Join a fermentation cooking workshop in Paris with École de la Fermentation. Learn kimchi, kefir, lactofermented veggies in a practical, health-oriented class.
If you are drawn to the intersection of French gastronomy, healthy cooking, and microbiome science, this fermentation workshop in Paris offers a uniquely meaningful hands-on experience. Located in the 12th arrondissement, the École de la Fermentation invites you to explore the art and science of fermented foods—kefir, kimchi, lacto-fermented vegetables—in an intimate and interactive culinary format. Rather than a mere demonstration, this is a French cooking lessons–style workshop in which you actively ferment, taste, and take home your creations, guided by experts with both culinary and microbiological backgrounds. The class is ideal for those curious about learn French cuisine approaches that embrace health and living foods, and for travelers seeking a distinctive culinary experience in France beyond the usual sweet and savory dishes. Below is a snapshot of the workshop, followed by a deeper look at the instructors, course structure, and what makes this fermentation class stand out in the world of cooking holidays.
Quick Facts
- City: Paris
- Region: Île-de-France
- Price: varies by workshop type (typically in the range of €40–€80 for short sessions; full vegetable fermentation atelier ~4h)
- Duration of class: 1h30 to 4h depending on theme
- Conditions & restrictions: groups of 2 to 8 participants; adult or youth with supervision; bring a bag to carry jars
- Provider: École de la Fermentation (Paris, Les Lilas / Noisy-le-Grand)
The Provider: École de la Fermentation
The organizer of this fermentation cooking workshop is École de la Fermentation, whose website is l’écoledefermentation.fr (using a pun orthography). The school is based at 33 promenade Michel Simon, 93160 Noisy-le-Grand, France, and operates salons and ateliers in the Paris / Île-de-France region (notably Les Lilas) and across France. The institution is led by Marie-Claire Frédéric (also known through her blog Ni cru ni cuit) and her collaborator Guillaume Stutin, a chef-fermenter who previously ran the fermentation team at the restaurant SURI in Paris. École de la Fermentation offers both public “atelier particulier” classes and professional trainings, as well as remote workshops via Zoom. The workshops are scheduled regularly — typically on Saturdays and some weekdays — with options of 1.5-hour, 2-hour or extended 4-hour sessions. Their ateliers for vegetables, kefir, kimchi and other fermentations are presented in small groups to ensure direct interaction and quality instruction.
École de la Fermentation emphasizes both theoretical foundations and hands-on practice. It brings together microbiology knowledge and culinary craft, making it one of the more serious and pedagogically rigorous cooking classes in France focused on fermented foods. It is also certified Qualiopi, indicating recognized professional training standards.
The Specialist Instructors: Marie-Claire Frédéric & Guillaume Stutin
At the core of the workshop’s credibility is Marie-Claire Frédéric, often cited in French fermentative food circles as an authority. She is a journalist, author, and fermentation educator; she founded Ni cru ni cuit, a site devoted to fermentation and food transformation. With her public presence, she helps demystify fermentative practices, bringing depth, science, and passion to every class. Her training and experience allow her to bridge microbiological concepts and everyday kitchen practicality.
Her partner in instruction is Guillaume Stutin, who brings professional kitchen experience to the atelier. He has operated a team of fermenters at Restaurant SURI in Paris, managing high-volume fermentation, flavor profiling, and kitchen integration of fermented condiments. His background as a chef gives him particular insight into applying fermentation in restaurant contexts and ensuring that workshops are not just scientifically sound but sensorially rewarding. Together, Marie-Claire and Guillaume co-design the curriculum, write accompanying materials and produce content (books, blogs, recipe archives).
Their complementary skills—Marie-Claire’s depth in microbiology and fermentation theory, and Guillaume’s kitchen pragmatism—ensure that participants learn both why ferment and how to ferment reliably. This tandem is rare among cooking workshops, especially for fermented foods. Their approach is patient, supportive, and detail-oriented, ideal for those who want to build confidence and competence rather than attend a superficial session.
Course Format: What You Do, Learn, and Taste
These fermentation workshops are designed to be fully interactive. Depending on the chosen module (kefir, vegetable fermentation, kimchi), participants work in small groups (2 to 8 people) under the guidance of an instructor. The class begins with a short welcome and a tasting (for instance, a sip of kombucha or sample fermented vegetables). The instructor introduces the fundamentals of fermentation: microbial ecology, salt ratios, anaerobic environment, pH and temperature control, hygiene.
Then the majority of the time is devoted to practical, hands-on fermentation. In a kefir workshop (≈1h30), participants prepare a liter of fruit-infused kefir, handle kefir grains, and package them to bring home. In a vegetable fermentation class (≈2h), you craft a seasonal mix of 2 or 3 vegetables, add aromatic spices or herbs, and assemble a ferment in a 300 ml jar. The kimchi module (≈2h) leads you step by step in slicing, salting, seasoning, and packing cabbage or other vegetables, plus spices and brine, to produce a Korean-style ferment you can bring home in a 300 ml jar. In longer ateliers (4h), the class may cover multiple fermentation types (vegetables, condiments, drinks) in one session.
Throughout the process, instructors explain and adjust your techniques—layering, brine strength, packing density, pressurization, flavor balancing and troubleshooting. You taste at intermediate points (for example partial ferment brine or starter flavors) to understand how flavors evolve. At the end, you share a mini tasting of small fermented samples prepared in the workshop or by instructors. You leave with the jars you made (and sometimes starter cultures or grains) and afterward receive digital recipes and guidance by email or replay, especially for the remote classes.
This format ensures you both learn the techniques (microbiological logic, salt balances, sequencing) and experience the flavors (taste changes, textures, aromas) in a supportive environment. The fact that participants bring their own jars home means that the fermentations continue after the class, turning the workshop into an ongoing culinary experience in France that reaches into your everyday kitchen.
Why This Fermentation Class Stands Out
This workshop distinguishes itself in the realm of French cooking lessons by focusing on the living, transformative side of food, rather than on classic cooking alone. First, it combines solid microbiological foundations with practical kitchen skills, providing both context and confidence. Many cooking classes lack that scientific grounding. Second, the small group format (2 to 8 people) ensures personalized attention and a high level of interactivity. Third, participants depart not just with knowledge but with tangible, fermenting jars in hand—meaning the learning continues at home. Fourth, the tandem of instructors—Marie-Claire and Guillaume—delivers both academic and culinary credibility, uncommon in food workshops. Fifth, the variety of modules (kefir, vegetables, kimchi, condiments) allows repeat participation and deeper exploration, fitting into the model of a cooking holidays traveler who returns multiple times. Lastly, the focus on fermentation taps into growing interest in gut health, microbiota, and the nutrition renaissance—so this is not only a learn French cuisine variant, but a niche within healthy gastronomy.
For travelers or residents seeking an immersive, intellectually rich, sensory cooking experience in France—particularly one that links food with wellness and microbial craft—this fermentation workshop is more than a class. It offers a bridge between tradition and innovation, between microbial science and flavor. Its uniqueness lies in turning each participant into a confident fermenter, equipped to sustain the journey well beyond Paris.
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