French Cooking Class near Laguna Beach: Learn & Dine

Make cream puffs from scratch, then eat them filled with fresh whipped cream.

A hands-on French cooking class in Dana Point where you prepare a seasonal four-course meal with your hosts Ann and Rick in their home kitchen, then dine together with French wine. The class runs about three and a half hours and includes printed recipes to take home. You choose between a lunch or dinner seating at checkout.

The experience

You arrive at Ann and Rick's home in Dana Point, a few minutes from Laguna Beach, and begin with a welcome cocktail and appetizer while they walk you through the day's menu. Then you step into their spacious kitchen for an intimate, hands-on class where Ann guides you through classic French techniques adapted to California's fresh produce. You'll learn a foolproof method for the creamiest mashed potatoes, braise green beans to the right tenderness, prepare chicken with morels in a French cream sauce, and master choux pastry well enough to shape and bake cream puffs that look and taste like you've been doing this for years.

After cooking, you sit down at their table to eat the meal you've just made, paired with thoughtfully selected French wines. The whole experience runs about three and a half hours. You'll leave with printed copies of every recipe, a small keepsake, and recommendations from Ann and Rick for their favorite local spots in the area.

What’s included

• Hands-on cooking instruction in a home kitchen.
• a four-course French-Californian meal you prepare and then eat together.
• French wine pairings.
• printed recipe cards for each dish.
• local recommendations from your hosts.

Options for this experience

2 options

Dinner with Ann, plus a cooking sessionGuide in English · 17:00

Lunch with Ann, plus a cooking sessionGuide in English · 11:00

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 11:00 and 17:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Stroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Traveling Spoon

Is this one for you?Choose this class if you have a free afternoon or evening in Dana Point and want to spend it learning something you can actually use at home, rather than watching a demonstration. The small-group format and home setting mean you're cooking alongside Ann, not observing from a distance, and you leave with both the skills and the recipes to make these dishes again.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 11 years); Infant (under 4).

What exactly do I cook in this class?

You prepare a full four-course meal: a fresh seasonal salad with lemon, honey and olive oil dressing; chicken with morels in a French cream sauce served over creamy whipped potatoes and braised green beans; baguette with butter; and cream puffs filled with fresh whipped cream for dessert. Ann teaches you the techniques for each dish as you work through them together.

Is this class suitable for someone with no cooking experience?

Yes. Ann teaches classic French techniques from the ground up, and the class is designed to be accessible. The methods she shows you (like the foolproof mashed potato technique and the surprisingly simple choux pastry) are meant to demystify French cooking rather than assume prior skill.

Do I choose between lunch and dinner, or does the class happen at a set time?

You choose either a lunch or dinner seating when you book. Both options include the same cooking class and meal. The difference is only when you sit down to eat what you've prepared.

What's included in the price besides the class and meal?

The class includes French wine pairings with your meal, printed copies of all the recipes to recreate the dishes at home, a small keepsake, and recommendations from Ann and Rick for their favorite local restaurants and spots in Dana Point and Laguna Beach.