From Cook’n With Class Uzès to Let’s Eat The World: A Culinary Legacy Continues
How it all began – the making of an International Culinary Travel Agency.
A Cozy Atelier in the South of France
In 2015, we opened the doors to Cook’n With Class Uzès, a warm and welcoming kitchen tucked into the heart of the Gard Provençal. While Chef Eric Fraudeau continued to run the Paris school he founded in 2007, Uzès was my project—my leap. I found the space, envisioned its atmosphere, and together, we built a cozy, homelike cooking atelier from the ground up. Visitors looking for unforgettable, chef-led cooking classes in Uzès found a place to dive their tastebuds first into French culture.
Market Days and Seasonal Eating
Like its Parisian sibling, our Uzès kitchen welcomed food lovers from around the world. But something different started to take shape here. At the start, it was much like the original formula we used for Cook’n With Class, one chef, one atelier during 1/2 classes, inspired by the two markets we had at our disposal 3 times a week. We would take clients to the Uzès producers’ market and to the two market days offered in the village of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, savoring all that the season brought us week after week. Teaching people to eat with the seasons became a cornerstone of our approach, as did the joy of enjoying the spoils of French market days. Classes were kept small and intimate as always, and it was much like inviting family or friends over for a fantastic meal. Eventually, we began to dream up new ideas, bringing in a Provencal dessert class as well as food and wine pairing sessions with local wine professionals.
From Recipes to Richer Experiences
We weren’t just teaching recipes; we were transmitting culture through food, a concept that should probably sound pretty familiar to you by now if you know anything about Eric or me. A conversation that very likely took place over a glass of wine led us to the idea of hosting guests for multi-day experiences. We wanted to show them more than they could take in, in just 4-5 hours. We wanted to extend the walks through markets, the wine tastings, and long lunches, and deepen those conversations about becoming more open-minded, curious travelers. I even started offering tips on how to become a world traveler and incorporated more of my local friends into the experiences. It felt like more than a class. It felt like a culinary travel adventure.
The Birth of the Week in Uzès
And so was born the Week in Uzès culinary holiday in 2016. It was our first small-group tour: part cooking class, part cultural immersion, part slow-travel getaway. And our guests loved it. Over time, this one-week program became the most requested experience we offered. These weeks were a food lover’s delight where we shared unforgettable recipes like this crispy duck with stewed cherries.
A Pivot Toward Culinary Travel
Just before the pandemic hit, we made the difficult but intentional decision to close the doors to our Uzès school. I operated it independently from 2015 to 2020, and while we had built something truly special, I was ready to focus fully on the immersive travel experiences we had begun offering. We had just embarked on a three-month stay in Seville—a trip that had long been a dream—and during that time, everything began to change. From the beginning, I had wanted to see Eric back in the kitchen, where his passion for good food, wine, and French cheese shines brightest. He was always going to be my muse for what was to come, and his presence continues to be a key part of how we craft these journeys. Like many in the travel and hospitality world, we were soon forced to pause, rethink, and adapt. When we emerged on the other side, it was clear that the model we had shaped in Uzès was ready to stand on its own—and ready to grow into something bigger.
Let’s Eat The World Is Born
In 2021, I established Let’s Eat The World (LETW) as a registered business in France. Then, in 2023, I officially launched Let’s Eat The World SL, a licensed travel agency based in Seville, Spain. The idea was simple: to carry forward the spirit of what we had built in Uzès, and expand it to new places and partners around the globe. It was no longer just a school, but a curated journey through food and culture.
A Global Culinary Legacy
We now offer chef-curated culinary holidays, including Stress-free culinary vacations in Europe: France, Italy, Spain, Georgia, and beyond: Peru, Colombia, and Tanzania. You can expect more delicious and fascinating destinations in the future. But Uzès remains in our hearts. Our original Week in Uzès tour continues to run multiple times a year, with guests who return again and again for the region’s charm, its flavors, and the people who make it feel like home.
Looking Back—and Ahead
So if you ever come across a mention of Cook’n With Class Uzès, know that it was never just a cooking school. It was the starting point of something much bigger. And if you’re curious about where that journey has led, we invite you to start here:
Let’s Eat The World was built from those first shared meals in Uzès.
And who we are today is a group of food and travel professionals eagerly opening doors to world travelers who are seeking culinary experiences that take them deeper into cultures worldwide.
A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE
