Rachel and Marc - Lausanne, Switzerland, November 2009 : What a fantastic way to spend a weekend in Paris! We whole-heartedly recommend this cooking class to anyone who wants a truly inspiring experience while in Paris. There is no better way to spend a Saturday than selecting fresh and seasonable vegetables from an open air market and then creatively preparing them while enjoying great wine and excellent company. Terresa is an extremely knowledgeable and down-to-earth teacher, extremely patient in showing us what to select and how to prepare it, all in the comfort of her home! She also taught us practical kitchen techniques like sharpening knives and the proper method of cutting that we will use from now on.
We can’t wait to try these recipes at home – from the roasted kabocha squash salad with pomegranate seeds to the baby artichokes (which we mentioned off-hand that we had no idea how to prepare and voilà!
were added to the menu).
We are so looking forward to our next hop from Switzerland to Paris and will definitely take this cooking class again. Thank you for an unforgettable weekend, Terresa!

Alice and Peter - Seattle, October 2009 : Terresa geared each part of our cooking class experience to our level of skill and had a knack for letting us go when we knew what to do but helping us when it was a task new to us. We took away skills and recipes we will use for the rest of our lives! She was extremely helpful and went out of her way to make sure we got recipes by emai, answered our questions and helped us with extras like food equivalent conversions. Plus she's a cool gal, a good conversationalist, and has pretty awesome art.

Torrie Ogilvie - San Diego (by way of Bordeaux) October 2009 : Merci beacoup, le cours a été une des meilleurs parties de ma visite à Paris. I left feeling enormously satisfied, intellectually, creatively and gastronomically. learning basics like a vegetable stock and the more difficult challenges such as the proper way to make a risotto or flip a tarte tatin were equally important and well balanced. i was very pleased with new ideas such as the different use of wine in risotto and the use of bay leaves which are often forgotten.

Dr. S. J. Lodge - London : This article appeared in the June 8, 2009 issue of the Weekly Standard : "...The most fun I had cooking in Paris, however, was with a Franco-American called Theresa Murphy. She runs La Cucina di Terresa, which specialises in vegetarian, organic cuisine. If Meryl Streep had gone in for cooking, this is what her classes would have been like: witty, offbeat, with a variety of accents. We met in the organic market in St Germain and then rode the free bicycles which the mayor of Paris has handily parked at stands throughout the city centre, to Theresa’s tiny apartment near Bastille. There we made eggplant and fig risotto, pepperonata, poppyseed crackers with fresh goat’s cheese and blackberry preserve, and a chestnut flour cake with lemon pepper marmalade. I can still see the deep rose colour of the figs, roasted in wine, when they emerged from the oven. Cicerone, Theresa’s cat, tried to assist in making the crackers; we drank wine and swapped stories of travel, family, and food. We laughed a lot."

Monica Shaw - London : Her article "If You Are a Vegetarian in Paris" appeared in the International Indian magazine, May 2009.

Sam Minkoff - Boston, June 2009 : From the website I was expecting a fresh, organic, healthy experience. Not only that, the website did an excellent job of conveying the warm and ecclectic personality of the host, Terresa, who is truly an amazing individual. She welcomed us into her home with open arms and it felt like we knew each other for years. Definitely! Besides observing and tasting excellent fresh dishes, we were able to take away some vital cooking tips as well. We now know how to dice almost anything in an easy and effective manner! Additionally, we learned that you can make delicious meals while using organic and healthy ingredients. We never would have expected a combination of basil infused oil and almond milk panna cotta with fresh cherries to turn out so delicious! She did an excellent job of finding the appropriate balance between teaching and demonstrating. I never felt like I was doing too much or too little. We took away important cooking skills and perspectives that I am positive we will use for the remainder of our lives. The recipes were probably the best part of the whole experience. I was extremely adventurous in choosing this particular class, but I knew that it would be a special treat for both myself and my girlfriend, whose birthday it was.
Savory does not even begin to describe how the food tasted. Not in a million years would I have expected to enjoy roasted radishes simply seasoned with salt and pepper, but it turned out to be a snack that I could munch on for ages! I look forward to making home-made vegetable broth and exploring the organic and local offerings of my home and my temporary home in London.
Additionally, I can't wait to try and grow something fresh out of my window or in my back yard and then taste the fruits of my labor in my own fresh organic cooking! I never thought that a vegetarian meal would taste so delicious and hearty! Cooking is only half of the fun with this class. The amazing conversation provided for a well-rounded and meaningful experience that we will both never forget.
I could've sat around and talked with Terresa for hours and hours, whether the conversation topic is photography, cooking, politics, or whatever else comes up. And I greatly appreciate her consideration of my budget in preparing this class. Thank you again for being such an amazing person and an incredible host. I really hope that we can do this again some time!

