About Laurence

My cooking classes are designed to empower and inspire you to play with food in your own kitchen. I can't remember not cooking. I  grew up in Northern France, in a family where everyone cooked. My first  job was shelling peas. By age five I knew how to clean lettuce, peel  apples, and make mayonnaise. I took my first baking class in first  grade, about the same time as I started making jams with my grandpa. My fascination with cooking has kept growing ever since, and I love sharing my passion. With its year-round growing season, abundant fresh seafood, and local ranches, Santa Barbara is a chef's dream come true.

 Private dinners are custom built around your personal preferences combined with seasonal availability for a cuisine that is vibrantly fresh and bursting with flavor. I love to share my passion for  food and the way it brings people together. For me it begins with meeting the farmers, fishermen, ranchers and dedicated artisans to find the highest quality ingredients, and it ends with making sure everyone is enjoying a great meal and each other’s company. I have been at the forefront of the local food movement from the day I arrived and planted mesclun in my garden in the spring of 1983.

I  look forward to meeting you.