Cooking & Baking Series Courses

Chef Carol Cotner Thompson has been teaching people how to cook for over 25 years and brings her classic culinary education, love of local, seasonal produce and study of world cuisines to her culinary classroom. Carol will guide you as you gain confidence in the kitchen and learn to develop into an intuitive cook while making healthy and delicious daily meals. Series students work independently at their own stations to maximize their learning experience. Each class begins with a comprehensive lecture and demonstration followed by hands-on cooking to master each technique and dish.

Clémence, is a Co-Owner, Co-Founder and Pastry Chef at The Gourmandise School. A Parisian-born lover of sweets, and frequent patron of pastry shops, she quickly developed a palate for all things flaky, buttery, sweet and chocolatey. Gourmandise was born out of a kitchen in Venice, and The Gourmandise School grew out of a passion for teaching the company’s favorite recipes. 6 years and many satellite kitchen classrooms later, Clémence opened the school in 2011. Clémence is also a food writer, Master Food Preserver, recipe developer and food consultant…and chocolate lover.

May Hennemann was born in Brooklyn, raised in St. Louis and is of Thai/Burmese/Chinese decent. Spending summers with family in Asia, she developed her love of Asian street food. Combined with a love for Julia Childs and curiosity about the culture of food, family and country, she decided to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY six months after graduating from the University of Chicago. This eventually brought her to Los Angeles and a 16 year career in culinary education specializing in everything from classical French technique to Asian dumplings.