A Culinary Experience Like No Other

“Dear Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent! I drive home with a warm feeling in my heart and stomach, you have nourished us last week in many ways, not only with the most delicious food but with kindness, love and perfection in an imperfect  way! I feel lucky to meet so many beautiful people coming together to cook and to share a meal around a table. I feel inspired to clean and organize my kitchen new, try out new producers of good food and don’t waist anything. First thing after that: always a stockpot on the stove! I hope we will meet again! Share a meal with us in Gargnano Italy, Berlin or Nelson New Zealand. You are more than welcome! Sending you a big warm hug and my love.”

"Bonjour Marjorie, Kendall et Laurent. I just wanted to thank you all again for such a memorable week of amazing food, fabulous hosts and the joy of sharing French food culture. I am deeply appreciative of your time, experience and obvious joy in your work.”

“Dear Marjorie, Kendall, and Laurent! I arrived home to Charleston last night feeling so inspired and grateful for the week I spent with you all. I wanted to thank you for everything you did to make it truly a week I will never forget. The cooking instruction, the delicious food and wine, the great company, the laughs- all in the most perfectly curated space. You have created something so unique. I hope to be back in 2027!”

“I wanted to send my heartfelt thanks to all of you.  Last week was truly special, I almost can't believe it was real.  I've been gushing to all my family, friends, and coworkers about the trip.  You have created something so magical and inspiring.  Every ingredient, every meal, every detail, it was all perfection.  Thank you for all you do.”

“Thank you for an incredible week of delicious food, fun, and the most inspiring environment. Every single detail was perfect!…which I hardly ever say. I am so looking froward to booking my next reservation! You are all a beautiful family full of love. Merci!”

“Thank you for an incredible week filled with love of food, culture and the warmth of family. I have learned and been reminded to embrace and savor the moments of cooking for people who you love. I will definitely be back.”

“Dear Marjorie, Kendall, and Laurent. I just wanted to take a minute and THANK YOU for the most magical week at The Cook's Atelier.  I don't think I will ever be over it, it truly was one of the most wonderful weeks of my life, and to be able to share it with my sister Kristy was even more special.  I can't thank you enough for your hospitality, your enthusiasm, your kindness and sincerity in sharing your beautiful shop and home with our group.  An experience of a lifetime. I'm so inspired with all of the recipes, eating seasonally and shopping locally. We certainly do not have access to the kind of incredible produce you have in Beaune, but I know I can do better with my own diet (today I made chicken stock)! It was a wonderful week, one I will always cherish.  Merci beaucoup!!”

“Dear Marjorie, Kendall, and Laurent, I am back home and settling into life here but full of wonderful memories of our week with you… the kitchen learning and cooking, the delicious lunches with fabulous wines, the lovely day at the Woodland House, and the gift of new friends. You have created a wonderful life and thank you for sharing it with us.”

“Dear Marjorie and Kendall, My week spent with you exceeded all expectations! You have a school that is exceptional in every way. Your thoughtful preparation was appreciated at every turn. Every turn of my head saw beauty either in the food, the smiles , the work space or the relationship between the two of you. Please share with Laurent that I have been listening for the “dinner bell” for a long,  leisurely , delicious lunch but it hasn’t happened yet! My sincerest thanks.”

“There are scant words that I can find to thank you for such a wonderful and immersive experience. My visit to Beaune and The Cook's Atelier far exceeded my expectations. This was far more than a cooking school. From the moment I entered your beautiful Atelier, curated beyond belief, to the last course in the greenhouse, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It was incredibly moving to see your beautiful children and their palpable love for their grandmother and parents. What an idyllic life. I walked away with a very full stomach, inspiration, new friends, and hope that good food and kindness prevails.”

"Thank you for the absolutely wonderful week of instruction, inspiration, and incredible hospitality. It was truly a life-changing experience. I am excited to make everything we learned, and also to go back soon. I love you all and I love Beaune."

"Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent. Please accept this small token of my appreciation for this past week...one I will hold dear to my heart! Your hospitality, generosity and passion for what you do is infectious. I have learned so much from each of you and it has truly inspired me to share it with those I love back home. From stumbling across your cookbook, to spending a week learning alongside you in Beaune, I am forever grateful for this opportunity! Beyond the cooking, I have met some truly amazing people I wouldn't have without your connection. Again, I am so grateful. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and I look forward to following along from Michigan. I cannot wait for cookbook #2...and for my shipment of spectacular goodies to arrive. Until we meet again...with many thanks."

"Thank you for the most incredible experience last week in Beaune. From the warm welcome to the lovely moments in the kitchen and around the table with new friends, every part of the experience was magical. The passion you bring to The Cook's Atelier as a family is so inspiring, and it was a privilege to learn from you in such a beautiful setting. Your hospitality, warmth, and dedication to preserving French culinary tradition made this not just a cooking class, but a memorable journey into the heart of Burgundy and the exquisite bounty it has to offer (you were not kidding about the Saturday market)!! The love and care you poured into every detail made it an experience I'll cherish forever. So much so that I'd love to come back! Thank you again for sharing your knowledge, your stories, and your beautiful family home with us. I'm still dreaming of those sweet hearts in the shutters, garden with its iron greenhouse filled with copper pots, and pizza oven. I'm leaving Beaune not only with new cooking skills, but also a deeper appreciation for the art of bringing people together through food."

"Thank you for the most lovely week! You are a dynamic trio. Your hospitality and warmth come through in everything that you do."

“I can’t begin to thank you enough for the most wonderful week in Beaune. It was the highlight of my year, and I look forward to returning and bringing along my family. The experience was enriching for the mind, soul (and stomach of course!), and I can’t wait to bring a little bit of The Cook’s Atelier and your approach to food and life back to my own home. All in all, the entire week was a truly unforgettable experience, and I will treasure these memories forever.”

“You all are so amazing with everything and everyone ... especially your customer service!”

“Mason and I wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this very special experience. As we travel back home, we were also reflecting on your team. We walked away in adoration of your talents and abilities and your special skills at delivering an abundance of information to a group with a wide range of abilities. We feel like we’ve known you for many years. We appreciate how you greeted us with open arms and nurtured us all week.  We all learned so much and we cannot wait to get back in the kitchen together and try out our new skills and share with friends. We love that we are now a part of The Cook’s Atelier family.”

“Thank you for such an incredible week of cooking, inspiration and fun! I did not know what to expect when I arrived and wow was I amazed. Your warmth and generosity in sharing your passions of wine, food, family and community was contagious. I came back inspired….so much so that my jet lag early morning is with coffee and your cookbook on my lap!”

“My time at your Cook's Atelier was the greatest adventure and I am so sad to not be working in your kitchen this morning (or afternoon your time). You and your family are the most incredible team. Thank you for letting me and my mom be a part of the wonderful life you created. I cannot wait to get to work on these recipes here at home.”

“My decades long love affair with France may be a full blown obsession after spending the week with Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent of The Cook’s Atelier. They are the most lovely and gracious family and are very kind and forgiving when you ruin the aïoli. A truly lovely week and I cannot wait to come back. Merci! Merci! Merci!”

“We have been trying out recipes you sent our way. Have been putting pickled mustard seeds on everything. Cannot stop making the woodland salad dressing, and yesterday I adapted the apple galette into a pear showstopper of a dessert. Wish you were here to enjoy it with us!”

“Sole Meunière at The Cook’s Atelier: I can truly say without any exaggeration that I have never eaten a better fish meal in my life…This petite miracle of this evening (and the week!) is out of a movie set: A French movie of course…. Perhaps Babette’s Feast, which really is not a French movie at all, but a Danish movie about a French woman who teaches a small group of pious townspeople who had lost their heart along the way to find joy and love once again in their community. This seems to be a perfect metaphor for Marjorie, Kendall, and Laurent at The Cook’s Atelier. These three together have created something that seems more French than France itself. They have taken every Francophile’s idea of what Joie de Vivre must surely be and through the examples of their daily life turned it into a tangible reality and example of what one might achieve if they only dare to open their heart and follow their dreams. The week was truly magical and without trying to push the hyperbole, a bit life changing.  The three of you were the consummate hosts and pointed us towards a way of life that is both elegant and unpretentious.”

