Featured in May 2004 Travel and Leisure, "The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Schools."
About the location:
The lovely seventeenth-century Château du Feÿ, 95 km south of Paris, is in
the province of Burgundy, halfway between Sens and Auxerre. Chablis is close by and
other great vineyards within convenient reach: Reims/Epernay for champagne, Beaune
for the great Burgundies and Sancerre for wines of the Loire. Restored to its former
glory, the Château du Feÿ is set on 100 acres overlooking the Yonne river valley. Amenities
include an outdoor swimming pool and all-weather tennis court. Nearly all bedrooms have en
suite bathrooms. An elegant salon and dining room complement the fine accommodations and the kitchens
are exceptionally well equipped. Please note that
all bedrooms at Château du Feÿ are on the second and third floors and there is no elevator.
 About the cooking lessons:
Born in Newcastle, England, Anne received her Masters degree from Cambridge
University, then studied and taught cooking in London and Paris before moving to the United States (she
has been a US citizen since 1973). Among her many accomplishments, Anne has been an associate editor
of Gourmet and food editor of the Washington Star, and currently contributes a column to the Tribune Media
Services International as well as writing for the Los Angeles Times. Anne was elected to the Who's Who of
Food and Beverage in America in 1986 and was honored in 1995 as Grande Dame of Les Dames
d'Escoffier International. In 1999, the International Association of Culinary Professionals recognized Anne
with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement award, and in Australia at the World Food Media ceremonies,
she was inducted into their Hall of Fame. In 2000, at the American Food and Entertainment Awards, Bon
Appétit magazine named Anne "Cooking Teacher of the Year."
Anne has served as President of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and as a trustee of
the IACP Foundation. She has also served on the Corporation of the Culinary Institute of America and is a
board member of COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and The Arts in Napa, California.
Anne Willan has written over a dozen internationally published cookbooks, her new release (fall
2004) being The Good Cook (Stewart, Tabori and Chang). Also widely recognized is Anne
Willan’s From My Chateau Kitchen (in Britain, A Kitchen in Burgundy) which introduced readers
to life in Burgundy and to Anne’s cooking at the Château du Feÿ. Other well-known books include
Cooking with Wine, the influential La Varenne Pratique and the profusely illustrated step-by-
step Look and Cook series in 17 volumes. Anne’s international outreach, with books published in
two dozen countries and translated into 18 languages, makes her one of the most internationally
renowned of today’s cooking authorities.
La Varenne
Burgundy
The Country Cooking of France at Château du Feÿ (5 nights)
Day One - Sunday
-
At 2:30 PM, we pick you up at a designated point in central Paris and whisk
you to Château du Feÿ.
-
You will be comfortably settled in by 4:30 PM
and after a personal tour of the château grounds, we descend to our cellars
for a sampling of French cheeses under the direction of maître affineur
Pascal Leroux.
-
A delicious buffet supper prepared by our staff follows. A
wide range of interesting wines accompanies all our meals.
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Day Two - Monday
-
We start the day by visiting the morning market in the historic town of Sens.
Producers from all over the region gather in a beautiful turn of the century
building, opposite the famous cathedral. You will help us choose some fresh
produce for cooking back at the chateau and then, after a brief shopping
tour, we adjourn for a light lunch in a charming country setting.
-
By mid-afternoon we are back at Le Feÿ for the first hands-on master class with
Anne Willan, featuring recipes like poulet au vinaigre de vin du château and
apple Tarte Tatin. We will enjoy these and other dishes over a leisurely
chateau dinner.
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Day Three - Tuesday
-
In the morning, the esteemed chef/owner of the two-starred La Madeleine in
Sens, Patrick Gauthier, will present recipes from his repertoire such as a
salad of summer truffles with rocket and purslane.
- You will then enjoy a
market lunch at the chateau prepared by resident Chef Randall Price.
- In the
afternoon, you will watch our master artisanal baker fashion croissants and
specialty breads, and then gather at our centuries-old bread oven to watch
the baking process.
