FR
The Domaine de Brocfontaine's entrance drive, between lawns and timber-framed houses

Domaine de Brocfontaine · Normandy

The Gentle Gourmet Culinary Institute
at the Domaine de Brocfontaine

French gastronomy, plant-based.

A culinary institute dedicated to plant-based French gastronomy, on an 18th-century country estate surrounded by kitchen gardens and orchards, brooks and forests.

The 2027 programs

  • 1–2 weeksCertificate Program
  • 8 weeksMaster Diplomas
  • On siteRoom and suite at the estate
  • ParisOne hour away

· A short story

It all began here.

The Gentle Gourmet story began at the Domaine de Brocfontaine, in the garden and at the table.

It was here that the foundations of Gentle Gourmet were laid: hospitality, gardens, the pleasures of the table, and a distinctly French culinary sensibility.

Here you will learn French pastry and cuisine in two beautifully equipped and decorated kitchens, to the highest culinary standards, with produce coming from just a few steps away.

Our story →
The house beneath the vine, a white garden table on the gravel
  1. 1995The family home, garden and orchard.
  2. 2000A well-known B&B, table d'hôtes and garden visits.
  3. 2009Creation of the Gentle Gourmet concept, the world's first urban vegan B&B, the first vegan cruises and the first Paris Vegan Day festival.
  4. 2012Opening of Paris's first gourmet vegan establishment, a caterer, and a vegan food & bar concept.
  5. 2016Creation of the Gentle Gourmet Culinary Institute.
  6. 2020Back to Brocfontaine: a magnificent return to our roots.

· The 2027 themes

Four programs,
one standard: French technique.

N° 1 · Master Diploma

Classical & Contemporary French Vegan Pastry

Classical and contemporary French pastry

An advanced professional program devoted to the techniques, structure and refinement of classical and contemporary French vegan pastry.

Length
8 weeks
Dates
15 March – 7 May 2027
The program →
Chocolate opéra with gold leaf

N° 2 · Master Diploma

Gluten-Free French Vegan Pastry

Gluten-free French pastry

Advanced French vegan pastry training built entirely around gluten-free techniques, with an emphasis on structure, precision, texture and professional finish.

Length
8 weeks
Dates
11 October – 3 December 2027
The program →
Macarons being assembled

N° 3

The French Herbal Gourmet

Cuisine & pastry inspired by the French garden

A joyful seasonal journey through French plant-based cooking and pastry, using herbs, flowers, leaves, roots and produce from the garden, orchard and surrounding landscape to create complete, generous and unforgettable meals.

Format
6 seasons · 5-day weeks
Fee
from €2,200
The program →
Velouté with chives and a garden pansy

Cultural-culinary experience · No. 1

Dining with Monet

A Luxury Plant-Based Culinary Experience in & near Giverny

Step into Claude Monet's world with a full-day journey blending culture, vegan cooking and seasonal flavors—directly inspired by his famous kitchen.

Length
1 & 2 day experiences
Dates
Starting in September 2027
The experience →
A painting by Monet: a table laid in the garden

· The estate

A five-century Norman country estate with gardens, a brook, woods and fields of horses.

Originally a small farm, with one house dating from 1590. Today, four houses and around two acres of gardens in the Iton valley.

Discover the estate →
The Domaine's main house, seen from the lawn
The houseOur family home since 1995.
The small timber-framed house against the forest
The buildingsFor classes, and for sleeping.
The large professional kitchen, long wooden table and copper pans
The kitchensTwo kitchens equipped for teaching.
The kitchen garden, a grass path toward the great sequoia
The kitchen gardenBehind the brick wall, the week's vegetables.
A flowering Japanese cherry on the estate lawn
The Japanese cherryIn spring, lunch is served beneath it.
The brook running through the Domaine, beneath the trees
The brookIt runs through the estate.
The Domaine's great trees against the wooded hill
The valleyForest all around.
The pony and two horses in the field, beneath the cherry trees in bloom
Life at BrocfontaineThe cats, the dog and the ponies keep watch over the Domaine.

· Cooking & pastry

What you will learn
to make.

Cooking

An artichoke filled with seasonal vegetables
Stuffed artichoke
Morel risotto
Risotto, morels
Plated dishes on the table
Service
Velouté, chives and a pansy
Garden velouté

Pastry

Pink meringues and red berries
Meringues, red berries
A crown of choux, cream piped into petals
Choux
Pistachio and raspberry, a splash of coulis
Pistachio, raspberry
A raspberry and pistachio macaron
Macarons
Canelés
Canelés
Meringue, apple and green sorbet
Apple, meringue, sorbet
Hot chocolate and whipped cream in a gold-rimmed cup
Hot chocolate
The Gentle Gourmet restaurant's summer dessert, plated

· Plating

Plating
is taught.

Fine-dining precision, without butter or eggs, and without losing any of the pleasure.

At Brocfontaine, the table is part of the lesson.

The Paris restaurant’s summer dessert.

Plates finished at the workstation
Red-berry tartlets
Plates ready for service
Fritters on apple slices
Ice cream in a golden cup, white flowers and a strawberry
A pastry yule log
A filled puff pastry with edible flowers
Macarons
Salad plates lined up for service
A plate of mushrooms
A galette topped with vegetables and herbs
A dessert sliced by candlelight
Macarons on a black plate
A buffet of verrines and small bites
Beetroot cream and cucumber slices
A plated dish, beetroot and green sauce
A plate of red cabbage and red onion
A plated dish with edible flowers
A plate of garden vegetables
A plated dish with edible flowers
A plated dish with edible flowers
A blue and white plate, galette and flowers
A filled galette with thin slices of radish
A plate with a splash of red
A plated dish
A plated dish with edible flowers
A plated dish with edible flowers
A plated dish with edible flowers
A plated dish
A long festive table laid with candlesticks, plates and bottles

· The table

A seat at
the table, in 2027.

Enrollment for 2027 classes is open. Write to us: we will send you the full program and details of staying at the Domaine.

Request the 2027 program +33 6 49 04 18 57