastings undertaken in lessons and the wines selected by Mr. Ramage.

Having finished my studies and received my diploma from a gastronomy school in Rio de Janeiro, I came to Paris in order to specialize and to learn Le Cordon Bleu techniques. This is how my passion for pastry and all the techniques involved began. In addition, pastry requires attention to detail which I really enjoy. My studies at Le Cordon Bleu Paris Institute made me realise what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The Chefs also left me with lasting memories: you could really feel how passionate they were about their job and teaching.