Happy customers

"The experience of a lifetime"

Rosa,
Linda's sole comment as we exited the parking garage was "The experience of a lifetime"... and that's an understatement. We so enjoyed our experience with you. You are a treasure.
I likewise appreciate your extra effort to find monk fish. It was a special treat. As for the lemon tart... out of this world. Lucky Sam gets the leftovers.
Yes, we stopped at the cheese shop for a hunk of Roquefort Carles Artisanale. Yes, we stopped at the bakery for a baguette à l'ancienne and a tourte de blettes. Now we have everything we need to sustain ourselves until we depart on Saturday.
Be advised that you are on our permanent list of "Things to See and Do in Nice". We plan to enroll EVERY time we are here.
Thank you, thank you, thank you !!! Tell Sam we think you're a rock star. He probably already knows that. The Michelin stars are in the mail.

John Corry, California, USA
December 2011

An inspiring day

Dear Rosa,
Just a note before leaving Nice to let you know how much Jens and I enjoyed our cooking class with you.  Having a lesson at the beginning of our vacation was the perfect way to begin.  We felt so much more at home shopping in the market, enjoying Niçoise specialties and appreciating the area where we are staying.
I noticed, when reading David Lebovitz's blog, that he refers to you when writing about socca. I know that when I return home I will be entering the kitchen with renewed vigor and courage.
Thank you for a wonderful day and also thanks to Jill for making the clean-up seem all so easy.
Warm regards,

Linda Lee Henriksen, Vancouver, Canada
January 2012

Petits farcis to share

Rosa:

I have been home a little over 48 hours, and have just served my son and husband Petits Farcis.  My 20 year old son took a bite of the little stuffed potato I had placed on his plate and exclaimed, "Wow, this is really good!  What's in it?"  Conor then cut into the next item, a zucchini.  Chewing hesitantly, as I confirmed that was what it was, he commented he usually does not like them....but ended up eating it entirely.  I am pleased to say that he asked if they were hard to make. 

I so enjoyed your class, your beautiful apartment, and the delightful company.  You have such a gift!

Nanette Pigaga, USA
July 18, 2011

A standout market

Hi Rosa - thank you again for a WONDERFUL cooking class and marketing trip in the Nice market. As part of our bicycling trip, we went to markets in Uzès and Arles (the  biggest one), but our favorite was the Nice market. I'm planning to make the apple tart this weekend - I now know the correct way to slice the apples! 

Carol del Gaudio, Vermont, USA
October 2010

A favorite day

Hi Rosa,

Just wanted to let you know that our cooking class was terrific.  It was by far a favorite day for me.  Everything was delicious and I am looking forward to making a lemon tart sometime soon.  Jill was a great assistant!  we enjoyed her company as well. Thank you for helping our family make a wonderful memory.  I wish I was there to take another class. 

Take care and keep doing what you enjoy.  You have a gift for cooking, teaching, and making others feel comfortable.  It is true grace in life to be able to enjoy our work and find a way to share it with others.

Cathy Hedgepeth, Raleigh, NC, USA
March 2011

Cheese dilemma

Hi Rosa,

Thank you again for today.  It was wonderful.  We picked up lots of method tips as well as your great recipes.  We definitely will recommend you.  We appreciated getting to ask so many questions, and being in your home kitchen was special.  You are a good teacher.  Shopping the market with you was very educational.  Jack and I debated on the way home which cheese really was our favorite... in the end we couldn't choose.  Thanks for letting us taste all four.  

Merci beaucoup.
 
Barbara Bartroff
San Diego, California, USA
November 2010

Above the rest

Rosa,
 
Your cooking class attended on October 28th was one of the highlights of my trip to Nice.  I have attended serveral cooking classes but yours is above the rest.  Thank you for a wonderful day.
 
Ron Bray, Florida, USA
October 2010
 
P.S.  I will be attempting your recipes, especially the Lemon Tart

Aioli addict

Toni and I had such a wonderful time in your class.  You are a doll!!!  I have made a picture book of our trip and everyone just loves the ones with you at the Farmer's Market and cooking in your home.  You did make Toni want to cook.  Just tonight she told me about all the cooking she did today. 