“Many thanks for a fabulous week in Beaune. Watching the rhythm in which a mother, daughter and son-in-law work together with such grace, respect and patience was truly a treat. I loved every minute of the week and really appreciate you making us all feel as though we were part of your family. I’ve just ordered duck fat, escargots shells, French butter and lots of white vinegar. I’m so excited to make the gravlax, escargots, duck, pickled mustard seed, papa’s bread and even the plum cake for our family. Having cooked so many meals during covid this class completely energized me to return with the ‘joy of cooking’ back intact.”

“Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent! Once again, thank you for such a wonderful week of cooking, sharing and hospitality!!! The entire experience will be one that I will remember with a great deal of gratitude and fondness. You are all amazing. Cheers to you!”

“Heavens, your little family has created a gorgeous setting and a magical experience. I am exhausted, lying on the couch, and wishing we could start the week all over again. Thank you for all of it. Seriously, it couldn’t have been better.”

“What an amazing time in your beautiful cooking school and adopted hometown!  Many thanks for all of the hard work - clearly infused with joy and family love - that was behind each day of our experience at The Cook’s Atelier.  The attention to detail, preparation and execution were both professional and gracious.  I am widely grateful and hope to see you again soon.”

“Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent.  Thank you for all you did to make this the most special week ever!  Cooking for me has always been delightful but you and your cooking school has taken me to a new height.  I hope to be back one day soon.”

“I pulled out the copy of your cookbook that was gifted to me after our initial discovery of your shop - thank you Marie at L'Hôtel de Beaune - it literally gave me goosebumps to read your words…. they jumped off the page and instantly put me right back there. It meant so much more to read them after the experience and then seeing the photos and thinking, ‘I cooked right there’, ‘I used that pot’, 'I was in that space’.... I don't have the words. You all are such a special family and I felt instantly at home around you. I so look forward to my return.”

“They are as lovely as they are fun, passionate, generous, kind, talented…the real deal. What a wonderful week that was. Thank you Marjorie, Kendall, Laurent et les enfants for an unforgettable time. Until next year?”

“Thank you Marjorie and Kendall for an amazing week of cooking, friendship (and a bit of gluttony :^)) at The Cook’s Atelier - it was an amazing life experience! Thanks too to Laurent for an incredible collection of amazing wines!!”

“Thank you very much from the depths of our hearts for the wonderful week of food, wine and cooking. It has been amazing! You all have demonstrated to me what joie de vivre is in the deepest sense.”

“Marjorie and Kendall, I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed my week in Beaune with you at the workshop. I learned so much, and had such a wonderful time. I really feel as though I have known you both forever—you made me feel so welcome. What fun it was—I laughed and laughed—and i am still salivating at all the wonderful food you prepared. You left no stone unturned, and put so much effort into giving us all an experience we will never forget. Thank you for that. I can’t wait to come back to another workshop!”

“You and your daughter have created something I deeply admire! On so many levels!”

“Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent. Thank you so much for everything you did to make our week with you at The Cook's Atelier so much more than I could ever have imagined. Each of you made it warm and wonderful, plus extremely delicious!!! So very grateful for all the beautiful touches and the lovely additions that made the experience nothing but glorious; I will be singing your praises to everyone I encounter who appreciates the finer things in life.”

“All of us had a wonderful time. Getting to know all of you and your family, learning more about French cooking/techniques and making new friends. Your passion and caring are very apparent. We thank you.”

“Just a quick note to let you know what a lovely time Julie & I had with you both last week. I’m sure this is not the first time you’ve heard this but I feel I’ve gained two (more!) sisters AND girlfriends. You are both such naturals, and even after all these years you’ve stayed true to who you are and what you do best — so important these days. And merci to Laurent aussi for his expert wine choices and iced-cappuccino making! Your whole team is a dream.”

“A French cooking school where I imagine Julia Child would have gone if she were going to school now.”

“Thank you so much for the trip of a lifetime! Beckie, Jama and I are having fun sourcing out providers. We found a local farmer where we can buy fresh beef, bones, and oxtails, among other things! Making oxtail soup will be a first for us! Thank you again for making it all possible. By sharing with others you make the world a better place and change lives.”