Cooking or culinary holidays, vacations, tours in France:

The perfect gastronomic cooking holidays with a star-rated chef
. . . in prestigious Cannes villa

The Villa and Culinary School in Cannes offers you a warm welcome to a wealth of flavours, textures and prestige. Where gastronomy meets with fun and luxury.

You will enjoy a hands-on culinary course with a team of dedicated and passionate top chefs.

You will have the privilege of improving your culinary skills with the youngest star-rated chef in France and visit some on the best wineries in Provence.

During this time you will be staying in one of the most exclusive properties in the heart of Cannes. You will enjoy the beautiful and famous French Riviera weather with more than three hundred days of sun during the year. You will be taught all about "L'art de vivre à la Française".

Your gastronomic holiday . . .

Set in the heart of Cannes you will enjoy the beauty and the serenity of the Villa L'Abri. With the experienced professional chefs you learn to develop your cooking skills no matter what level of cooking you are at. All the programmes are tailor made in order to give you the most out of your cooking holidays.

The sun blessed French Riviera offers a huge range of colours, flavours and textures all the year around. It is a real pleasure to go to the famous and colourful local open market in Cannes.

Villa L'abri offers a unique gastronomic holiday experience. Feel free to ask for your own personal programme.

The Villa and Culinary School Programme

The aim of The Villa and Culinary School at Villa L'Abri is to develop your culinary skills and creativity in the most relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere. Therefore all the programs are "tailor-made" to suit your needs to perfection. Please feel free to ask our representative for your personalised program.

Day of Arrival:

• Airport pickup
• Time to relax and enjoy the villa
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapes
• Welcoming gastronomic dinner prepared by our chef
  

Day Two:

Theme - from the garden to the plate

• Continental breakfast
• Visit to the famous Cannes open market "Marché Forville"
• Brief explanation of the recipes of the day
• Convivial lunch all together
• Hands-on cooking course for dinner preparation according to your chosen theme
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapés
• Dinner

Day Three:

Theme - mushroom and foie gras

• Continental breakfast
• Excursion to one of the most famous vineyards of the French Riviera
• Traditional lunch in local restaurant
• Back to the villa
• Explanation of recipes of the day and foie gras history
• Hands-on foie gras preparation
• Hands-on dinner preparation
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapés
• Dinner party

Day Four:

Theme - the classics of French gastronomy

• Continental breakfast
• Hands-on culinary course for tea time preparation (biscuit, cakes and jams)
• Hands-on culinary course for lunch preparation
• Convivial lunch all together
• History of classsical French dishes and recipe explanations
• Hands-on dinner preparation including classical French dishes
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapés
• Convivial dinner party

Day Five:

• Theme - fish and shellfish
• Continental breakfast
• French Riviera cultural excursion
• Convivial lunch
• Recipe explanations
• Hands-on culinary course for dinner preparation
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapés
• Gastronomic dinner

Day Six:

Theme - pastry and special breads

• Continental breakfast
• Hands-on bread and pastry course
• Hands-on cooking course for lunch preparation
• Convivial lunch all together
• Fine wine discovery with our chief sommelier
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapés
• Gastronomic dinner made by our chefs

Day Seven:

Theme - Mediterranean fish

• Continental breakfast
• Relaxing morning
• Convivial lunch
• Recipe explanations
• Hands-on dinner preparation
• Cocktails and pre-dinner canapés
• Farewell dinner party

Day of departure :

• Continental breakfast
• Time to relax and enjoy the villa
• Lunch prepared by our chef according to time of departure
• Airport Transfer

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL US <CLICK HERE>

The Villa L'abri team

At the Villa L'abri we aim to stir your imagination with at team of professional chefs. Our team will teach how become confident with your cooking giving you very useful chef's tricks and techniques to develop your imagination and translate your love for food into creative and beautiful dishes. With our team cooking is fun. Cooking becomes truly a pleasure. You will learn how to cook with fresh and genuine ingredient and rooted tradition with a touch of creativity.

Chef Yannick Delpech

Thirty-one year old top French Chef Yannick Delpech is most at home when he is creating new recipes and developing old ones. The high standards he demands of himself in his search for quality can be seen as he listens to and anticipates the needs and expectations of his clients who he loves to gently surprise by the honesty and simplicity of what he creates.

