Here, just the name of the rooms makes your mouth water: the chocolate factory, the ice cream parlor, the charcuterie… Welcome to the Lenôtre school of culinary arts.
It opened on Monday April 5 in Rungis (Val-de-Marne), a stone's throw from the famous market.
This new building of 2,300 square meters, bright and modern, replaces the old school which had been located since 1971 in Plaisir (Yvelines), where the headquarters and production workshops of the famous caterer are still located.
"Open my own pastry shop"
In one of the thirteen technical platforms, Emilie, marketing manager for a large telecommunications group, is busy in front of her brioche dough.
She is part of one of the four categories of students welcomed here: people in professional retraining.
Emilie follows an intense and qualifying pastry-making training there for six months: “I have always loved pastry!
But since I had good grades at school, my parents didn't want me to do a CAP.
I did a prep, a higher school ... Today, at 30, with the Covid-19 pandemic, we ask ourselves questions about the meaning of our life.
I told myself that it was the right time to retrain.
And I chose Lenôtre because the training is dense and because it is one of the best cooking schools, with a lot of experience and values such as sharing and a sense of the collective.
" His dream?
“Open my own pastry shop in Guadeloupe, where I am from.
"
Rungis, April 7.
Emilie, marketing manager in professional retraining, learns here how to prepare a brioche dough.
LP / Marine Legrand
A little further on, a delicious smell of bread escapes from one of the rooms.
Concentrated students gather in front of an oven with their bakery teacher.
Here, we are dealing with professionals who work in the largest establishments: Sophie Bonnefond is the pastry chef of the luxury hotel Saint-James Paris (16th district), Alexandre Auger is executive chef of Blossom, the hotel restaurant. five-star Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg (8th) ...
Among the students, chefs from luxury restaurants
These seasoned catering and gastronomic professionals are one of the site's other audiences.
“They come to us to improve their techniques during training sessions of one to five days: cooking meats, ice cream, chocolates, etc.”, explains Gérald Gand, director of the school.
Seven Best Craftsmen of France (MOF) are part of the teaching team, including the starred chef Frédéric Anton.
“This internship allows me to add a string to my bow,” says Sophie Bonnefond.
And we have time to train at the moment, with the closure of our establishments.
"Here, I improve my skills, I gain experience and this allows me to use the hours of my training account", confirms Alexandre Auger, whose restaurant currently only provides room service.
And to continue laughing: “We have the impression of being at school, that changes.
"
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Another target of the center is companies that wish to organize “team building” (cohesion events) for their employees: alternating meetings and cooking, shopping sessions at the MIN from early morning ... “The fact of being located in the heart of the Icade park, with its 15,000 employees, we were moreover motivated to settle here ”, confides Gérald Gand.
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Finally, the center provides tailor-made advice and training: "A restaurateur who must make a menu, organize a culinary competition, help a gastronomy professional who must set up a new process ..."
Rungis, April 7.
The Maison Lenôtre school chose Rungis after 50 years in Plaisir (Yvelines).
LP / Marine Legrand
Why did you leave Plaisir and choose Rungis?
“In Plaisir, the building was magnificent, with all the charm of the old.
But he had aged, was too dark and too narrow, describes Stéphane Chicheri, director of operations.
Here, the building is twice the size
(Editor's note: 2,300 square meters against 1,400 square meters in Plaisir)
, brand new, with lots of light, large bay windows and ultra-accessible: 4 minutes from Orly airport , 15 minutes from Paris and right next to the world famous Rungis market where we get some of our supplies.
The school is also part of the "Rungis Académie", a training hub for the catering trade of the MIN.
A 200 square meter roof terrace in bioponics (soil-less cultivation) will soon be set up.
The school welcomes about thirty students per day in this first week but will eventually rise to 250. It plans to train 4000 trainees per year.
As for the former Plaisir school, it remains in the bosom of Lenôtre and will be used "for production as well as for research and development", announces Stéphane Chicheri.
Lenôtre culinary arts school, 9, rue Villeneuve in Rungis. www.ecole-lenotre.com