Le Cordon Bleu Paris

I did a six week, general cookery course at LCB, Paris - more years ago now, than I care to recall. It was great. Cannot vouch for the patisserie course or the school nowadays, though.

It depends on your goal afterward. I have visited the school, taken a few classes, and have hired 2 pastry graduates from there.

First, yes novice like you will be accepted, (anyone who can pay is accepted) it is what the course is designed for. You will get some very hands-on classic techniques, make beautiful things, have lots of fun in Paris, an learn some French classics.

What it won't do is prepare you to work professionally as a pastry chef (despite their claims). Both graduates I hired had to be completely re-trained, and they were completely un-prepared for the realities of a working bakery (volume, equipment, hours, pace, ingredients, and washing their own dishes). (As I have posted before) In France the school is seen as a place where people with a interest in food go to learn more, or amateurs learning for personal development. Both students told me that over 1/2 their class was women from China who (by their own words) were learning to cook to find better husbands)

 I attended a one day bread baking class at the LCB Paris and I thought the program was very well done. The school looked very nice and it is outside the city center which I would imagine would help with the cost of lodging while your there. All of the class are given in French with an English translator so language is not an issue. This fact actually surprised me but I found out that English is spoken simply because of the large amount of international students.

I would tend to agree with Breton B that the school will give you a base/foundation but as far as the real world you will only get that in the industry. I would highly suggest that if you have never worked in a professional kitchen then you should do that for at least 6 months to a year prior to heading to culinary school.