French Bistro Cooking Class: A Taste of Paris

Meet Pierre - Your Chef, Trainer & Kitchen Adventure Guide:What do you get when you combine a French-trained chef, 25+ years of kitchens around the world, a hospitality educator, a little bit of kitchen obsession and someone who genuinely loves seeing people discover what they can do with food?You get Studio YUM Cooking School.My culinary journey has taken me from Canada and France to the USA and Australia, working in everything from fine-dining French restaurants and five-star hotels to Asian-fusion bistros, international cruise ships, seafood restaurants, cafés, function centres, airport kitchens and private islands.I’ve worked my way through the kitchen brigade from Commis Chef and Chef de Partie to Sous Chef, Head Chef, Kitchen Manager and Executive Chef. Along the way, I’ve led teams, developed menus, managed food costs and large-scale operations, and cooked for everyone from intimate VIP dinners to functions of up to 950 guests, professional sporting teams and some pretty interesting people.I’ve even spent a summer as a private chef on a Canadian island!My experience has also taken me into some wonderfully diverse kitchens. I’ve cooked classical French cuisine in France, Southeast Asian food in Sydney, seafood, and high-volume functions, hotel breakfasts, multi-course tasting menus, street food and plenty of low-and-slow BBQ and smoking.So if you ask me what kind of food I cook, my answer is usually:“How much time have you got?”But there’s another side of my career that I love just as much as cooking — teaching.I’m a qualified Trainer and Assessor in Commercial Cookery and Hospitality, and over the years I’ve taught everyone from aspiring professional chefs and international hospitality students to complete beginners, backyard BBQ enthusiasts and people taking their very first steps into the industry.That experience has taught me something important: great cooking classes aren't about showing off what the chef can do.They’re about making YOU feel like you can do it too.That’s what I bring to Studio YUM.I love taking techniques that might look complicated and breaking them down into practical, achievable steps. I want you to understand not just what to do, but why it works - and leave the class with new skills, new ideas and the confidence to recreate them at home.Whether we're making French classics, folding dumplings, exploring Southeast Asian street food, breaking down seafood, firing up the BBQ or discovering clever ways to make weeknight cooking easier, there’s always a story, a technique and hopefully a few laughs along the way.My formal training includes Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of America, a Bachelor of Arts in French, an Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management, a Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.But the qualification I’m most interested in at Studio YUM is the one you leave with:“I made that!”So whether you’re a curious beginner, a serious foodie, a couple looking for a fun date experience, or simply someone who wants to become a more confident cook, come ready to get involved.I’ll bring the stories, techniques, tips and kitchen secrets.You bring your appetite.Welcome to Studio YUM. Come hungry. Leave inspired.