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

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

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

We just wanted to thank you again so much for leading the market/cooking class today!  It was absolutely delightful and was one of the highlights of our trip.  It was such a wonderful experience to be able to learn so much about the history, culture, and cuisine of this area of France.  We can't imagine a better way to spend our last day in Nice.  We can't wait to take all of the niçoise knowledge we acquired back to the states and try the recipes--especially la pissaladière!  We would love to attend another class the next time we are in Nice, and we will be sure to send our friends in your direction.

Anna Faircloth (Los Angeles) and Tallie Faircloth (Virginia)
April 2010
 

Dear Rosa
Am back home in Australia after an amazing month in Italy and France. Have just downloaded your recipes. Reading them has brought back such wonderful memories of walking through the markets in Nice, cooking in your lovely home, learning new and interesting recipes, cooking methods and ingredients and sharing such a special, fun day with you and the others in our group. Thank you so much for helping to make our time in southern France so memorable. I am now looking forward to cooking a special meal for friends and family using your recipes (esp the Menton Lemon tart - it was to DIE for!). I will also keep an eye out for you in Australian Gourmet Traveller!
Thank you once again. I will certainly let people know what an excellent experience we had at Les Petits Farcis and what a great and accommodating teacher you are.

Lyn Chapman
Bathurst, Australia
April 2010

"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

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

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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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