Paris Small Group Hands-on Cooking Class With Cordon Bleu Chef

The experience was so much more than we expected or paid. Chef Catalina is amazing and taught us so much about food and how our body processes it. There are few times in life when the experience exceeds expectations tenfold. Catalina was born to fulfill her passion to give people the highest caliber culinary experience. Her level of expertise and her ability to bring that knowledge to her attendees is exceptional. We feel like we made a friend. We are very excited to try our new learned cooking skills at home. The food was exceptionally delicious and the recipes are all Chef Catalina’s own; we hope she writes a cookbook soon.

We had a great experience with Catalina. We were looking for a hands on cooking class and this proved to be a winner. Catalina started us off with knife skills which proved to be very enlightening and useful. We realized we all need some practicing in this area. From there we moved on to making three wonderful dishes, focusing on the techniques and use of flavors in the dishes. The dishes themselves were not over complex and we all thought we could use the different dishes in a multiple situations.

Chef Catalina was great. I do have some culinary experience, and she was able to meet me at my level and challenge me to be better, while engaging the other participant in the class. The menu was wonderful. I feel I could easily replicate this recipe at home for a terrific dinner party. She provided tips for us to make some components in advance for easy hosting. Thanks, Catalina, for a great afternoon!

Catalina‘s class was amazing! She was an excellent instructor, and all the food we made was delicious. We left with the recipes, pictures, and leftover cake. I will definitely take her class again when I am back in Paris.

We learned very good knife skills, actually what I needed. Recipes were good and she taught us how to make them adaptable to our specific tastes. We were six total and she paid great attention to each individual, regardless of their skills. We went over the time but nobody cared we were appreciative that she was not watching the clock. Food was spectacular, the final meal was great.

Excellent teacher. Cute neighborhood. Amazing meal. Lovely family.

Chef Catalina was awesome-she is the real thing! I learned how to properly use knifes and the history and usefulness of different foods. The dishes we made were absolutely wonderful and I can’t wait to try them again at home.

I’m not sure where to start. We had the BEST EXPERIENCE EVER. Chef Catalina is a kick ass Chef. Chef Catalina is knowledgeable, passionate and most of all knows her stuff. Chef Catalina from the moment we arrived made my wife and I feel welcomed. Chef Catalina gave us real world practical cooking tips & skills to take back home with us. Chef even helped my wife and I understand how to prepare meals together. AKA co-exist in the kitchen. 😂. Chef Catalina cooks clean, keeps her kitchen and equipment clean throughout the experience. The food we prepared was AMAZING and we also learned the why behind the ingredients that we used. As a lifelong restaurateur I am just totally in awe of our experience. Huge shout out to Brian. YOU ARE THE MAN. Lastly Lola is an awesome well behaved fur baby. In closing I want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to you Brian and Lola for welcoming Kim and I into your home and helping us to leave better cooks. We consider us family now. Lastly anyone considering a cooking class when visiting Paris look no further than Chef Catalina. Humbly Phillip & Kim San Francisco Ca

Such an enjoyable day. Catalina and her husband Brian welcomed us into their home - even to the extent of sourcing the music and beverages we would enjoy. Catalina taught us good knife skills - which we did NOT have already, and shared all sorts of professional kitchen wisdom. We prepared food I would have thought too tricky, and we enjoyed flavours that one of us would have resisted trying. Highly recommended. Very keen to return for another class next time we see in Paris. Thank you Catalina!

We had a great time at Chef Catalina’s cooking class! Catalina, Brian, and Lola were so hospitable and made the experience fun and enlightening. Chef Catalina knows what she’s talking about!

Chef Catalina's small group cooking class was a true highlight of our trip. It was a special afternoon spent in her cozy kitchen. The class was personal, instructive, engaging and FUN! There were 4 of us in our group and she made the afternoon such a treat. We've even applied our lessons and recipes since we've been home. We were there on my husband's birthday and she made it a memorable day. 10/10 recommend and would definitely go back.

