Based in Ferrières-en-Brie, east of Paris, at the heart of the Château de Ferrières ecosystem, this culinary arts programme immerses students in the codes of hospitality and luxury from the very first day. Teaching kitchens equipped to industry standards, the bistronomic restaurant Le Chai, the Château's event spaces and the Madeleine by Ferrières bakery-patisserie all provide genuine professional settings, where technique meets the demands of a real service.
The programme covers every fundamental of the chef's craft: stocks and mother sauces, fundamental cooking methods for meat, fish and vegetables, doughs, batters and culinary preparations, seafood, bistro and brasserie cooking, through to fine-dining cuisine and innovative techniques such as molecular cooking and sous-vide. Under the direction of Chef Desty Brami, teaching is delivered by professional chefs chosen for their expertise and their exacting standards.
Open from the age of 18, with no technical prerequisites, this culinary course for adults is aimed at young enthusiasts and career changers alike. It prepares students for the role of commis chef, the entry point to a career with strong progression potential — chef de partie, sous chef, head chef — and allows graduates to sit the CAP in cuisine as an independent candidate on completion of the course.
With two intakes a year, in January and October, teaching in French and in English and a partner network spanning five continents, the culinary programme at Les Ateliers Ferrières reports a 100% employability rate on completion of the certificate. A guaranteed placement, outstanding chefs and a unique setting: everything you need to turn your passion into a profession.
Why train in cuisine at Les Ateliers Ferrières?
Restaurants and hotels are among the sectors recruiting most heavily in France. Fine-dining restaurants, palaces, event caterers, premium contract catering: brigades are looking for trained, operational and rigorous professionals. A short, intensive culinary course is the most direct route into these careers, whether you are a young school-leaver with a passion for gastronomy or an adult changing career.
Les Ateliers Ferrières, part of École Ferrières, offer an 8-month culinary programme built on a balanced alternation between technical learning and professional immersion: 16 weeks of intensive training at Les Ateliers and 16 weeks of work placement, guaranteed for every student. This short, vocational format allows graduates to join a brigade as a commis chef immediately on completion of the certificate.
A complete programme, from the fundamentals to fine-dining cuisine
The culinary programme at Les Ateliers Ferrières is structured around 14 progressive modules, taking students from the essential foundations to techniques of excellence. The first modules lay the fundamentals: egg cookery, stocks and mother sauces, fundamental cooking methods for meat, fish and vegetables, doughs, batters and culinary preparations. The course continues with butchery meats, seafood, vegetables and garnishes, bistro and brasserie cooking, and desserts for the chef.
The final modules open onto creativity and the demands of fine dining: innovative culinary techniques — molecular cooking and sous-vide — French regional cuisine, world cuisine and fine-dining cuisine. Beyond technique, students learn to understand how a brigade works, to master the professional vocabulary, to read a recipe, to identify the quality criteria of foodstuffs and to apply the hygiene and safety standards in force.
Professional chefs
Teaching is delivered by professional chefs, chosen for their expertise and their exacting standards.
A unique learning setting near Paris
Studying at Les Ateliers Ferrières means learning the chef's craft in a rare environment: the Château de Ferrières, in Ferrières-en-Brie, Seine-et-Marne, on the immediate outskirts of Paris. Students move between professional teaching kitchens, laboratories equipped for intensive practice, the bistronomic restaurant Le Chai housed in the Château's former kitchens, the event spaces of the Château's reception rooms and the four-star Paxton MLV hotel. The Madeleine by Ferrières bakery-patisserie offers a showcase of excellence where craft meets a demanding clientele.
This immersion can extend into a rich student life: masterclasses, internal culinary competitions, participation in professional contests, gala dinners, formal buffets or professional visits to producers and artisan houses.
What careers follow a culinary training course?
The programme prepares students for the role of commis chef, the starting point of a career with strong progression potential: demi-chef de partie, chef de partie, sous chef and then head chef. The sectors open to graduates are many: traditional and fine-dining restaurants, luxury hotels — palaces, five-star hotels, resorts — upscale event caterers, premium contract catering or culinary entrepreneurship, whether opening or taking over an establishment. Students who wish to may also sit the CAP in cuisine as an independent candidate on completing the course. The Ferrières network, present on five continents, opens the doors of the leading houses in France and internationally, with a 100% employability rate on completion of the certificate.
Admissions: a culinary course open without technical prerequisites
The culinary programme at Les Ateliers Ferrières is open from the age of 18, with no qualification requirement and no previous experience in the kitchen. Selection takes place in two stages: a review of the application file — CV, covering letter, proof of identity — submitted through the online portal, followed by a motivation interview, on campus or online. Results are communicated within two weeks at most. Two intakes are organised each year, in January and October. Complementary options — entrepreneurship, AI and 3D food printing, plant-based cooking and nutrition, English or culinary French (FLE) — allow each student to tailor the programme to their career plans.
