Nice: Home Cooking Class & Dinner with Sea View

4.55

(211 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I was nervous about showing up at someone’s house in Nice for a cooking class — what if I totally messed up the sauce? But as soon as Marie opened the door (with flour on her cheek and two cats weaving around her ankles), it felt like visiting an old friend. The house sits tucked among olive trees, and you can see the sea winking through the branches. There was this faint smell of rosemary even before we’d stepped inside.

Laurent handed us tiny glasses of homemade liqueur — he called it “the welcome drink,” and it tasted like lemons from their own tree out back. We started by picking herbs in the garden, which sounds very Instagram but actually just meant brushing past lavender and trying not to step on a cat. Marie is studying for her CAP in cooking, so she explained every step without making me feel clueless. She showed me how to roll out dough for white pizza (I tore mine, she just laughed) and how much truffle oil is too much (apparently there’s no such thing).

The kitchen windows were open, letting in this warm breeze that made the whole place smell like basil and garlic. We cooked together — ravioli stuffed with butternut squash because it was in season, though Laurent said sometimes they do meat if people want. When we finally sat down at their big wooden table with our food and wine, I caught myself wishing I could eat here every Sunday. The cats immediately tried to join us, of course. There was tiramisu for dessert — with fruit from their garden — and more laughter than I expected from a “class.”

I still think about that view over Nice as the sun dropped behind the hills, and how easy it felt to be part of someone else’s kitchen for an evening. If you’re looking for a cooking class in Nice that feels more like dinner with friends than anything formal, this is it.