This cooking class with Chef Catalina was truly amazing. I am a vegetarian and Chef Catalina has been able to accomadate my needs while the other women in the class were meat eaters. she accommodated both all of our needs well. I cook a lot at home and have taken many cooking classes throughout my travels. Lately, I have found it difficult to be inspired by cooking classes, but this class really focused of technique rather than the recipes. I have cooked the meal i learned to make for my in-laws and they absolutely loved it. This is a meal i plan on cooking a lot more for my family. I would recommend this class to people who are wanting to cook at home and want to update their skills. It's a class that teaches useful life skills :) From knife holding to learning about ingredient's, this class was great. Thank you Catalina!

What a treat! If your trip allows, Chef Catalina is wonderful! She truly wants you to take some skills home to practice in your own kitchen, all the while teaching you 3 fabulous recipes. It was a memory made with my new daughter in law that I will cherish. Lovely, warm environment.

Chef Catalina and her husband graciously opened their home and kitchen to my cousin and me for a four-hour experience. Everything was in place for us, from the ingredients we would use, to kitchen utensils for each of us, to a lovely mid-prep refreshment. Chef Catalina challenged us to improve our knife skills with humor and a bit of "what are you doing???!!!" We were given tips, recipes, and as the finale, enjoyed a lovely meal and conversation. We left with dessert, wine, and lots of pictures for our memory books. Unlike most tours and experiences, this was one that was very intimate as we had lots of focused time to share experiences from cooking to culture to travel. It was a highlight of our trip and well worth it!

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in Paris! Catalina was a delight to learn from. She is both knowledgeable and refreshingly self-assured. Catalina did a great job of not only explaining the how of food preparation but the why of French cooking technique as well. What a special experience to learn from a Chef with this level of skill and experience. Oh, and the food was delicious as well. Highly recommended!

Chef Catalina and Brian provided a wonderful and inviting experience! Not only did we learn so much, but we had a great time doing it. Amazing food, family and time. Thank you Chef Catalina for the insightful lessons, delicious food and for opening your home to us. We will absolutely be back!!! I cannot recommend this experience enough. Thank you!

This was an excellent class with Chef Catalina. I wanted to take a cooking class in Paris that not only showed me how to cook dishes, but also provided some guidance on proper techniques. Chef Catalina’s class could not have been better for this! She took us through proper knife skills and then how to apply them to various produce. It was incredibly instructive and helpful. Chef Catalina also took the time to explain the preparation and cooking methods we were using and taught us in a way that I feel I can now practice and experiment at home. She obviously has an incredible amount of knowledge and it was a real gift to be able to learn from her for an afternoon. The whole class culminated in enjoying the fruits of our labour through a delicious meal. It really was a great experience. While you are in the neighbourhood, do take the time to check out the shops as there are few cute boutiques in the surrounding area.

I enjoy taking cooking classes when I travel. Over the years, I have taken many in multiple countries and different regions of the US. This is the third class I’ve taken in Paris. I can honestly say this is one of, if not the best experience I have had – anywhere! Catalina offers the classes in her apartment and along with her helper/husband Brian, is both a great instructor and host. Because of this, the very enjoyable class felt very intimate and personalized. I learned not only new recipes and techniques, but Catalina started the class with “basic” knife skills. Who knew that I’ve been holding the knife wrong for the last 60 years! Now that I know how, the knife is doing all of the work easily without me needing to muscle my way through the ingredients. Peeling garlic has never been so easy! Catalina was also very accommodating when I shared (at the last minute) that I was traveling with a friend who was a vegetarian. I have successfully recreated almost every item we made during class, which by itself speaks volumes about the quality of the instruction! I can’t recommend this class enough. When you go, be sure to leave time to stop at Pleincoeur bakery for what may have been the best croissant I had during the trip. It’s around the corner from Catalina’s place and there is a really nice park nearby to sit and enjoy them. Bon Appetit!

Fantastic experience . We learned so much from Catalina and she and Brian made it fun! She was knowledgeable and a good instructor. Both are just great people! I highly recommend this class.