I have made the aioli several times and also the eggplant with the goat cheese.  My husband would put it on his socks and lick it off he loves the aioli so much.  He even went out and bought me a mortar and pestle but yours is still the best. 

Anyway, you are a doll!  Of all the things I saw and did in France nothing compares to the cooking class with you.  I have two young women that have already said I have to take them to France next year and we HAVE TO - HAVE TO do a cooking class with you.

Thank you for some of the best memories of France. 

Faye Beiner, California, USA
September 2010

Standing ovation

Hi Rosa,

We arrived home today after a lovely visit in Provence.  Of course, the
cooking class and tour of the market was the highlight of the trip!
I think we mentioned that we would be meeting a group of friends, and each
of the couples had one night to cook dinner for the rest.  Larry and I
recreated the menu from class - and I must tell you, we got a standing
ovation!  It was so much fun to use fresh produce in a (more or less)
traditional menu. It was a treat to have the class in your home - that touch
added warmth that we appreciated very much.

Heather Madden-Johns, Vancouver, Canada
September 2010

Priceless techniques

Hello Rosa

What a great class / day!!

I always look to take away great recipes but to be able to take away specific techniques that improve my culinary repertoire overall is the ultimate benefit from a hands on class.  Your class provided several priceless take aways, the best being the sticky pizza dough dilemma. Yeah!  Thank you for a great learning experience and insight into Nice.

Tami Stewart, Texas-based travelling chef
July 2010

A new eye

Thank you for an outstanding class yesterday.  I enjoyed each and every moment and each and every aspect of our day together--the market tour, visits to your specialty shops, and then the cooking and eating. I learned so much, and my only regret is that I didn't do this when I first arrived!  What was I waiting for?  I'm getting ready to head out to our market (which is miniscule by comparison with Cours Saleya), and I know that I will approach it with a new eye.

Dorothy Baker, Houston, Texas
July 2010

Birthday menu

"Thank you once again for a wonderful two days in Nice.  Kelsey and I loved every minute we spent with you and your fellow cooking school attendees!  We so enjoyed your classes, and I hope to replicate as many recipes as I can for Kelseys 22nd birthday in July.  One of her gifts will be these darling gratin dishes I found to make the berry dessert with the marvelous creme anglaise sauce, so you know I am thinking of you often!
Our beautiful memories and delightful pictures will keep the trip ever present in our minds and hearts.  Thank you for making our days in Nice so special!"
 
Janney Ryan, Philadelphia, USA

Sweet memories

Hi Rosa,

I am still basking in my memories of Nice and your cooking class.  I have retold my experience in your one day class so many times that people say "That surely has to be the highlight of your trip!"  I have prepared almost all the recipes with great enjoyment and success.  I brought back a serrated peeler and an olive wood cutting board as souvenirs.  And I almost lost my jars of honey at the Nice airport, but quickly took them and my bubble wrap and repacked them and checked my carry-on as checked baggage so I would not lose those precious items.     

Speaking of honey, my husband and I enjoyed reading your article about honey in the September issue of France magazine.  Really glad now that I saved my honey from the security guys!!

Kathryn Behrens
Ohio, USA

The Provencal way

Gaby Rosa

"Dear Rosa,
 
As Gabrielle and I were reflecting about our recent trip to Provence, we realized to our surprise and dismay that we never completed our thank you message to you.

We really want you to know just how much we enjoyed and appreciated our cooking lesson with you in September.  The whole market experience was a perfect prelude to the preparations that followed later in the day - and we have numerous delightful photographs of the colourful displays of fruits, spices, vegetables, and fish as a vibrant reminder of that morning.  The little stop at the Cave Caprioglio was fun - we still have the bottle of special local wine that you suggested, saving it for Chanukah in a few weeks time.  But the highlight, without any doubt, was the several hours in your kitchen learning how to approach a meal in Provencal style, and enjoying the fruits of our collective labours. 
 
Once again, Rosa, thank you for your part in making our vacation in Provence an absolute delight.  If we return, as we are likely to do, we'll be in touch in case we qualify for a second course."
 
