With a team of chef instructors and pastry chefs with the same taste for excellence, École Ducasse, the eponymous chef’s network of schools, also welcomes external guest chefs and exceptional talents every year. ”Meilleurs ouvriers de France (MOF)”, Best French Craftsmen, World Champions, Hospitality Experts – all of them renowned in their field – share their expertise and techniques on a daily basis with the various audiences at École Ducasse: seasoned professionals wishing to improve their skills, high school graduates, career changers or gastronomy and pastry enthusiasts. 2021 is no exception, and the school offers a remarkable selection for its three institutions – École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (ENSP), Paris Studio and Paris Campus, which opened its doors last November.
Multi-star sponsors for Bachelor courses
École Ducasse is pleased to unveil the names of the chefs chosen to become the sponsors of its 2021 Bachelors’ programs. These 3-year Bachelors programs are aimed at young students who have just graduated from high school and who wish to become chefs entrepreneurs.
Bachelor in Culinary Arts will be under the guidance of Jacques Maximin, the iconic chef awarded Michelin stars on numerous occasions and Meilleur Ouvrier de France Cuisinier (Best Craftsman of France in cooking category – MOF) 1979. The chef, who joined the École Ducasse group in 2020 as Culinary Advisor and Chef in Residence at the new Paris Campus in Meudon, will share Alain Ducasse’s values with students on a daily basis, instil his culinary vision and initiate masterclasses as well as themed dinners. In his capacity as sponsor of the Bachelor of Culinary Arts, he will pay particular attention to the transmission of values that are dear to him such as creativity, excellence, generosity and rigour.
Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier-Confiseur (Best Craftsman of France in the Chocolate making and confectionery) 2019, Paul Occhipinti, will take on the role of sponsor of the Bachelor in French Pastry Arts. The chef is well known to the institution – after training at École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie, he has been teaching there as a guest chef since 2016. Passionate about confectionery and chocolate from his teenage years, he has developed his talents alongside great chefs such as Christian Camprini, Master Pastry Chef and MOF Chocolatier-Confiseur 2004. Sous-Chef Pâtissier of Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Rocin Cap d’Antibes since 2014, Paul Occhipinti has launched himself into entrepreneurship by creating his own 100% organic brand last August: Nico & les chocolats.
The 2021 Bachelors programs will start on September 6, 2021 and will be taught at Paris Campus and ENSP.
PARIS CAMPUS: “master more than cooking”
The arrival of the majority shareholder Sommet Education, a worldwide network of prestigious educational institutions specialising in hospitality, has enabled the renowned institution to expand its portfolio of training courses in the Art of Hospitality and customer experience, such as the intensive two-month program, aimed in particular at enthusiasts and people undergoing professional reconversion: the “Essentiels des Arts de la Table et de la Sommellerie” (“Art of Service and Sommelier Essentials”). Result of the synergy between Sommet Education and École Ducasse, this program is based on the arts of the table and service, customer experience, and food and wine pairings. The training is given at Paris Campus, notably by Chantal Wittmann, Gastronomic Restaurant Director and Senior Lecturer at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. Mrs Wittmann, one of the only two women MOFs in the world in the field of service and table arts, officiates at the restaurant “Le Bellevue” (16 Gault & Millau points and recently entered in the Michelin Guide).
For continuing professional development, Paris Campus has also created a series of encounters: “Les invités d’Alain Ducasse” (“Alain Ducasse’s guests”). Professional chefs will be able to experience the new campus while learning from of one eight exceptional personalities in the world of gastronomy invited by Paris Campus: Adrien Cachot, Christopher Coutanceau, Christophe Raoux and Luc Debove for “Cuisine à quatre mains” (“Four-handed cooking”), Jacques Maximin, Chantal Wittmann and Jessica Préalpato, “Best Pastry Chef of the World 2019” (World’s 50 Best Restaurants) as well as Mathieu Le Feuvrier. This is a two- to four-day vocational training.
ENSP: excellence and expertise at the heart of professional training
The programme developed by ENSP team for professional training focuses on expertise and excellence. Among the chefs invited are : Romain Chalumeau, the school’s Chef Instructor for his course “Pâtisseries raffinées, sans gluten ni additifs” (“Refined pastries, gluten-free and additive-free”), running from February; the MOF Chocolatier Paul Occhipinti for his “Confiserie moderne” (“Contemporary confectionary”) course in April; and chef and MOF Chocolatier Frédéric Hawecker for a professional training course dedicated to “Confiserie à la folie” (“Confectionary madness”).
Like Cédric Grolet, Pastry Chef at the hotel “Le Meurice” and Jérôme de Oliveira, World Pastry and Bakery Champion in Cannes, who are also former students of ENSP, many renowned chefs will also come to the Château de Montbarnier throughout the year to share their experiences and techniques.
PARIS STUDIO: culinary workshops for all tastes
Every year, Paris Studio develops thematic programs open to all audiences such as:
– Initiation enfant à la gastronomie (Initiation to gastronomy for children) for 3 mornings for children aged 6 to 11 years old: this immersion in the kitchen for little ones promises to be a fun activity around cooking and pastry making.
– Menu 100% Japon (100% Japanese menu): in spring, Japanese culinary designer Fumiko Kono will challenge participants to create a refined and tasty menu that will delight more than one person.
– Gâteaux de notre enfance (Cakes from our childhood): also in the spring, the school invites food-lovers to plunge back into the home-made snacks and sweets of their childhood.
– Pâtisser simple, sain et bon (Simple, healthy and good pastry): at the beginning of May, the idea is to explore natural alternatives to make balance and indulgence work in harmony.
– Charcuterie pâtissière (Delicatessen and pastry): in May, participants will discover the basic techniques of these gourmet dishes that are both emblematic and essential to French culture.
– Tout sur les entremets (All about desserts): at the end of May, the school will reveal the techniques needed to make desserts for special occasions.
– Glaces et Sorbets (Ice Creams and Sorbets): in June, for a fresh start of the summer, chef Luc Debove will share his techniques and tips for creating ice creams, granitas or sorbets.
Paris Studio has also developed a new digital offer for companies: les Team Buildings connectés (Team Buildings connected). These friendly and fun experiences allow the teams to share good times and make the link between gastronomy and business world by taking part in a digital cooking class led “live” by one of the Paris Studio Chefs.