An amazing hands on cooking experience with a real vetted chef. We learned so many useful techniques for cooking fresh meals. The food we made together was delicious. Was one of the most favorite experiences we had in Paris. Left with the menus so we can make the dishes when we get home. Fun, funny and authentic!

My partner and I are adding our praises to Chef CATALINA BOTERO (chefcatalinabotero.com) for her small-group, sometimes entirely private, hands-on cooking class in her home. I hardly cook from scratch at all, and my partner cooks almost daily -- and both of us thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot. She was very patient with me, which I especially appreciated. We were not interested in larger classes or those held in a cooking school. Once I knew smaller options in a chef's own home were available, Chef Catalina was the obvious choice. It was the last day of our trip, and I had mixed emotions about spending 4+ hours in the middle of the day -- but it was a wonderful worthwhile experience. She has inspired me to cook more (using proper knife techniques!) and my partner to cook more slowly, deliberately and creatively. She gives you detailed recipes of what you cook, as well as a great list of things to do and see in Paris. It was worth it if just for the introduction to red pepper sauce as an alternative to the ubiquitous tomato sauce!

Great fun. Great food. Great teachers. We had a wonderful time.

Had an incredible experience with Chef Catalina. Catalina brings extensive and impressive culinary experiences. She was a fantastic host and I honestly learned so much. She didn’t just focus on surface level content but instead ensured we learned proper techniques such as knife skills. Having traveled throughout Europe, I can comfortably say this is one of the most unique and valuable culinary experiences I have done.

My daughter and I spent 4 hours with Chef Catalina, learning how to handle correctly our knives and cut properly and professionally. Then we were ready to start cooking, and what fun it was! Chef Catalina showed us how to prepare an excellent 3 courses meal, which we all enjoyed around her dining table, with the two other guests (with wine). We learnt cooking techniques and tricks we were never aware of, even if we love to cook at home. Chef Catalina is passionate about French cuisine. She is funny, energetic and will occasionally yell at you for not handling your kitchen tools correctly or not listening to and watching her demonstrate each step before trying yourself, all for jest of course! Cooking is a matter of discipline (and caution if you are using those knives!). Back home in the US, I am now incorporating her teachings into my home cooking. And this coming Saturday, I will attempt to serve her meal to friends coming over for dinner! Thank you, Catalina, we truly enjoyed the afternoon spent with you!

We had an amazing time with Chef Catalina! Not only did we make great food but she taught us cooking skills that we will be able to take home and use for a lifetime. I would highly recommend taking this class.

Catalina and Brian opened their hearts and their home sharing a blend of practical cooking tips and useful knife skills (be prepared to put your existing knife skills knowledge aside) this was an eye opener for us. If you’re seeking an authentic course rich on culinary fundamentals this is it. Our mission was preparing ratatouille, chicken cordon bleu, and a mouth melting chocolate cake … you won’t be disappointed in what follows … the taste test! Since my girlfriend and I have travelled back home from our France vacation, we have made this meal twice for both our parents and it’s been a welcome hit! Thanks again Catalina & Brian!

After my wife passed away in January, my (18yr old) son and I decided to go on a pilgrimage, ending our nearly 3 weeks of travel in Paris. We booked this experience with Chef Catalina and it did not disappoint! It was a truly amazing experience. She is incredibly knowledgeable in her craft and makes the entire experience fun. We learned, laughed, and enjoyed incredible food. We can’t wait to replicate what we learned and the recipes she shared with our family and friends back home. Thank you Chef Catalina.

This was an incredible experience! We learned, we laughed, we ate and drank!

We loved cooking with Catalina in her home. She was a great teacher who prioritized a hands-on experience for us. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun! Highly recommend!!

A fun, learning experience. Chef Catalina provides a hands-on class with a mix of technical skills and friendly culinary advice to help you improve your own experience in the kitchen. You also meet nice people and share a home cooked meal in an intimate setting. Highly recommend!

