Paris International Cooking School

Its more like cookie making observation rather than a Macaron cooking class. What is made in this session is not the smooth and nice looking/texture macarons you see at the shops but rather more similar to cookies with a rough surface.

We went in on a Sunday morning with our friends to a macaron cooking session anticipating a fun Sunday morning but the chef/cook/instructor ( Laurent) was a bit too serious for hat this was all about. Definitely learn something but its no different to learning from a few youtube videos. Most people do this for fun and enjoyable experience but I guess the instructor attitude ruins it all.
We observed making for different tastes of Macaron and participated by taking turn for a few seconds each in the mixing, weighing, forming, etc. you dont get the opportunity to make your own. The 3 hours fast pace session starts with a 30 minutes of non stop and not interesting information about other cooking courses offered in this centre ( Marketing) and 2.5 hours of standing up and watching the instructor do things.

You dont really enter the kitchen area and everything happens on a table at the shop front.

You will taste one of each kind ( made by the previous day class) and get to take home a small box of one of each kind ( from what you made on the day).

Not sure if I want to recommend this to anyone since its a bit intense and you may be humiliated by the i structor if you ask a question.

Chef Laurent was amazing! This was my first cooking class so I was very nervous and me and my gf had a great time cooking with him and the other two participants. He was very knowledgeable about his craft and really enjoyed hearing his stories and experiences. Thanks so much for the free CVN-78 postcard and I hope to attend another class when I visit Sydney again! 5 star for sure :)

I wasn't impressed.
It is evident that the chef is incredibly controlling. He held our hands as we pipped macron and told a participant he wouldn't risk them not being perfect as they are for tomorrow's class. I thought this was going to be fun and engaging but he made it incredibly uncomfortable.

I'm glad I went with friends because that was the only part I enjoyed. I didn't buy anything because of his attitude.
Wouldn't go again.

Awesome learning experience with Laurent, incredible chef and teacher. Very explicit and teaches you many tips and tricks when cooking (eg. basic tips, folding, pasting and minimising waste tips). Offers plenty of constructive criticism with the goal of improving you to cook better which is what you want!! Learnt heaps and would love to come back again!

I've done a few 8-week courses with Laurent over the years and have always found them to be very good value and educational. Nice small groups. And we love all the meals we get to take home! For people doing a Groupon class, you can't expect to be too hands-on or take home a big bag of goodies, nor should you be surprised if the school tries to sell their merchandise. Businesses make almost no money from these deals. I do agree that the premises need a bit of maintenance but you won't get a better value class elsewhere in Sydney.

Did a taster course for making macrons and it was a lot of fun. My course we were mostly assisting the chef but I still felt pretty exhausted after the 2.5 hours. Also the ingredients that can be purchase there is really cheap compared to market value

I picked up a deal on groupon and did the macaron masterclass. It was only short but enough for me to fine tune skills. I have made the more complicated macarons with Italian meringue (which takes 6 hours to make) so I understand why there is not enough time in a 2 1/2 hour class for everyone to be making them (for those complaining it was not hands on enough). It gives you a quick feel for what is involved and I was glad to learn how to make an easier one using French meringue.
I really enjoyed it so I joined the 8 week french pastry course. I have absolutely loved it. It is intense as you are cooking 3 desserts in 2 1/2 hours but I have learnt so much. My husband loves what I am bringing home and I am eager to do another 8 week course. The lady that stands opposite me has done 9 of the courses