Many of our travelers have enjoyed private French cooking classes with Brigitte Dumant at her beautiful home in Normandy. Brigitte kindly agreed to answer some questions for us to help our readers get to know her a little better!

In this interview, she tells us more about her classes, and shares some of her best tips for cooking and sourcing the freshest ingredients

You may also like to browse our sample Gourmet Food Tours to get more inspiration for your next trip to France!

Brigitte and travelers in her garden after a cooking class
Brigitte with travelers Marcia, Elliot, Evelyn & Steve after a cooking class
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Marcia, Elliot, Evelyn & Steve

How did you learn to cook?

I learned from my mother, and my family owns six restaurants in Paris! I always loved cooking and having friends home for dinner - isn't it a good combination??

What's special about Norman cuisine?

In Normandy, you can find the best creamy ingredients: cream, cheese, the best apples, and the best Calvados (apple brandy) to flambé what you are cooking!!

Brigitte in her home kitchen, where she teaches her cooking classes
Brigitte in her home kitchen, where she teaches her cooking classes
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Brigitte Dumant

Where do you source your ingredients?

My husband is busy with the vegetable garden, which includes artichokes, zucchinis, eggplants, squash, tomatoes, and different herbs.

I go to a special farm to buy chicken and I buy local fish (such as scallops, sole, shrimps and crab) from fishermen’s wives at Trouville. They sell the fish their husbands have caught during the day or night directly from the boat, and of course, the fish is very fresh!

My favorite local markets are at Pont-l'Évêque or Deauville, where many local producers sell their products.

Fresh scallops from Normandy
"This morning, I went to the open market at Deauville and I bought scallops in their shells directly from the boat." - Brigitte
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Brigitte Dumant

Can you share your favorite cooking tip?

I love to teach travelers how to make sauces, to make dishes extra special. When I prepare a sauce, I always begin slowly and carefully. The secret is to cook it gently and slowly for a long time and not to do it too fast. No hurry!

What are your favorite cooking ingredients? 

I love to use different herbs, such as fresh oregano, chives, tarragon, thyme, and rosemary, to enhance the flavor.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Normandy?

I go to restaurants to have fun with friends or family - this is the most important thing for me - so any restaurant with a special and good atmosphere! We usually go to Les Vapeurs in Trouville, which is a brasserie and an institution.

Brigitte's house in Normandy, where she teaches her cooking classes
Brigitte's house in Normandy, where she teaches her cooking classes
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Brigitte Dumant

We are very grateful to Brigitte for taking the time to answer our questions!

For us at France Just For You, it's important to us that our travelers have the chance to immerse themselves in French culture, with lots of opportunities to interact with local French people, like Brigitte.

We can arrange private tours with expert local guides; specialist activities like truffle-hunting; wine-tastings; and private cooking classes with local culinary experts, all of whom speak good English and will make you feel welcome in France.

If you would like to book one of our self drive tours in Normandy and include a cooking class with Brigitte, let us know - we would love to hear from you!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

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Janet
We have traveled in Europe a dozen times. Our trip to France, the Loire Valley and Normandy was one of the very best. Their custom self-guided tours are based on places and activities that interest you. Emelie listened to what we wanted and created an itinerary that was just what we wanted as well as some suggestions for other things we might try …
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Just a quick word of admiration and thanks for well planned and executed vacation for us. Every hotel, Chateau, B&B was clever, different and fun. Guides were outstanding and your recommendations without a flaw. I know we would enjoyed this vacation more because of your efforts Our time in France ends tomorrow and we have memories to carry us to …
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My wife and I are fairly seasoned travelers so when we decided to include a trip to France in our year long 50th Anniversary Celebration we wanted to do something different. We looked at group travel companies including those who specialize in "small" groups. None of them had the flavor we were looking for. In my search for somethin new I happened …
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My sister and I wanted to plan a vacation together with our husbands to Normandy and the Loire Valley so I started online only to find it was a difficult process. We found "France Just for You" and our problems were solved, Emilie planned every detail! Our hosts in all accommodations spoke English and made us feel most welcome, our stay in each …
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My husband and I used Emilie from France Just For You to plan a special trip for our anniversary. We loved the fact that our trip had structure, but at the same time, we had freedom to explore as we wished. We also loved the fact that the trip included guided tours, but we were not tied to a tour group as such. Emilie planned our trip according to …