Christina Begley - San Francisco, April 2009 : Your class exceeded my expectations from the website. Absolutely. I can't wait to try the recipes again! Some of the basics (how to hold a knife, when to season with salt, etc.) were especially helpful. The trip to the marketplace was amazing! The cheese stop was particularly gratifying. I really appreciated the explanation of all the different stands/vendors and their products. The asparagus risotto (we made) was one of the best things I've ever eaten. Also, I am know searching desperately for the cute radishes to make the little treats we sampled. As a non-cook, I felt inspired to give cooking another try.

Corie and Gerry Olvaney - New Jersey, March, 2009 : You were very gracious is opening your kitchen and home and shared not only your knowledge of food but your love of Paris with us. As someone who is new to cooking, Corie learned many good techniques, especially how to make pie crust. This is something that everyone coming to Paris should experience. You explained not only the display of the vendors but their produce and other supplies beyond what a casual tourist would see. We came away with learning new skills and perfecting old ones, as simple as how to peel an apple/potato, using a great French peeler. All the recipes were excellent, your choice of ‘Roasted Radishes’ and ‘Honey-roasted Fennel with Goat Cheese’ were new to us and very enjoyable. I have taken several cooking class over time, in professional kitchens, sharing your home and kitchen only added to our enjoyment. Upon returning from our trip, at Corie’s home in New Jersey, we went shopping for ingredients to made ‘Potato Gnocchi’ and ‘Honey-Roasted Fennel’.  You gave us a good insight into how to choose the best produce. I did prepare all the recipes we enjoyed with you, this past week for our southern relatives, enjoyed by all.

Chiemi Takasu - Japan, March 2009 : I had an enjoyable time at Terresa's artistic kitchen! First of all, I found her website and was surprised at her artistic photos. Secondly, I took to her artistic kitchen, and cozy living room. So I decided to have her cooking class and baking class. At the cooking class, we made roasted fennel with honey and goat cheese, potato gnocchi, and Tarte Tatin. Every recipe was very simple, but making the most of each ingredient's freshness. Especially, regarding potato gnocchi, as I tried once at my cooking lesson in JAPAN, but completely different ones. Her potato gnocchi dissolved in my mouth! At the baking class, we made macaroons with salt-caramel filling and orange tuilles. Orange tuilles was my favorite! This orange smell gave me asmiley and happy face! It was the first time I had made macaroons, but her careful instructions were very effective for me. I hope to have her enjoyable lessons at the other seasons!

Valerie Robertson - South Carolina, February 2009 : Your class gave me confidence to try things and not be afraid of failure, even experts can mess up but they learn from it and keep going. I tend to give up if a recipe doesn't come out right the first time. I enjoyed the one on one time and felt that I learned more this way than I could have if there were 4 or 5 other students. Truly a great experience! Meeting you really did make it special.

Isabelle Tadmoury - Paris, January 2009 : We had a wonderful time; both the food and the atmosphere were perfect. I'm sure it will remain one of our more memorable nights in Paris! The whole evening was well thought through, from the white starched aprons to the measured ingredients, the food to the wine and cheese, the cooking, the techniques...

Amanda Miller - Australia,November 2008 : Terresa's kitchen is much more than just a place to cook and have a great, down to earth, practical cooking lesson topped off with a delectable meal (which it certainly is) - this is a feast for the senses, a reminder of where ou food comes from and why it is wonderful and particularly that by eating locally and seasonally food becomes an unbeatable combination of exquisitely tasting yet easy on both our pockets and the environment. I think people like Terresa exist to remind us that food is indeed the only art form that nourishes but it is an art form that we can and should all access in our everyday lives and that we should never compromise on eating well. This experience was my favourite thing about Paris - i wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, and certainly think that the magic of the simple fare we created here will remain in my fond memories and influence my food choices long after those of the fancy Parisian bistrots have disappeared.

