La Cucina di TerrESa

Paris Cooking Classes

Fresh, local, and organic. Three words to describe the fabulous cooking philosophy of Terresa Murphy, who offers personalized and private cooking classes from her Parisian apartment.

Where do the classes take place?

Terresa hosts her home-spun, hands-on, private cooking classes, for up to 2 people, in the cozy, well-furnished kitchen of her Parisian apartment/artist studio (where her cat Ciceron discreetly resides), located in Paris's 11th district, not far from the Place d'Aligre. She also offers classes for private groups of up to 6 in their own Parisian apartment or rental.

Half-day cooking classes at a 16th-century farmhouse in the Loire Valley are also available in the month of August.

Who teaches the classes?

All classes are taught by Terresa, who has been cooking vegetable menus for some 40 years. She spent the 80's and 90's in the kitchens and dining rooms of San Francisco's innovative restaurants before moving to France, where she briefly worked with the Venetian Toni Vianello at his restaurant l'Osteria in Paris's Marais district. It was from Toni that she learned the art of risotto. She also did a short internship at Alain Passard's three-star restaurant, l'Arpège.

Terresa is currently writing her first cookbook, Your House or Mine, a compilation of her favorite recipes.

What cuisine and cooking techniques are emphasized in the classes?

Plant-based cuisine is what Terresa does. Her passion for the humble beauty and vibrant savor of plants from root to shoot, pod to seed, flower to bean infuses all of her recipes. Dishes that celebrate the vegetable kingdom and promote a sustainable conscience. Of course, Italian cuisine and the creative, imaginative ways it honors vegetables have largely influenced her style of cooking.

Only the freshest of produce, always seasonal and organic, and as local as possible are allowed entry into her kitchen. Artisan cheeses, free roaming chicken eggs from family farms, and organic certified butter round out the ingredients she works with. Terresa pairs all of her meals with fine natural biodynamic wines from the Loire Valley and beyond.

When do classes take place?

Classes are available every day of the week except Monday. Saturday and Sunday are Terresa's favorite days to give classes, with their two marvelous 100% organic open-air markets at Batignolles, near Montmartre and Raspail, near Saint-Germain-des-Près.

Classes begin at the open-air market at 8:45 am. Then it's on to Terresa's kitchen to begin cooking around 10:30. A small break is organized around noon with nibbles and a glass of wine. Lunch is served by 1:30 pm, and the last bit of conversation, the last sip of wine or tea is savored and goodbyes are said around 3:15.

To learn more about Terresa's cuisine and classes, and to inquire about availability, please visit her website: La Cucina di TerrESa.

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