- Following evening aperitifs, we will leave for a great
dining experience at La Madeleine.
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Day Four - Wednesday
-
This is a vineyard day, which starts in Chablis with a comprehensive tasting
and tour escorted by our wine consultant Brendan Moore, an expert on
northern Burgundy’s white wines.
- We'll take lunch at the well-known
winemaker's bistro in Chablis, La Table de William Fevre. Our next stop is
Auxerre, our local capital and a historic town where we’ll make time
for shopping mid-afternoon.
- The day comes to a close at Le Feÿ with dinner
cooked by Randall Price of dishes such as chilled herb and nettle soup and
his feather-light chocolate soufflé roulade.
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Day Five - Thursday
-
For our second master class we’ll focus on cooking dishes like soupe au
pistou, poulet
sauté basquaise and gateau Breton.
-
In the afternoon, the chef from the starred Domaine de Roncemay will demonstrate
some of his favorite dishes.
-
Finally, after a celebratory glass of champagne at the
cocktail hour, we’ll leave for the three-starred Côte St Jacques, one of the
finest restaurants in France. I can assure you that our dinner there will be an unforgettable experience!
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Day Six - Friday
-
The minibus to return you to Paris leaves at 9:30 AM so you will be back in
town by midday. What will you have learned and acquired during your five
days at Le Feÿ? New recipes, new cooking skills, a new appreciation for fine
ingredients and plate presentation, and a bird’s eye view of what’s
happening on the food and wine scene in France today.
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A Taste of Burgundy at Château du Feÿ (3 nights)
Day One - Sunday
-
At 2:30 PM, we pick you up at a designated point in central Paris and whisk
you to Château du Feÿ.
-
By 4:30 PM you will be comfortably settled in, ready
for a tour of the property with your hosts, Anne Willan and her husband Mark
Cherniavsky. Your first tasting is held in the Château cellar, where maître
affineur Pascal Leroux will guide you through a sampling of fine French
cheeses.
- A country buffet supper prepared by our staff and based on local specialties and produce
from the garden follows. A wide range of interesting
wines accompanies all our meals.
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Day Two - Monday
-
This morning resident Chef Randall Price will escort you on a personal tour
of the colorful market in the heart of the historic cathedral city of Sens,
where you’ll gather ingredients for a market lunch the next day. Producers
from all over the region gather in a beautiful turn of the century building,
opposite the famous cathedral.
-
Free time to wander the winding streets is
followed by light lunch in a country inn.
- By mid-afternoon we are back at Le
Feÿ for a class introduced by Anne Willan and chef’s table dinner, presented
by Randall Price, featuring dishes such as chilled herb and nettle soup, and
a feather-light chocolate soufflé roulade.
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Day Three - Tuesday
-
We start the day with a comprehensive tasting and tour of Chablis escorted
by our wine consultant Brendan Moore, an expert on Burgundy’s white
wines.
- We return to Château du Feÿ for a market lunch.
- In the afternoon,
the esteemed chef/owner of the two-starred La Madeleine in Sens, Patrick
Gauthier, will present recipes from his repertoire such as salad of summer
truffles with rocket and purslane.
- After a celebratory glass of champagne at the
cocktail hour, we’ll leave for La Madeleine for one of the best dinners the
region has to offer.
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Day Four - Wednesday
-
The minibus to return you to Paris leaves at 9:30 AM so you will be back in
town by midday. You will have enjoyed a taste of Burgundy in all its aspects:
fine cooking, fine wines, world-class vineyards and a glimpse of the fine
countryside, home to so many of France’s best ingredients. There can be
no better invitation to return again!
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Included in the program:
-
Nightly accommodation at Château du Feÿ*
-
Events and meals as listed in itinerary
-
Transfer from Le Meriden Hotel in central Paris, at 2:30 PM the day the program starts. Return transfer to the
same location at 12:00 noon at the conclusion of the program. The Air France airport bus stop is very close
to the hotel.
*Note: All bedrooms at Château du Feÿ are on the second and third floors and there is no elevator.
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Cooking Vacations 
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