Ian H - Australia, November 2008 : Being a male and a novice cook I was a little nervous booking in for the class, however, from the moment Terresa met me at the markets I had a fabulous day. I learned a lot about vegetable selection, preparation and technique with mplements knives etc. At the same time Terresa is a great host in her own home, was very patient and you could tell she really enjoys sharing her skills with you. Not only was the class educational it was also fun and we spent time talking about wine, foods and their seasons, other countries and current world issues. The class is very good value for the personal attention and is all inclusive of ingredients, excellent wine and apron and printed recipes. As a non-vegetarian it showed me that you don't need meat to make a great meal. It was the highlight of my trip to Paris and highly recommend it

Chuck Tweedle - San Francisco, June 2008 : Now that Carol and I have dialed back the pace a bit from last week's birthday activities, I want to take a moment and thank you for an absolutely wonderful day on Friday. After our market visit in the 16eme and cook-a-thon that followed at Villa Dancourt, both under your capable guidance, we talked endlessly about how much fun we had and how delicious our lunch was. From the starters of the home made crackers and baked French radishes, to the salad course followed by the delicious main event through wrapping up with our moulded almond milk dessert, every bite was savory and intriguing. My only fear is that I am now destined to be the primary "chopper" for all of our future home prepared meals in San Francisco! More than the enjoyment of the food, however, your enthusiasm, patience and friendly guiding hand made the entire experience extra special and memorable in the best sense of the word. I will enthusiastically recommend a "day with Terresa" to all who are interested in a Parisian "hands on" cooking experience. Please don't hesitate to use me as a reference for potential future clients. Terresa, thanks again for helping to make my wife's birthday celebration in Paris such a memorable and positive experience.

Scott Brannon - Los Angeles, May 2008 : Where Vegetables Abound:
While others were scurrying out of Paris for the Easter weekend “pont” (their word for a 3-day weekend, literally, bridge) my friend and I trekked up to Villa Dancourt in Montmartre on Good Friday afternoon to participate in a cooking class given by Terresa of La Cucina di TerrESa. She offers organic, plant-based cooking classes and tours to Americans vacationing or relocating to Paris. I knew of her passion for fresh vegetables,what each season generously offers, and her affectionate attachment to Italian cuisine, but I was unprepared for the dishes we conjured up under her patient, encouraging instruction. We started off at the Square d’Anvers open-air market where, among other things, she gleaned an unfamiliar vegetable called“puntarella.” Spring chicory from the Latium region of Italy, you might mistake it for dandelion but for the white,greenish tips of its heart. It’s bright bitterness would serve as a light bed for the honey-lemon roasted fennel appetizer we would soon be cooking up to eat with a fresh chevre from the Selles sur Cher region of the Loire Valey, known for it’s sweet, nutty rounds of A.O.C. protected goat’s milk cheese coated in edible ash—which, by the way,we also bought at the market from a jolly man tending his tiny stand and its array of artisan rounds at different stages of ripeness. To set the record straight puntarella is usually served alone as a salad, after trimming the hearts out of its large leafy head, slicing them thin, plunging them into ice water till they curl up, and then tossing them with an anchovy dressing—a favorite dish of the Romans that issues in springtime.But as Terresa demonstrated,it was a harmonious match with the sweetness of the fennel. On the way back to the apartment at Villa Dancourt we stopped in at a new neighborhood wine shop featuring wines from small producers, manyfrom regions further south and west. I even got an enthusiastic lesson on the different soilsof the Languedoc region and the characteristics they impart to its wines from a small producer…there for the occasion. Terresa decided on a Jurançon, Cuvée Marie Sec from Charles Hours and a 100% Carignanfrom Jérôme Calmes. Then we went backto the apartment and went to work. While I chopped up vegetables for the broth we’d be using for risotto she tossed fresh red and white radishes, leaves and all, with someextra virgin olive oil and roasted them in the oven, then passed them around. An amazing little treat:the radishes were sweet and al dente, the leaves crisp and crunchy like sage leaves when sautéed in butter. She calls them “radis vitrifiés.”After whipping up a crème anglais that we set aside to cool for tiramisu (her recipe’s a variation on Toni Vianello’s tiramisu, the former owner of l’Osteria, with whom she worked in 2002-03) we prepared treviso rosso tardivo, a chicory from the land around the northern Italian city of Treviso(found in markets from December to April) for the risotto we would be making. Finally we assembled her honey-lemon roasted fennel hors d’oeuvre then sat down to begin eating. The Jurançon sec with its mineral earthiness was splendid with the fennel and goat cheese. Now since we were making risotto, and since a true risotto is not a dishone can make in advance and then warm up,we were soon back in the kitchen sautéing onions, watchingthe carnaroli rice turn translucent, adding ladles of broth,eventually the treviso…and then the final step, adding the parmesan and butter, and creaming the risotto (mantecareas they say in Italian) into a delicious al’onda (wavy) consistency. We ate it piping hot with the light, spicy Carignan,which paired beautifully with the slight bitter savorof the treviso. In the meantime, of course, we had assembled the tiramisu, and after a gentle pause we dug inand let it’s velvety texture melt in our mouths. It was a wonderful culinary experience from beginningto end that clung to my senses all weekend long. And while others scurried back into Paris after the Easter“pont,” we made our way back to the airport en route home to Los Angeles. I know I’ll find a lot of Terresa’s inspiring affinity to and harmonious play with vegetables inhabiting my kitchen, my cooking, and my sensibility from this day forward.