My wife, kids, and I took Catalina’s cooking class at the beginning of our trip to Paris, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the whole trip. It’s been almost a year now, and I found myself thinking about the class again this morning while cooking breakfast. I meant to write a review right when we got back, but life happens and things slowly drift to the back burner (pun intended). The fact that the class still comes to mind when I’m in the kitchen says a lot. I’m a fairly experienced home cook. As a teenager I worked as a short-order cook in a greasy spoon diner, so I’ve always been comfortable in the kitchen. But Catalina’s class genuinely elevated the way I cook. My knife skills improved, the way I think about prep and building dishes changed, and overall I feel calmer and more confident when I’m cooking regardless of what I'm making. For just spending a half day of my life in the class, it’s had a surprisingly lasting impact. The class takes place in Catalina’s home rather than a commercial kitchen, which makes it feel welcoming and relaxed. The focus is on preparing ingredients and assembling everything properly before it hits the heat. Catalina and Brian (her husband) are warm, fun hosts, and the class ends with everyone sitting down together to enjoy the meal we prepared. Doing the class at the very beginning of our trip turned out to be perfect. It was a wonderful introduction to France and set a really positive tone for the rest of our visit.

Every time my wife and I travel, we try and go for a local cooking class and I'd put the experience with Catalina right at the very top! We reached out very last minute and Catalina was ever so gracious to host a very intimate class with just me and my wife. Catalina is a phenomenal teacher with such profound knowledge of french cuisine - she's well travelled and is willing to break the mould of "tradition" and draw influences from cuisines all over the world. The lesson was extremely hands on and we were taken through each step of the cooking process - we ended up with a gorgeous Ratatouille and stuffed chicken breast. The next Paris visit, we're definitely going back - there's so much to learn!

My husband and I had a wonderful experience cooking with Chef Catalina! The class went beyond simply preparing ingredients and watching them being cooked (which is what usually happens in these classes) but instead offered a hands on masterclass on helpful cooking techniques and flavours to produce a delicious French 3-course meal. Great conversation and warm, engaging hosts just enhanced to the overall experience. Highly recommend!

This class surpassed all of my expectations. It wasn’t just fun, it was an excellent opportunity to learn culinary skills from a highly trained chef. The meal created was wonderful! I can’t wait to take another class.

Do not hesitate to book this fantastic experience! Chef Catalina was completely warm, wonderful and welcoming. Her class is hands on and teaches extremely useful techniques that are adaptable to any kitchen. I can’t wait to get home and try cooking her recipes on my own. 5 stars are not enough!

This was an extraordinary experience. We not only prepared delicious recipes, we learned incredibly useful knife skills and other techniques that we can use for any dish we prepare. Catalina was an outstanding teacher and all around person. Her warmth, her humor, her expertise all made the experience incredibly memorable. We could’ve spent the entire day with her! We cannot recommend this highly enough.

This without a doubt, was one of the most interesting and fun/worthwhile classes we have ever completed. The Chef and her husband were very professional and well qualified to train anyone. We learned how to prepare the different components of a meal, but also made our own sauces and how to handle cutlery and other preparation materials. It was a fascinating and fun course and well worth taking. Then of course we were able to consume our product Much more interesting than learning how to make breads.

We were in France for about two weeks and this was the best food we had. We went to a Michelin star restaurant, too. She was so informative and we would totally do it again. I use the skills we learned, too. This class really helped level up my knife skills. 100% recommend.