Gabrielle et Claude Schwesig, Toronto, Canada

Miracle worker

Hi Rosa,

I don't know how you describe what you do, but you can now describe yourself as a miracle worker! In the twenty-some years of my relationship with Francine she has only cooked two or three times and nothing very complicated. So you can imagine my surprise last weekend when I called home from a business trip to learn that Francine had gone to the market and was making: pumpkin soup, mushroom tart, and lentil and sausage stew. Now if she will only do that when I am at home to enjoy it!

Mike Chastain, Seattle

An insider's experience

Rosa,
 
I wanted to take a moment and let you know how much my mom and I enjoyed the market tour and breakfast. We loved seeing the market with a local instead of just aimlessly walking through like the groups we saw while with you.  It really made our trip and especially our time in Nice very special.  I have a feeling we may have to come back for more!  :)
 
We heeded your advice for all the remaining evenings we where in Nice and had dinner at Casa Mia, Le Merenda and Oliveria.  We loved them all, but Oliviera was the perfect spot for our last meal in Nice.  Nadim could not have been more wonderful and I am sure I will never taste tiramisu like the one he served with olive oil.  I was completely amazed at what a difference the olive oil made in the taste of a dessert!  Truly a memory I will never forget!
 
Merci!
Warm Regards,
Marcy Benson

Beyond expectations

Charlotte and I wish to thank you and your husband for hosting such a wonderful class yesterday. We both very much enjoyed the whole day and found it a tremendously enjoyable and relaxing experience. We would certainly recommend your class to anyone who is seriously interested in learning about where to obtain the best ingredients for a meal in Nice and then in learning what to do with them. I must say that you far exceeded our expectations and that your hospitality in your lovely apartment was much appreciated. The menu you put together for us was spot on and we enjoyed very much cooking and even more so eating the results.

Bernard Starkmann, London, England

A memorable experience

"I just wanted to take a minute and let you know what a special day Alyssa and I had with you in Nice.  Beginning with the coffee at La Civette and finishing with the lemon tart, the day was perfect.  Thank you for planning a memorable experience (in your authentic home, no less) and giving us some valuable cooking techniques and recipes from this special region in France."

Gayle Pratt, Texas

A perfect introduction

"I've wanted to touch base and say hello - but also thank you for a wonderful day in the market and in your home.  It was a perfect introduction in to local cooking and the traditions of southern France.  Last weekend, I had guests for dinner and tried the Corsican cheesecake - my niece had spent the day picking strawberries at a local farm and brought them fresh to accompany the cake.  It was heavenly!"

Shirley Lewchuk, Toronto

The best of France

"What a fabulous time Rich and I had with you cooking in Nice! Tops on our list as we look back to the best of our france trip. I just finished my summer menu for the tea room and should you check it out by next week, you'll find the sweet onion tart!!  www.cu4t.com. And thanks to your blog, I can check in with you to see how you're doing every now & then!
Best regards to you and your assistant (I didn't get her name but she was as sweet as you!).
Happy cooking!"
Joy Walsh, San Diego

More praise for the four-day course

"I want to thank you SO much for the lovely cookery course. It was so enjoyable while at the same time being highly informative. I shall never be able to return to my slovenly ways….from now on it is nothing but the very best of ingredients AND replacing ‘the knife’ with a proper assortment of sharp ones! You have really whetted my appetite and I will be keeping an eye on your website with the view to returning to your kitchen in the near future."
Síghle Bhreathnach-Lynch, Dublin

Provencal flavours at home

"Just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful week of cooking. It was truly the highlight of my visit on the Cote d'Azur!! I wanted you to know that I have made several of the recipes here in Australia; the Beet Orange salad at least 4 times and it has been such a hit, the apple tart twice - very VERY impressive and so yummy, the lentil soup at least twice with ordinary Aussie sausages - still nice and the couscous salad at least twice. Will try lots more recipes when I get back to the USA."
Eleanor Therese Coyne, Australia

Taste souvenirs

"Just want to say thank you again for the wonderful day we spent with you and your sharing your knowledge with us. Our dinner that evening was wonderful and we have enjoyed the wines we purchased when we were with you and most of all we are still enjoying that fabulous olive oil!! Please give our compliments and thanks to the owners of the shops and let them know how much we are enjoying our purchases."
Forrest and Adella Greek, USA

