Article published in the Journal du Dimanche - 7 January 2006
By Aude Blouin-Bunetel

Children First
Beware of the Hot Dish!

In an impasse which opens onto the busy rue Oberkampf, behind a large bay-window, Laure Maso is cooking away. In her bright and spacious kitchen, she’s getting ready for the arrival of the day’s pupils. With her, the children are going to learn how to break eggs, prepare a marinade or wash potatoes. It’s going to be an action-packed afternoon for the kitchen boys and girls who will then be able to taste the little dishes that they’ve prepared with such loving care.

After some years spent in the world of business, Laure Maso found her way back to the path of cooking. She’s switched from a suit to an apron and given up finance for a chef’s toque. Cooking was always the main dish of her childhood thanks to her mother and grandmother, so she decided to devote herself to her passion full time. She attended cooking courses at the Ritz-Escoffier school, worked in the kitchens of the hotel, then set up her own business, “A la carte”. Now it’s her turn to pass on her taste for all things good.

A bit of celery, a bit of chocolate, some corn, some soya….Laure’s recipes do something to all the kids’ taste buds. And contrary to what people usually think, children are not only fond of sweet things. During each lesson, they put together their menus made up of sweet and savoury recipes. Today, Barthélemy, who is celebrating his birthday, has chosen to prepare with the help of his friends a mozzarella cake, meat balls, potatoes with sweet chilli sauce, a soft chocolate cake and ice-cream with light custard cream and strawberries. A feast fit for a king!

All the recipes cooked up by the young chef are adapted for children, meaning simplicity and also originality when it comes to flavours. Apple in salt-flavoured balls is one delicious example! For the preparations, Laure is a true professional. The children must learn to carry out all instructions to the letter….and to taste the mixtures! This is not always an easy matter for novices: “I can’t eat that”, says a young apprentice, “they look like crushed Teletubbies!” If the tiny chefs get a bit too out of hand, the chef-in-charge also has her word to say: “In a kitchen, there’s no fooling around because that can be dangerous!” The young cooks get the message loud and clear and put an end to their spatula-full-of-chocolate battle, then go out into the courtyard to stretch their legs.

Now that the cooking is over, it’s tasting time! The kids fall upon the savoury dishes with great enthusiasm and in no time at all the potato brochettes are gobbled down. There’s not much room left for the birthday cake! However, it is magnificent indeed with its mountain of sweets. The delicious soft chocolate cake will not go unnoticed by the parents who have come to pick up their future chefs. Laure always makes it a point to set aside a portion of each dish so that the adults can sample the recipes concocted by the little beginners. The parents reach a unanimous verdict of “absolutely delicious!” The children have earned their first stripes as cooks.

In groups of no more than six, the children are initiated into cooking that the whole family will be able to enjoy.
Photos DR

USEFUL INFO
“A la carte” cooking lessons: For children from 6 years up, 104 rue de Oberkampf, Paris 11th. Tel. 01 47 00 05 24 or www.ala-carte-paris.com
Timetable: Wednesday from 3 to 5 pm and Saturday from 2.30 to 5 pm for groups.
Tariffs: €40 for two-hour course and group fixed fee on Saturday.
The participation fee for each workshop includes the supply of relevant ingredients, book of recipes and hints, use of equipment and appliances, as well as an apron.

Adults are not left out as Laure Maso also proposes cooking lessons and a “Gastronomic Discoveries” programme. She takes the participants with her to discover the local food markets (Aligre, Popincourt and Poncelet) or wine cellars along with an introduction to oenology.