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Chocolatier Program in France
Chocolatier Program in France
The Chocolatier Program in France is a unique opportunity to learn from French master chocolatiers. You'll be inspired and come away with an in-depth understanding of how fine French bonbons are developed, produced and presented while working with professional enrobing and airbrushing equipment. Valrhona, located in the Rhône Valley since 1924, is considered by many to be the finest chocolate manufacturer in France, if not the world.
Next program: May 10 - 15, 2025
Registration for this program will open in mid Fall 2024.
Cost for this program has not been confirmed but note that the registration fee in prior years has been approximately 3,900€, single occupancy, for your budget planning (does not include travel to and from France or hotel accomodation in Paris).
Would you like to be notified when registration opens for this program?
Student Registration includes:
Exclusive hands-on program at L'Ecole Valrhona with certificate and recipes
Guided walking tour of chocolatiers' boutiques
Four nights accommodation in Tain l'Hermitage
Welcome dinner
Five lunches
Four breakfasts
Ground transportation includes Paris to Tain l'Hermitage return
One week (six nights) Program
The Chocolatier Program in France includes a special program of hands-on training at L'Ecole Valrhona and guided visits to Paris' important chocolatiers.
The French have always had a love affair with chocolate. Here are some early milestones in French history as related by Barry Callebaut.
The French got to know chocolate in 1615, when Louis XIII married the Spanish Anna of Austria. They moved to France, introducing the chocolate drink to the royal court. Anna even brought her own maid Molina to France, a beautiful girl who prepared the queen’s cocoa drink.
France had its first real chocolatier in 1659. David Chaillou prepared and sold biscuits and cakes made with chocolate for those who could afford it. It was still too early for real pralines, as we know them.
When, in the 18th century, empiric scientists like Pascal and others laid the basis of modern science, the medical potential of chocolate faded into the background while its nutritious and delicious values gained ground. The recipe for the chocolate drink at the same time became simpler and more purified: cocoa, sugar, vanilla and milk or water became the major players, while musk, amber and medicinal ingredients were left out. In other words: enjoying the taste of good chocolate became more important than its potential for curing ailments of all sorts.
Program Itinerary:
**Legend for meals included in your the program:
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
* Itinerary subject to change. Every effort will be made to keep the itinerary as it appears here. However, the final itinerary may vary due to schedules, availability and factors beyond our control.
Sunday:
Independent arrivals in Paris. Students are responsible for making their own Paris overnight accommodations.
Monday: L, D
Students meet in the lobby of the Hotel Bourgogne et Montana with their bags at 12:30pm. From there students will go to a restaurant for our welcome lunch. After lunch, we leave Paris in the afternoon by TGV and arrive in Valence, then on to Tain l'Hermitage. Welcome dinner in Tain l'Hermitage.
Tuesday - Thursday: B, L
Full day of classes with lunch at L'Ecole Valrhona. Free night for dinner in Tain l'Hermitage or Tournon.
Friday: B, L
We leave from Valence by TGV in the morning and return to Paris for our farewell lunch and tour of the chocolatiers of Paris. Free evening. Students are responsible for making their own Paris overnight accommodations.
What more do I need to know?
Before we can enroll you in our face-to-face Graduate Program that requires on-site training and travel, you must agree to a RELEASE AND WAIVER OF LIABILITY, ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT once you click on the register now link above.
This program is delivered in English.
Program participants and travel companions must be 17 years of age or older. Also note that the program involves a lot of standing for long periods and walking (with bags at times) so good mobility and strength are important. Because we go into small towns, access for the handicapped is minimal.
Dietary Restrictions - dietary restrictions such as allergies, religious tenets or personal health preferences (vegetarian/vegan, non-gluten, non-dairy, raw, organic) can be a challenge when we are out of the major cities into the smaller towns where our program training takes place. If you have dietary restrictions, please be aware that for group meals we may not be able to accommodate you nor will you find specialty restaurants catering to dietary restrictions. Also the chocolate recipes used in the training are developed by the Chefs to be the best examples of their country's chocolate culture. We cannot change the ingredients used in the recipes developed for the program to accommodate dietary restrictions.
