The new location of Santa Monica’s beloved cooking school is anyone’s dream kitchen: wide, open counter spaces, sharp knives, glimmering pots and the best perk of all: a staff to do the dishes. The new location of the Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories is 3,000 square feet, roughly triple the size of their last location.
“This is everyone’s kitchen,” founder, owner, baker and overall food enthusiast Clemence Gossett said at a recent media event for her new location inside Santa Monica Place. “It’s not like a restaurant where everyone comes in as a guest. This is very much a part of the community. If there’s not a class, the door is open and you can come in.”
The Gourmandise offers hands-on classes for aspiring chefs and home cooks at all levels. Technique courses like knife skills, eggs and sauces teach the foundations of cooking without a recipe. Take-out lovers can learn to make their favorites at home through specialties classes like Sushi 101, A Night in Marrakesh or Thai Street Food.
Then, there’s the baking.
“The trend this year is doughnuts,” Gossett said. Rustic French Desserts; Cream Puffs, Eclairs and Religieuses and Summer Pies round out the calendar. Courses cost between $100 to thousands of dollars depending on the length and intensity.
Classes fill up quickly. This summer, a cooking series for teens resulted in a wait list of nearly 60 people. Gossett and her business partner, Sabrina Ironside, hope the new location will shorten some of those notorious waiting lists.
“It feels amazing,” Ironside said. “It’s like a whole new beginning for us, which is so exciting.”
Gossett still teaches many of the classes at The Gourmandise, including Bread Camp and Pro Pastry Series. The Santa Monica resident was born in Paris and developed her love of baking at a young age. Her cooking school started in a kitchen in Venice, before expanding into the first location in the mall.
While settling into their new home, the duo is already looking forward to their new neighbors. The Cayton Children’s Museum will also open on the third floor of Santa Monica Place later this year.
“The kid’s museum is coming across the way and it’s really going to flesh out the rest of the third floor,” Ironside said. “We’re excited for them to get started.”
Anyone interested in signing up for a class can go to thegourmandiseschool.com.
kate@www.smdp.com
