Join a 2-hour cooking class in France at Wasabi in Paris. Learn sushi, maki, rice mastery in a Japanese-led workshop and enjoy your creations.
In the 17th arrondissement of Paris, a singular culinary experience in France awaits sushi lovers and food travelers alike: a hands-on sushi workshop hosted by Wasabi School, the first sushi academy in France. Over a two-hour session, participants learn the essentials of Japanese cuisine—from mastering sushi rice, precise fish slicing, to crafting maki and nigiri. This is more than a demonstration—it’s a French cooking lesson in reverse: you immerse in Japanese gastronomy within France. At the end of the session, you sit together to enjoy the sushi you have prepared. Whether you are on a cooking holiday, seeking to learn French cuisine in a twist, or simply drawn to French cooking classes in France, this workshop combines authenticity, technique, and convivial tasting in the heart of Paris.
Quick Facts
- City: Paris (17ᵉ arrondissement)
- Region: Île-de-France
- Price: ~ €70 for a 2-hour session (amateurs)
- Duration of class: ~2 hours + tasting
- Conditions & restrictions: maximum ~15 participants; open to ages as low as ~10; all skill levels welcome; no prior Japanese cooking experience required
- Provider: Wasabi School (Paris)
The Provider: Wasabi, Paris’s Sushi Academy
The sushi class is offered by Wasabi, an institution based at 119 bis rue Cardinet, Paris 17ᵉ, and self-styled as the oldest sushi school in France. Wasabi was founded in 2009 and operates both amateur and professional training in Japanese cuisine and sushi making. The school is certified Qualiopi, which enables it to deliver recognized training programs and offer state-eligible professional certifications. (Wasabi “About Us”)
On its website, Wasabi describes a range of amateur sushi courses (2-hour sessions: “Les bases,” “Les maki,” “Les sushi nigiri”) taught by master sushi chefs. (Wasabi “Nos cours de sushi”) The school also hosts longer professional formations of 6 or 8 days, eligible for CPF funding. (Wasabi “Réserver son cours”, Wasabi “Conditions d’accès”)
Wasabi emphasizes authenticity: classes take place in a genuine sushi training environment, not a standard demonstration kitchen. The founders and instructors include Patrick Duval (director) and Simon Zhu, a sushi chef trained in Japanese technique. (Wasabi “A propos,” Wasabi “Conditions d’accès,” Wasabi professionals page)
Thus, the workshop you describe aligns precisely with Wasabi’s amateur sushi offerings, confirming the provider’s identity and legitimacy in the world of French cooking lessons for Japanese cuisine.
Chef Profile: The Instructors behind Wasabi
At Wasabi, the sushi workshops are led by experienced sushi masters, including Simon Zhu, who serves as one of the lead chef trainers for the school’s professional programs. Simon Zhu has over a decade of experience in Japanese restaurants (including Isse Izakaya and sushi bars), and his training lineage includes mentorship by Terutaka Izumi. (Wasabi professionals page) He is central to the professional curriculum but also participates in amateur sessions to ensure consistency of method. (Wasabi professionals page)
The school’s founder and director, Patrick Duval, also plays a guiding role in Wasabi’s philosophy. Duval is a former journalist who lived in Tokyo for several years and authored Japanese gastronomy guides. He shaped the school’s mission to bring authentic sushi techniques to France while elevating the status of the sushi profession in the country. (Wasabi “About Us”)
In their teaching practice, the instructors emphasize rigorous technique, ingredient respect, and clarity of gesture. In amateur classes, they deconstruct complex steps—rice cooking and seasoning, fish filleting, nori handling, rolling techniques—into approachable segments. They observe closely, correct form, and offer incremental improvements. Their dual role in both amateur and professional education helps maintain continuity in standards and method throughout the Wasabi curriculum.
Participants frequently comment on the fidelity of the instruction, the gentle pace, and the tangible progress they make in just one session—an indicator of the instructors’ pedagogical skill in turning delicate Japanese cooking into an accessible cooking class in France.
Class Format: Hands-On Sushi Workshop
The workshop begins with participants gathering in Wasabi’s workshop space in the 17ᵉ arrondissement. All necessary equipment (boards, knives, mats, aprons) and ingredients are supplied. The instructor opens with a short introduction: philosophy of sushi, structure of the class, and an overview of tasks.
The class is segmented into different modules, depending on which session you attend (you may choose “Les Bases,” “Les Maki,” or “Les Sushi Nigiri”). In “Les Bases,” participants learn how to cook sushi rice properly—washing, steaming, seasoning—and then practice filleting fish and creating a chirashi bowl with assorted toppings. (Wasabi “Les Bases”) In “Les Maki,” participants produce maki rolls (traditional maki, California rolls, sometimes temaki) using taught rolling methods and ingredient balancing. In “Les Sushi Nigiri,” you learn shaping rice by hand, selecting topping placement, pressing technique, and finishing touches.
Throughout, the instructor demonstrates steps, then participants replicate under guidance. Techniques covered include rice seasoning ratios, nori handling, rolling pressure, fish slicing (for raw fish), and presentation nuance. Every step includes tasting, adjustment, and feedback. The workshop encourages questions, iterative trials, and refinement.
At the end of approximately two hours, participants share a tasting session: all the sushi and maki they have produced are arranged, and everyone enjoys them together in a convivial setting. This final meal provides immediate sensory feedback on technique and balance. Thus, the class is not just instructional but also a culinary experience in France, allowing learners to savor the fruits of their labor.
A certificate of participation or small memento may be provided. The recipes and methods are internal to the Wasabi curriculum, reinforcing the sense that this is not a superficial demonstration but a genuine French cooking lesson in the art of sushi.
The Value of This Sushi Immersion
This sushi class stands out as a rare bridge between Japanese gastronomy and the French culinary travel world. Hosted by Wasabi, the oldest sushi school in France, it delivers technique, authenticity, and hands-on participation rather than passive observation. Learners are not simply watching—they cook, adjust, taste, and repeat under expert supervision.
The choice to offer segmented modules (“Bases,” “Maki,” “Nigiri”) makes the experience flexible: participants can begin where they feel comfortable or progress through the full curriculum. The small group size ensures that each student receives attention and corrective pointers rather than a one-size-fits-all lecture.
Moreover, the setting in Paris’s 17ᵉ adds accessibility and urban backdrop, making it easy to integrate into a cooking holiday or gastronomic trip to France. Learners leave not only with fresh sushi to taste but with improved confidence, technique grasp, and a deeper appreciation of Japanese cuisine within a French context.
Importantly, the providers’ dual mission in amateur and professional education ensures consistency of method, so that completing a hobby class connects conceptually to advanced training paths. That continuity is rare in cooking classes.
In essence, this sushi workshop offered by Wasabi School is more than a leisure activity—it is a gateway into the art of Japanese cuisine, taught with clarity, respect, and shared conviviality. For international visitors or food enthusiasts in Paris, it represents one of the finest French cooking classes that inverts expectation to bring the East into France—and invites you to roll, slice, and taste your way into a new gastronomic skill.
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