Note re shared rooms Ecole Chocolat will pair students wishing to share a room in the order of receipt of their deposit. Please be prepared to pay the single room registration fee if we are unable to pair you with an appropriate roommate.
Our minimum requirement for this program to run is 8 students and the maximum is 12 students (traveling companions are not included in minimum or maximum number).You'll want to book your Paris hotel accommodation (with cancellation option) when you register BUT wait to book your flight to Paris, France until we confirm that the minimum number of students have registered.
Students will need to bring a chef's jacket and comfortable closed-toe shoes for the Valrhôna Ecole du Grand Chocolat portion of the program. Aprons will be provided.
Want to bring a traveling companion?
Travel companions are welcome and not included in the student space limitations. Anyone planning to travel and stay with you during the program must be 17 years of age or older and must be registered with us as a traveling companion to accompany you for liability issues.
Their registration includes:
Four nights accommodation in Tain l'Hermitage
A guided walking tour of chocolatier's boutiques in Paris
Welcome Dinner
Two Lunches
Four Breakfasts
Ground transportation Paris to Tain l'Hermitage return
Note: Those traveling companions wishing to explore the la Drôme region of France while their student is at Ecole du Grand Chocolat might consider renting a car in Valence.
Prerequisite: Ecole Chocolat Professional Chocolatier Certificate of Achievement or enrollment in current session of the Professional Chocolatier Program.
Program Certificate:
Students completing the program will receive an Ecole Chocolat Certificate of Achievement.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Our Ecole Chocolat Graduate Chocolatier Programs only accommodate a limited number of students and are usually full, with a waiting list. As these programs involve a travel component, we need to contact those on the waiting list in enough time to for them to make travel arrangements. If you have to cancel, we will do everything in our power to find a replacement but cannot guarantee that we will be successful – please remember that your deposit is "non-refundable". No refunds will be given after 45 days prior to the program start date. Please make sure that you are committed to the program before paying your non-refundable deposit. We also suggest that you take out travel insurance when booking your travel to and from the program in case of an emergency.
What our graduates have to say
"My experience with the France program was exceptional. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and Rachel at the onset. Your pre departure and trip planning documents were extremely helpful and accurate to my experience. Getting to know my classmates and Rachel on a personal level was enriching and fun. I found Rachel to be highly personable with tons of knowledge and experience to appreciate. The Valrhona hands on class really gave me the deep dive into French confectionery style that I was looking for." Beth, 2024 Program
"Thanks to all of you for pulling off a great program in France. It was wonderful to be part of it. Everything was absolutely terrific, other than that I could have stayed even longer at all of it!! Thanks so much for making that happen. Top-notch. Made me wish for a second tier program, perhaps designed around participants' particular needs/interests!" Jonathan, 2024 Program
"Thank you Pam and Rachel for a great week in the world of French fine chocolate making. This program has exceeded my expectations, and you and the Valrhona team - Chef Jeremy, Laura, and the team - have done an amazing job planning and executing it! The participants found it beneficial regardless of their skill level, and we also learned from each other along the way. Very much enjoyed it, and highly recommend it!" Diana, 2024 Program
Airbrushing bonbon molds.
Finishing the last decorations on the bonbon.
Piping ganache into truffle shells.
Making multifaceted bonbon recipes.
Using a guitar to cut ganache.
Preparing the ganache for enrobing.
Preparing the molds using tape for a line decoration.
Presentation of bonbons made in the program.
Back to list of our other Chocolate Masterclass Programs.
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Photography by Jessica Washburn, Bliss Chocolatier and Ecole Chocolat
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Contact Us
Email: info@ecolechocolat.com
Visits by appointment only:
505 Montgomery
San Francisco, CA U.S.
1-213-291-8309
Canadian or International
1666 West 2nd Ave
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
1-604-484-1872
Ecole Chocolat is a woman-owned and operated chocolate education organization. Founded by chocolatier, Pam Williams, we are the professional school of chocolate arts for both chocolatiers and chocolate makers. We also donate our time, leadership, expertise and funds to preserve the fine chocolate industry and save fine cacao.
