FINISHING SCHOOL
Marjorie Taylor and her daughter Kendall Smith Franchini serve up French classics in The Cook’s Atelier.
What we cook is only as good as the ingredients we use, which is why we feel so fortunate to have our cooking school, The Cook’s
Atelier, in Beaune. From the beginning, we’ve taken joy not only in teaching others how to cook, but also in introducing them to the region’s best growers and producers. We are especially taken with the region’s vegetables. Burgundian farmers, whether they are growing grapes or raising animals, have a similar, old-fashioned mentality. They keep their productions small and focus on quality, often using traditional farming methods, such as horse-ploughing, to leave a gentler footprint on the land.
Beaune is a charming, medieval city in Burgundy, just two-and-a-half hours from Paris by high-speed train. The region is renowned for its culinary heritage; famed regional dishes, which include escargots bathed in garlicky butter and boeuf Bourguignon, can be quite rich thanks to the abundance of excellent local meat, poultry, charcuterie and cheeses.
Our recipes are inspired by the bounty of the region, with seasonal vegetables and artisanal products front and centre. Above all, our goal is to help guests become more confident cooks. Our philosophy is simple: it’s about seasonal ingredients, mastering classic French techniques and developing intuition.
Like the French, we shop for produce frequently in small quantities, planning menus around what’s available. We share our philosophy of shopping locally and seasonally in our book,
The Cook’s Atelier, and we hope to inspire you to do the same. We created the book as an extension of our French cooking school, providing approachable yet in-depth instruction on classic French techniques and recipes we feel every cook should know. We hope that you view our recipes not as rigid dicta, but as suggestive guides to help hone your cooking instincts.