My wife and I had the privilege of attending our second class in Paris with chef Catalina Botero assisted by her husband Brian where we were introduced to Asian food preparation. Needless to say, this was another wonderful and in lighting experience. Catalina once again stressed the importance of knife skills which to us was what I now know is the foundation for making cooking enjoyable and safe. We definitely came away with a better appreciation for the use of each culinary knife used, the Chef’s knife for chopping and slicing to the paring knife we used for all the detail work experienced. Needless to say, our final Asian creation was an absolutely outstanding culinary experience. What impressed us most however was Catalina’s understanding of blending food and flavors that not only enhanced the taste experience we created but what I now have come to appreciate what is best in maintaining a healthy body and life style. The class was a life learning experience and will definitely return once again the next time we are fortunate enough to be in Paris.

wonderful learning experience. great fun, great food fun experience all the way around. highly recommend

We got to Chef Catalina’s house promptly at 1p and we were warmly greeted at the door. Catalina has a wonderful dog that is super obedient and friendly and does not go into the kitchen. Great practical tips and training on technique with a fun and playful flair. You are standing the entire cooking period so wear comfortable shoes. The food was delish, we snacked throughout and were very well fed, and we have already made a recipe at home since we arrived! Would recommend to friends and family.

What an educational, fun experience from raw ingredients to a beautifully crafted meal! I highly recommend this experience. She does run over the time limit so make sure to not schedule anything afterwards.

Excellent class with a great teacher a group. Catalina is very knowledgeable, funny, and accommodating of any needs. I highly recommend especially on a rainy day.

When I moved to Paris earlier this year I tried a handful of cooking classes at different places and this one was by far the best. Honestly, the attention to knife skills and kitchen safety alone would make the class worth it. I'm a proficient home cook but Chef Catalina's adjustments have significantly improved my cutting accuracy. Then we did main course prep with lots of pro tips and hacks for home kitchens sprinkled in. I love that I can get this knowledge without having to myself enroll in a years-long culinary program. After the cooking portion of the class, you get to eat what you made with Chef Catalina which feels like spending time with an old friend. I enjoy this class so much that whenever a friend comes into town to visit, as a thank you for trekking across an ocean to see me, I bring them here. Any excuse to come back haha. I've been able to see my progress over the few classes I've taken which feels amazing. The menu changes seasonally too which has been fun (not that I would mind if it didn't change though because I've loved everything!) I cannot recommend this class enough, just sign up already!

I took Catalina’s cooking class recently, and it was one of the most fun and genuinely educational things I have done in a long time. I have always been terrible at knife skills, slow and nervous about cutting anything, but Catalina explained everything in a way that finally made sense. She watched how I held the knife, gave me simple adjustments, and used humor at the perfect moments so I never felt self-conscious. I left the class feeling confident cutting ingredients properly for the first time. The food we made was amazing. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and something I would be proud to serve to friends. I would recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn real cooking skills while having a fun and memorable experience with a fantastic instructor.

It would have been a 5 because the evening was very enjoyable but it was not as advertised. We chose this because it was advertised as a hands on cooking class that we were all looking forward to, but it turned out to be a dinner at a chef’s home. The other couple we went with were also disappointed, but didn’t want to leave a poor review since Catalina cooked a lovely meal and was charming, however I don’t want anyone else to be disappointed as we were.

A good experience but not as advertised. Carolina prepared a lovely dinner and the conversation was great but it was advertised as hands on cooking which did not happen. We probably wouldn’t have chosen this if we’d know there was no cooking to be done by us.

I enjoy signing my husband and I up for a cooking class when we visit a European city/town known for its food! Not only does it provide an alternative to a day of typical tourist-type activities, but it is a fun, interactive experience as well! Chef Catalina was a joy to spend the afternoon with! My husband and I, along with the couple we were traveling with spent the afternoon cooking with her and then enjoying our meal in her dining area! She is interesting, fun, and a wonderful chef. Her husband was her assistant, and he was also fun and interesting to be around! We prepared a butternut squash soup and a chicken roulade. Using our new knife skills to cut and prepare several items for chef Catalina, she then assembled some sides for us to enjoy with our meal… she and her husband shared Paris insight with us and they were both lovely people to get to know!Highly recommend this class while in Paris!

It was a very welcoming, entertaining and educational experience. We had a great time and the other participants were great. Good diversity of people made for a excellent time. What we cooked was very good too. I would definitely highly recommend this experience to everyone. Had a fantastic time. Well worth our time and money.