c'est si bon! is a cooking school located in chapel hill, north carolina. devoted to teaching technique rather than recipes, we believe that cooking brings us closer to the heart!
if you have just found us and are looking to learn techniques of excellent cooking and cozy feel-good gathering in the kitchen, you have found the right place.
thank you, thank you for your continued allegiance to c'est si bon's old world approach to the culinary arts. we are not about the "show"; we are about getting your hands in the dough!
we offer hands-on cooking and connecting with our students, and we're proud to be exclusive, because what we offer is not a cheap trick. whether you have just retired from a stressful executive position, are getting married for the first (or second!) time, or are a 10-year-old who watches alton brown on the food network, we are interested in you being the star, not us...
from rachael ray to emeril—everyone has their signature dish! are you tired of being left out in the cold? come to c'est si bon! for a lesson and make a dish—well, yours! we'll craft unique and special recipes based on your culinary desires and musings.
sizzling gifts is a perfect gift idea—no matter the occasion.
private culinary lessons and 'day in the life' excursions for all ages
culinary journeys for teen-chefs
kid-chef year round week-long camps and teacher work days
one of c'est si bon!'s finest young interns - chandler knott - was honored and quoted in food & wine magazine's august 2007 issue in a profile of young cooks in the U.S. see what SHE thinks about cooking and food today.
teen chefs participating in c'est si bon's first ever north carolina residential teen camp—"carolina on my plate!"—were featured in the raleigh news & observer june 14, 2007 while participating in a cooking demonstration at the carrboro, nc farmers market. click here to read the article. while the demonstration wasn't a competition, the n & o reporter conducted a taste test. see the results here.
the july/august 2006 issue of chapel hill magazine featured c'est si bon! in an article entitled, "learning the flavors of chapel hill."
c'est si bon's kid-chefs teen cooking camps in chapel hill, tuscany and provence were one of four such camps featured in the july 12, 2006 edition of the washington post. to read the article, click here.
kid-chef ali dawson was featured in the raleigh news & observer's july 7, 2006 metamorphosis column about her experience at the c'est si bon! kid-chefs summer camp. click here to see the column and to hear an audio clip of ali.
c'est si bon's kid-chefs cooking camps were also highlighted in the june 28, 2006 issue of the raleigh news & observer. click here to read the article.
the june 9, 2006 issue of luxury living magazine, a supplement to the triangle business journal, quoted dorette in an article about florence and tuscany. the article referenced c'est si bon's upcoming tuscan sun culinary journey, slated for october 7–14, that will include cooking lessons, visits to vineyards, herb farms and cheese makers and a stay at a villa just eight miles east of florence. "this is for people who love good food and wine," says snover, who includes a white truffle lunch as part of the tour. There's also a side trip to siena, four night-time cooking classes and free time to visit florence. snover recommends a stop at a place she describes as "magical"—the la pievuccia biological farm near arezzo. "the farm lunch is unbelievable—dishes from their produce," snover says.
dorette was featured by the raleigh news & observer in an april 19, 2006 article entitled, "triangle's cornucopia." the article discusses the concept of "eating local," which promotes buying as much food (preferably organic) as possible from farmers in the same area. click here to read the article.
dorette and her son, erick—also a chef at two vail, colorado restaurants—showcased some impromptu culinary creations at the carrboro, north carolina farmers market on april 12, 2006. click here to listen to an interview of mother and son on wchl1360 radio in chapel hill.
the april 2006 issue of metro magazine cited dorette in the "neal's nibbles" column for the cooking camps and culinary journeys she offers through c'est si bon! to children and teens each summer. click here to read the nibble.
dorette's writings . . .
the paper journey press is pleased to announce that dorette's story, "the eel" has been included in blink: flash fiction before you can bat an eye. "the eel" is an excerpt from dorette's novel, the city of ladies, which maps the powerful, tender and brutal journey of two 16th century bread apprentices, talemelier.
if you are literarily inclined, please check out the new blog associated with the city of ladies. dorette will explore the recipes and feasts visited in this warm tale.
for the 2005 anthology, original sin: the seven deadlies come home to roost, dorette contributed her story, "styling," to the collection of fiction. depths of gluttony are explored in her story as we travel with a food stylist and a french film director as they shop at dean and deluca in new york city. click here to read a review of original sin.
dorette contributed "aboyer: the little announcer," a story about a butter-maker in paris, for women behaving badly, feisty flash fiction stories, which was released in January 2005. the story's poignant hinting at loss and the inability to reclaim the dead is as wrenching as it is beautiful.
one of dorette's essays, in the kitchen, was published in an anthology of north carolina women, the secret to their success.
to purchase a personalized copy of any of her writings, please contact dorette.
our friends in the news . . .
in red, white, and drunk all over: a wine-soaked journey from grape to glass, writer natalie macLean takes her readers behind the scenes of the international wine world—exploring its history, visiting its most evocative places, and meeting its most charismatic personalities. the book has been described as a year in provence meets kitchen confidential then goes sideways. One chapter is devoted to california zinfandel and in another, natalie works in wine shops in new york city and san francisco. for more information on the book, tour dates/venues and to sign up for natalie's free wine e-newsletter, visit www.nataliemaclean.com.
cuisine et tradition cooking school in arles, owned and run by c'est si bon's culinary cohorts, madeleine and erick vedel, was featured as one of the top five destinations for culinary travelers on smartertravel.com. click here to read the article, which was posted on june 12, 2006.
food in the news . . .
Foie Gras Ban in Chicago is Flouted – Five months after the city ordered restaurants to stop selling foie gras, it's liver and let liver in Chicago. Read more . . .
c'est si bon! is about feeling good, taking care of yourself and enjoying the sublime spices of life in the kitchen. together.