A day to remember

"I must tell you that the day Jeanie and I spent with you was my favorite of our trip to the south of France. From the minute we met at the market to our goodbye at the end of our wonderful class I enjoyed every minute. Your menu choice was perfect and your instruction excellent. I wrote a review of our trip to Fodor's talk forum and highly recommended your classes. I do hope that I will have the good fortune to visit Nice and take another class with you. Thank you very much."
Debbie MacLean, Boston

Praise for the four-day course

"I have thought about your request for feedback, but I really don't see what
could be improved. The organization of the course was incredible and the
food seemed, judging from the restaurants, truly representative of the
region. You are a natural, as they say, as a teacher."
Gerald Davis, Colorado, USA

"A few days post class(es), and still enjoying that warm feeling of a successful and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Your program was a good mix of some hands-on cooking and a clear sense of Mediterranean cooking. That was what I was looking for, so it was time and money well spent. I've followed on by trying a couple of the recipes - and intend to do more. The recipes are well balanced, clear, 'well' kitchen tested and all eminently 'do-able!"
Robert Hausner, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

"The course was great and I really enjoyed it. It suggests lots of different ways to use ingredients and the little things that transform dishes. The format was excellent and allowed for all levels of experience to benefit."
Donal O'Boyle, Cork, Ireland

"Thanks for an enjoyable course! Since I got back I have gone out and bought new pans, herbs and a fridge full of food to practice with - including rock salt!!"
Lorraine Parkinson, England

In and out of the kitchen

"I had a great time on Rosa's cooking course! From the introduction over coffee in the mediaeval flower market, sampling wines with an expert and choosing the perfect chicken at the local boucherie, all this before we started to cook! I came away learning a complete lunch menu with a decidedly Niçois flavour. Rosa made the day great fun and also taught me to cook some wonderful dishes. I will definitely go back." Mark Howorth, London, England

An appetite for knowledge

"Nothing brings people together like food and cooking, and nobody is a better guide to French cooking in Nice than Rosa. Our day started with a tour of the open-air farmers' market and then the bakery, butcher shop, cheese shop and wine store, before heading to the kitchen to make lunch. Rosa guided us to the freshest ingredients and highest quality local produce while fielding our constant questions about French food and culture. Her comfortable style and great knowledge make it an experience that my wife and I still talk about." Alan Wozniak, Los Angeles, California

Confidence building

"My favorite part of the class was when the noon canon went off and we opened the rosé! I had been worried that a cooking class might feel intimidating, but Rosa made us feel that everyone had something important to contribute. I came away feeling more confident of my cooking and excited about reproducing the dishes for my friends at home." Gary Schultz, Texas

A France highlight

"When we visited Provence last fall, we were fortunate to have found Rosa Jackson's cooking class, via the internet. Our time with Rosa was one of the highlights of our two weeks in France. The trip to the market, and her knowledge of the fresh food and wine we used to prepare our menu made this an incredible experience that will not be forgotten. We only wish we lived closer, so that we could do it again. This experience was definitely worth the investment!" Lynn Langeliers, Montana, USA

Mediterranean Delights!

"Thanks so much for making our visit to Nice so delicious and enjoyable! The colorful market tour, the fun cooking class, and the leisurely gourmet walk were perfect."
—Marcia, Atlanta, GA

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Contact Rosa Jackson for answers.

Petits farcis to share

Rosa:

I have been home a little over 48 hours, and have just served my son and husband Petits Farcis.  My 20 year old son took a bite of the little stuffed potato I had placed on his plate and exclaimed, "Wow, this is really good!  What's in it?"  Conor then cut into the next item, a zucchini.  Chewing hesitantly, as I confirmed that was what it was, he commented he usually does not like them....but ended up eating it entirely.  I am pleased to say that he asked if they were hard to make. 

I so enjoyed your class, your beautiful apartment, and the delightful company.  You have such a gift!

Nanette Pigaga, USA
July 18, 2011

More Happy customers