The certification training courses in Cooking at the École Lenôtre are designed for adults looking to train or to switch careers:
- Hobbyists and enthusiasts looking to switch careers
- Young professionals
- Professionals who left the trade for a while
Given the intensity of this program, each candidate needs to be genuinely motivated by careers in cooking or gastronomy in general.
The Cooking Chef Diploma is registered to the RNCP (Répertoire National des Certifications Professionnelles). Therefore, it will provide the whole range of skills necessary to do this job. (RNCP34978, published to the BO on 14/10/2020). Discover it in detail here.
The objective
The goal is to quickly reach a high level of qualification in 7 months without going through a long initial training period. The École Lenôtre will provide you with the basic methods and essential techniques in cooking needed to become a qualified professional (vocational diploma) in six months.

The pre-requisites
The pre-requisites eligibility for this course:
- To be aged 18 years or older
- To have a minimum level in English or French (level B1)
- To be able to read and write
- To know the basics of hygiene and safety in a food environment
- To have basic knowledge of basic reasoning (calculations and logic)
Our strengths
- 21 weeks of intensive courses
- Class size limited to 12 participants
- 100% success rate
- Four-week internship in a Lenôtre establishment
Two weeks of training with awarded chefs
A three-part training course
L’Essentiel
240 h
(6 weeks) :
5 weeks of lessons
+
1 week of revision
and exams
– Multiple choice questions
– Continuous assessments
-Practical exam
L’Incontournable
280 h
(7 weeks) :
6 seweeks of lessons
+
1 sweek of revisions
and exams
– Multiple choice questions
– Continuous assessments
-Practical exam
La Maîtrise
320 h
(8 weeks) :
7 weeks of lessons
+
1 week of revisions
and exam
– Multiple choice questions
– Continuous assessments
-Practical exam
Internship
160 h
4 weeks
Work placement
within companies
Feedback from the
internship supervisor
+
internship report
to write
We offer a flexible planning that allows a 7 months course, or independent programs.
Blocks of skills
Preparation and design of the culinary project:
- Develop recipes based on criteria of nutritional balance with regard to the fundamental principles of dietetics and the impact of cooking on health
- Develop specific recipes (allergies, intolerances, diabetes, etc.) in order to meet health constraints or religious requirements.
- Monitor culinary trends and world cuisines in order to develop their creativity by interpreting existing recipes and create new recipes
- Assemble the components of a menu or a la carte menu (appetizers, main dishes, desserts) in order to offer coherent and varied dishes that adapt to a wide range of consumers
- Design unique dishes to enhance your artistic signature and highlight your culinary sensitivity
- Develop an attractive a la card or menu with regard to the rules of presentation in order to make it understandable to customers
- Write technical sheets for each recipe integrating the ingredients, quantities, steps, techniques and costs in order to capitalize on its know-how and organize the implementation
Preparation of food production:
- Implement conditions in favor of keeping the area and work equipment clean and operational in order to guarantee compliance with health and safety rules
- Determine the ideal production site and the associated requirements with regard to the operating rules for the cold and hot connections
- Estimate the needs (products, resources, equipment) necessary for a culinary project in order to scheduling tasks in line with economic constraints (price of meals, etc.)