• In 2000:
  March Yannick became the youngest star-rated chef in France. Gault et Millau's best hopeful newcomer in france.
  October Le Gault-Millau ranked Yannick amongst "the best hopeful newcomers in french cuisine" and arted L'Amphitryon amongst "the favourite restaurants of the year"

• In 2002:
  Michelin and Gault et Millau confrims Yannick progression by rewarding him with 16/20 and two Toques

• In 2004:
  Hubert's guide awarded him with three plates and one crown

• In 2005:
  Yannick is being elected best chef of the region

• In 2006:
  Gault et Millau awarded him with 17/20 and 3 hats.
  Pudio France awarded him with three forks and two stars (only 65 restaurants in France are awarded 2 stars)

• In 2007:
  Michelin guide "hopeful newcomer for a second star" only 6 restaurants in France received this distinction which makes him one of the best chefs in his category.

Chef Cedric Seguela

Chef Cedric Seguela, 26 years old. He started very young (in his fourteen) in his home town near Toulouse, France cooking in local restaurants during weekends and holidays when he would be off from his Culinary School. As a part of school experience he worked in 4 star hotel “Paladia”in Toulouse and Michelin star restaurants in Birriatou and Pujaudran both in France. After he graduate in Baccalor professional of catering with awards, Pardailhan College in Auch, France he made his way to “Miramar beach” 4 star hotel in Cannes where he had very good summer season. After two years in “L’amphytrion”1 Michelin star restaurant in Colomiers with Yannick, The was ready for the big challenge “Le manoir aux quat’saisons” 2 Michelin star restaurant in Oxford, England. Working shoulder to shoulder with Raymond Blanc was much more than cooking; it was an art!

As he always had a passion for travelling Cedric decided to join luxury cruise line “Radisson Seven Seas” , elected “the best small cruise ship in the world”. Serving up to 700 guests for a night Cedric learned how to achieve the best results under the biggest pressure. Soon after his extensive international experience brought him on board some of the most pretigious mega yachts in the world. He loves to share his passion for food and decided to set up as private chef to have a closer relationship with his clients.

Your perfect villa for your culinary holidays in the heart of Cannes on the French Riviera.

This magnificent and elegant Belle Epoque villa is located in the very centre of Cannes on the French Riviera. Superbly situated just ten minutes walk from the beaches of Cannes, the Croisette and the Palais des Festivals, home of the world famous Cannes Film Festival and just thirty minutes drive from Nice International Airport.

This historic villa Twenty-first century luxury accommodation for eighteen guests within a Belle Epoque setting, formally decorated with period antiques, magnificent chandeliers and paintings. There is enormous entertaining space both inside and out with a huge pillared Reception Hall opening onto a formal Library, Dining Room and Sitting Room all on the raised ground floor with a terrace off the dining room and steps down to a 23 metre long terrace adjacent to the heated swimming pool.

The elegant style of architecture of the external facade was the height of fashion when it was constructed and considered very modern. However, the principal rooms on the ground floor were designed to imitate the grandeur and elegance of the Eighteenth century with intricate plasterwork on the walls and ceilings.

Special features were commissioned by the owner, for example he requested that a large window be placed directly over the huge oak fireplace in the sitting room so that he could sit in front of his log fire in winter and look out on a much loved ancient olive tree. The window and the olive tree are still here for you to enjoy today.

Villa L'Abri is on four floors and offers wonderfully spacious accommodation. The house has been carefully restored to a very high standard retaining all the original period features with the addition of state of the art amenities essential for modern luxury living including air conditioning throughout.

All the rooms are beautifully furnished with antique furniture, crystal chandeliers, original paintings and antique rugs complimenting the original, ornate plasterwork decoration of the walls and ceilings of the villa giving a sumptuously, grand and elegant feel to the surroundings.

The majority of the rooms face south towards the sea, the gardens and the pool and with floor to ceiling doors and windows the house is full of sunshine and light.

Outside there is a large 23 metre terrace which runs the length of the south side of the villa and is ideal for drinks and al fresco dining.

The pool terrace, with colonial style wooden sun loungers is spacious and ideal for poolside parties. At night, with the pool and the surrounding palm trees floodlit, the terrace takes on a new and dramatic dimension. The elegant 12 x 6 metre heated, infinity pool seemingly cascades into the gardens below.

The Gardens are planted with one hundred year old olive trees, rare palm trees, bamboo, fruit trees and a myriad of flowering shrubs and plants, with shady grassed areas for those who wish to sit in the shade.

The grounds are fully enclosed and security of access is provided via electronic entrance and exit gates.