Everything We Know About the Prestigious École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio

In December of last year, Nai Lert Group officially opened the École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio in partnership with Sommet Education. Prestige takes an exclusive look inside this new project that takes inspiration from the vision of celebrated Chef Alain Ducasse.

In 1999, Chef Alain Ducasse founded the École Ducasse network of schools, which has played a significant role in raising the bar for culinary excellence worldwide ever since its establishment.

One of the world’s most prominent gastronomes, Chef Alain Ducasse is celebrated for his culinary innovation and technique, and the professionals he has chosen to work with him across the École Ducasse institutes are leaders in their respective fields.

The combination of world-class facilities and detailed programmes led by teams of culinary and pastry experts has cemented the École Ducasse network of schools as some of the best in the world.

This commitment to only the finest forms the foundation for the new École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio, a multifacted venue that serves as a world-class training centre for culinary and pastry professionals, an exclusive event space, and a sophisticated café.

Although École Ducasse operates three schools in France, as well as international schools in the Philippines and India, The École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio will be the first studio outside of Paris, with Bangkok being chosen because of the kingdom’s rich culinary heritage, which continues to reach exciting heights year after year.

A New Gastronomic Landmark

Over 300 million baht has been invested into this exciting project thus far. The purpose-built building is located inside of the iconic, century-old Nai Lert Park in the heart of Bangkok, making it a convenient and idyllic venue for learning, networking, and even relaxing over a cup of coffee.

The building spans over 1,400 square metres and features three floors – the ground floor which houses the École Ducasse Bangkok Café, and the second and third floors dedicated to École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio’s many facilities, including five kitchens, a chocolate and ice-cream lab, a wine cellar, and dedicated event room.

Classes for Everyone

École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio offers practical and academic courses that celebrate the heritage of both Thai and French cuisine, with trends in contemporary gastronomy.

The school offers courses fit for all skill levels, from culinary enthusiasts to beginner chefs and professionals. Programmes are taught in modern, friendly spaces with easy-to-use professional equipment and are available in English or French with Thai translation.

Two of the École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio’s signature Essentials Programmes encompass the ‘Culinary Arts Essentials’ and the ‘French Pastry Arts Essentials.’

The former is a highly immersive and practical programme focusing on the fundamentals of French cuisine. It covers sourcing and selecting the best products, how to prepare and cook these products for best results, and features demonstrations by talented chefs who will teach you traditional and modern techniques at the heart of French cooking.

The programme takes ten weeks to complete with classes held five days per week across six hours. The programme is available in February, June and October 2023 and starts at 500,000 baht.

The latter will take you on a sweet journey to discover the textures, flavours, techniques, and the secrets behind French pastry. The programme will combine theory with hands-on practice and will also include sessions dedicated to design and photography where one will acquire the necessary knowledge to showcase your pastries.

The programme takes eight weeks to complete with classes held five days per week across six hours. The programme is available in February, June and October 2023 and starts at 350,000 baht.

École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio also offers a wide-range of short classes encompassing different culinary and pastry themes. A few examples include:

• 3 Star Cuisine: Chef Alain Ducasse in Paris: Discover haute cuisine through the iconic recipes from Alain Ducasse’s Parisian restaurants
• Bistro Cuisine: Discover French home-style cooking and perfect a traditional Parisian meal
• First Lesson: Fresh Pasta: How to make fresh pasta from scratch
• All About Choux Pastry: Master the art of puff pastry through authentic French techniques
• Macarons Madness: Unlock the secret of perfecting macarons through traditional French techniques
• 4 Hands in Kitchen (newly-launched): Share special moments with your child (ages between 6 to 12 years) and explore secret recipes from our hands-on chefs

If you’re not looking to enroll in any classes or programmes, there is still a plethora of other reasons to visit this new culinary landmark.

Open daily from 7am, the École Ducasse Bangkok Café is a sophisticated French café that overlooks the lush Nai Lert Park. Here, you can enjoy French-inspired delights and staples such as quiche, croque monsieur, croque madame, croque truffle, caprese danish, as well as traditional French pastries, desserts, and hot and cold beverages, all crafted by the the executive culinary chefs and pastry chefs of École Ducasse.

Moreover, the building also houses a versatile event space that can be tailored to suit meetings, seminars, team building outings, private parties, product launches, demonstrations, film shoots, corporate dinners, and other functions. It can accommodate 24 people in a classroom setup and up to 50 guests for a cocktail-style gathering. Most tempting, however, is that all catering services will be provided by the professional teams of Nai Lert Group.

For more information about École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio, click here.