Immerse yourself in a French cooking class unlike any other: a cheesemaking workshop in Paris, pairing hands-on technique with tasting and wine affinities in a historic cellar setting.
If you’re seeking a truly immersive culinary experience in France, few classes rival the opportunity to make your own cheese in Paris. This French cooking lesson transcends typical cooking classes by venturing into the heart of French gastronomy: the art of cheesemaking. In the 10th arrondissement, not far from the Marais, Paroles de Fromagers—a cheese shop turned cheese school—invites participants to become cheesemakers for a few hours. Under the guidance of an expert Fromager Affineur, you’ll learn traditional cheese crafting techniques, explore the subtleties of aging, and conclude with a cheese and wine tasting. This isn’t just a cooking holiday add-on; it’s an artisanal journey into France’s dairy tradition, ideal for gastronomy lovers, curious food travelers, and anyone eager to return home with both knowledge and edible souvenirs.
Quick Facts
- City: Paris
- Region: Île-de-France (10th arrondissement)
- Price: ~ 70 € per person (all taxes included)
- Duration of the class: 2 to 2½ hours
- Conditions & restrictions: Small groups (maximum c. 10–12); must be age-appropriate (typically 16+ or with parental accompaniment); offered in French and English
- Provider: Paroles de Fromagers
The Organiser: Paroles de Fromagers – A Cheese Laboratory in Paris
The workshop is run by Paroles de Fromagers, a hybrid cheese shop, tasting bar, and cheese school located at 41 Rue du Faubourg du Temple, in Paris’s 10th arrondissement. The shop occupies a dedicated 160 m² space that includes a cave d’affinage (aging cellar) beneath a historic Parisian building. Since its founding in 2017, Paroles de Fromagers has built a reputation for blending retail, education, and artisan production. It hosts cheese and wine tastings, cheesemaking workshops, and even professional training in caséology (the study of cheese). (Sources: ParolesdeFromagers “Courses & Workshops” page; ParolesdeFromagers English site)
Among its leadership is Pierre Brisson, a cheesemaker and co-founder who hails from a Burgundy winemaking family and has nurtured a lifelong passion for cheese. (Source: Paris Unlocked) Workshops are often conducted by Agathe or other passionate in-house fromagers; reviews frequently cite Agathe’s warm teaching style. (Sources: Tripadvisor, ParolesdeFromagers)
Pierre Brisson studied at the National Dairy Industry School and gradually realized his dream of combining cheese production, aging, and education — culminating in the opening of Paroles de Fromagers. (Source: The Guardian, “France’s first cheese museum” article) The venture also now includes a small cheese museum on Île Saint-Louis, inaugurated in 2024, which displays the history and techniques of French cheesemaking. (Source: The Guardian)
As both practitioner and educator, the Paroles de Fromagers team brings technical rigor, sensory finesse, and communicative clarity to the class. Their goal is not simply to entertain but to demystify French cheese craft and enable participants to replicate what they learn at home.
The Workshop Format: From Milk to Plate
Participants gather in the cheese shop’s cellar or production space and are welcomed by the fromager, who explains the layout: an aging cellar, a small production room, and tasting areas. The session begins with a short tour of the aging cellar where various cheeses are maturing, and the instructor introduces key concepts: milk quality, microbial culture, affinage, and terroir.
Back in the workshop, each participant puts on an apron, washes hands thoroughly, and begins hands-on tasks. Under close supervision, you receive fresh milk and follow sequential steps:
- Coagulation (using rennet) to turn milk into curds
- Cutting and stirring the curd to expel whey
- Draining / molding, placing curds into molds
- Pressing or shaping depending on the cheese
- Salting / brining to impart flavor
- Affinage techniques, with tips on how to age cheese at home
Over the course, you typically produce two items: a fresh tomme-style cheese and French butter (sometimes a soft cheese or small format). During the rest period (while waiting for drainage), the instructor leads a wine and cheese tasting of selected French cheeses paired with complementary wines, discussing aromatic matching, contrasting versus complementary pairings, and affinage variations.
Yes — you eat your creations (or samples thereof) alongside the tasting. You depart not only with your own cheese (within food-safe limits) but also recipes, dosing guidelines, and practical advice for beginners. The experience is both educational (technique, history, fermentation) and sensory (tasting, texture, aroma).
Workshops are offered in French or English, and the class is typically two to two and a half hours long. (Source: ParolesdeFromagers “Cheesemaking Workshop” page; David Lebovitz blog) The small group size ensures personalized attention and more engagement.
Why This Class Stands Out
What makes this cooking class in Paris exceptional is its positioning at the intersection of French gastronomy, artisanal craft, and education. Unlike conventional cooking lessons that focus on a recipe or dish, this cheesemaking workshop offers a deep dive into a French culinary tradition.
First, the setting is authentic: you work in a real cheese aging cellar and shop, not a repurposed kitchen studio. Second, the class is led by professional fromagers, not just cooking instructors—so you benefit from years of aging and production experience. Third, the tasting component is not an afterthought; pairing cheeses with wine is integral to the educational arc. Fourth, participants leave with physical results, not just enjoyment: you get cheese (and butter) you’ve made, along with guidance to replicate aspects at home.
From an international audience perspective, this is a unique culinary travel experience: you enter the world of a cheesemaker, understand how terroir, microbes, and technique converge, and return with both sensory memory and knowledge. It’s ideal for food travelers, cheese lovers seeking French cooking lessons, and anyone who wants a hands-on gourmet immersion in France beyond the usual pastry or cooking class.
Paroles de Fromagers’ cheesemaking workshop offers more than a taste — it offers insight, technique, history, and a connection to the living craft of French cheese culture.
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