I love a good story of ingenuity, reinvention and ultimate triumphant. Nancy, the proprietress of Auberge Edge of Seattle has created just that for her bed and breakfast turned cooking school with overnight accommodations. For many years Nancy ran award winning bed and breakfast in Woodinville, just a hop, skip and a jump from Seattle. After the economy collapsed, the phone started ringing less and guests from all over the world started to slow she shifted her focus to the local business. Instead of making the bed and breakfast her primary focus she gathered a team and promoted Auberge Edge of Seattle as a French Cooking school with the added luxury of the ability to provide overnight accommodations.

Upon our recent return from Paris I wanted to find a French cooking class where I could learn to create some of scrumptious dishes I enjoyed during our time abroad. After perusing Auberge Edge of Seattle's website, it became very clear they are the local experts when it comes to French cooking. Auberge Edge of Seattle provides several different types of classes, but the Exploring French Classical Cooking caught my attention. They offer this class every M,W,F from 5:30-9:30pm at a cost of $150/pp.

On this particular evening our menu consisted of the following:

L'hors D'oeuvres: Carrot salad with fresh lemon dressing

Entree: Pork Chops Dijonnaise, wild rice with fresh herbs, Green beans with tomatoes and garlic and Cauliflower Gratin.

Dessert: Champagne Poached Pears

On this glorious evening, we lucked out with exceptional weather and were able to eat our meal amidst the bubbling fountain, warm air and lush landscape.

The process: chopping the garlic, peeling the tomatoes and blanching the green beans.

Chef Christine patiently guided us through food preparation for all three courses. She walked us through tips on how to make the roux and how to prevent cauliflower from smelling bad when you cook it all while bouncing around from student to student to assist in anyway necessary or to answer any questions we might have.

The class was intimate enough that every person was able to lend a hand and be in the kitchen simultaneously, but small enough that you were able to make a personal connection with each individual present.

The idea that you start off the evening as strangers and then all work together for the common good to create a delicious meals is a process which will never cease to intrigue and inspire me. At the end of the evening, I left with a sense of gratitude for the people who helped in the success of creating such a lovely evening.

I am already in the process of planning my return to Auberge Edge of Seattle. They offer a monthly, six course regional cooking class which I hope to take in the coming months.

We all chopped, stirred, diced, grated and sliced away the hours.

Prepping the carrot salad and the Cauliflower Gratin.

The evening was a relaxing whirlwind of activity in the kitchen which culminated in a delicious meal enjoyed by strangers turned friends. At the end of the meal as some of the guests made their ways to their rooms I found myself wishing I could stay a little longer and wake up to a French breakfast. Even though Auberge Edge of Seattle is close enough to drive home, I would highly recommend taking advantage of the overnight accommodations and creating a little escape for you and your significant other.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions stated here are my own and I was under no obligation to write anything other than my personal experience. I will never write about anything I did not enjoy or find to be a valuable experience.