- Develop and implement a production plan to ensure compliance with the task scheduling of each participant
- Systematically check the quality, quantity and availability of ingredients in order to anticipate and manage unforeseen events
- Determine his/her work rate according to the services to be carried out in liaison with the brigade and the chef in order to optimize production
- Prepare raw materials using techniques (cutting, peeling, pulling the meat, barding, trussing and chopping) for processing and cooking
- Determine the most relevant types and cooking methods (temperature conditions and durations, material, context) in order to carry out the programmed recipes
- Implement the appropriate techniques and knacks in making classic sauces, stocks, dishes and desserts
- Appropriate vegetable accompaniments and garnishes to match the main dishes
- Develop combinations of spices, herbs and condiments in order to multiply the aromas and flavors on the basis of contrasts between ingredients
- Prepare the dishes by playing on colors, shapes, volumes, using appropriate containers and accessories (pastry bags, cookie cutters, brushes, etc.) in order to highlight the preparations
Administrative management and follow-up of the activity of the professional chef:
- Implement the method and principles of HACCP in order to prevent possible dangers related to the handling of foodstuffs
- Ensure the traceability and proper preservation of products, depending on the packaging, freezing and labeling processes in order to comply with regulations
- Systematically measure your own level of food safety in order to comply with hygiene regulations
- Rationalize purchases and storage of processed and unprocessed products in order to optimize costs
- Manage the stock of ingredients (preparation of orders, reception and control of products) to ensure supply needs by taking into account storage capacities
- Manage relationships with product suppliers to ensure supply and benefit from promotional offers
- Calculate the costs of the various culinary productions to determine the selling prices
- Manage your schedule and use activity management procedures and techniques to allow follow-up
- Ensure the keeping and follow-up of regulatory administrative documents to be able to respond to health control procedures
Practical information
Equipment and materials
The school will give every student his own set of utensils (knives, whisk, rolling pin,…) at the beginning of the training program. This set of utensils will be useful during your training, but also during your whole career.
Every student will also receive a mandatory professional uniform, that will include:
2 white professional jackets with the Ecole Lenôtre signature
2 professional trousers 1 pair of safety shoes
Usual timetable (40 hours per week)
Monday to Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Every day, breakfast is served half an hour before the beginning of the training session.
The lunch is served from 12:00 to 12:45 pm.
This timetable may vary sometime according to the civil calendar or for some specific themes. We recommend to have a look on the hour timetable available on the begining of the training.
Accommodation
The Ecole Lenôtre will send you a list of useful addresses to help you to find a room, a studio or a flat to rent.
Registration and fees details
Fees for the diploma*
Fees for the 3 Certificates (21 weeks of lessons and 2 weeks’ work placement: 29 950€ H.T. (35 940€ TTC)
Fees for the different certificates (1)
Certificate « L’Essentiel » : 8 100 € H.T. (9 720€ TTC)
Certificate « L’Incontournable » : 9 450 € H.T. (11 340€ TTC)
Certificate « La Maîtrise » : 12 400€ H.T. (14 880€ TTC)
Validation of Acquired Experience
Possibility of accessing the training via the VAE (Validation of Acquired Experience)
To access our training via the VAE, a VAE file must be completed to demonstrate your pastry experience. Each certificate is accessible via VAE. Following the assessment of the registration folder, the VAE candidate will be offered a training program corresponding best to his level and expectations. The minimum required to validate the title Chef Ecole Lenôtre is the achievement and success during the examination weeks of each of the 3 certificates and according to the techniques of the Ecole Lenôtre.
FEES FOR THE DIPLOMA via VAE : 4 450 € HT(2) (5 340 € TTC)
FEES FOR THE CERTIFICATE « L’ESSENTIEL » or « L’INCONTOURNABLE » via VAE : 1 550 € HT(2) (1 860 € TTC)
FEES FOR THE CERTIFICATE » LA MAÎTRISE » via VAE : 1 750 € HT(2) (2 100€ TTC)
Registration terms
Given the limited number of seats in each session (12 maximum), we advise you to register at least 3 months before the starting date of your course.
- Registration folder
- The application for registration must include of all the following documents : Completed registration application form
- Copy of an official government identity card
- Curriculum Vitae
- Cover letter
After receiving these documents, we will organize an in-person or Skype interview to assess your motivation and assess the necessary prerequisites to start the training.
Means of access | Yes | No |
---|---|---|
After an initial training course (with student or pupil status) | X | |
Apprenticeship contract | X | |
After a vocational training course | X | |
Professionalization contract | X | |
Free application (extra-curricular) | X | |
Through VAE professional experience (implementation date: ) | X |
Jury composition:
- 20% of jury members depend on the organization, 80% of members are external and sector professionals.
- 50% of them are employees, 50% are employers.
Next training sessions
- February, 27th 2023
Request for information
École Lenôtre provides intensive training allowing everyone to quickly access the professions of cooking and pastry.