Sophie Devilliers - Paris, April 2008 : I wanted to surprise a friend for his 30th birthday and booked a 3-hour vegetarian cooking class with Terresa What interested me initially was the fact that she used only seasonal vegetables in her dishes, as well as fresh organic produce in all her recipes. The lesson was a real success!! Terresa had created a simple yet gourmet menu especiallyfor the day. For starters we had Blancmange au Petit Pois, followed by an Artichoke Risotto, (made with freshvegetable broth we prepared ourselves) and Castagnaccio with Lemon-Pepper Marmalade for dessert. In her cooking, Terresa uses many herbs, which she often grows herself, as well as different types of organic oils (colza, olive, pumpkin seed, etc.). She experiments a lot with vegetables and the different ways in which they can be cooked, which meant that apart from the many useful tips and techniques that we learned from her, we also discovered one or two vegetable delicacies that Terresa had discovered herself!! The day was an absolute success. The best part was sitting down to the wonderful lunch we had ourselves created!! The dishes were lovely, very fresh and original, but very easy to prepare. I was amazed at the knowledge that Terresa has about cooking, not only about vegetables but also herbs, oils organic produce, vegan menus, fruits, cheeses, wines etc. What struck me was also the passion she demonstrates when cooking. We learned many new things and I know that I will retain them and put them into practice when next I want to cook up a storm

Susan Stone - Colorado, January 2008 : I am fortunate to know my good friend Terresa thirty years now and to have feasted upon her sumptuous dishes on many an occasion. When she informed me of her new culinary venture, I flew to Paris straightaway to be first in line to take her cooking classes. I must say that Terresa's enormous respect for the bounty of the earth lent an almost sacred aura to the whole ritual of shopping for and preparing meals in her sunny kitchen. Each moment of the process was something to savor. As we strolled through the local organic open-air market, Terresa pointed out what to look for and why she buys her produce from a particular vendor. Whatever looked best on a given day determined the substance of the dishes we prepared, whether it be appetizer, risotto, salad, or dessert. Terresa then thoughtfully suggested accompanying wines, cheeses, and bread from her favorite specialty shops where she has a long standing personal rapport with their proprietors. But Terresa's real genius lies in her ability to highlight the inherent beauty and flavors of individual fruits and vegetables, as if each one were a precious jewel set audaciously yet harmoniously within a crown of many other such jewels. The dishes she prepares are edible studies in color, texture, and composition; moment by moment she creates the palette for each new gastronomic delight. For example, I was happily surprised to see her add roasted brilliant orange squash to salad greens and to garnish gnocchi with lovely fresh sage leaves and a smattering of blueberries. Simply put, as a spiritually conscious culinarian and artist, Terresa will inspire you to create elegant,artful dishes that leave you with a most peaceful sense of well being - dishes that nourish body, mind, heart, and soul!

Jeffrey and Jason Friedman - San Francisco, Dec 2007 : If you're like us, you'll start to wonder, after three or four restaurant meals, why the heaps of gorgeous vegetables you see in the stores and the markets near the apartment don't seem to make their way onto the plate. "The French don't like to pay for vegetables when they go out" was how one French friend explained it to us. Lately, though, this has been changing. More and more restaurants, including many of the ones we recommend in the "Welcome Book" that awaits you in the apartment, are giving vegetables, if not a starring role, then at least an interesting supporting one. In August Le Monde ran a long article about Joël Thiébault, who grows and supplies vegetables to some of the finest restaurants in Paris. He raises around 2,000 kinds of vegetables, including many antique varieties that he single-handedly brought back into cultivation. Think heirloom tomatoes, artichokes, carrots, beets ... it's clear this master gardener is on a mission.Now, in the spirit of Joel Thiébault, we bring you Terresa , an American chef and artist who has made Paris her home since 1996. Terresa's our good friend, so we're biased, but the meals that have emerged from her tiny home kitchen are among the most memorable we've had in Paris. She has a thing for risotto, a knack for vegetable tarts, a way with vegetables that she wants to share with you. She's put together a culinary adventure just for guests of Villa Dancourt that we're proud to offer to you. Starting at 8:30 you'll begin gathering ingredients at an organic open-air market, then return to the neighborhood to hit Terresa's favorite food shops on Rue Lepic and its environs. Then you'll return to the apartment for a master class, a delicious meal, conversation in English or French or both. (Terresa's also the most patient and generous French teacher we've ever had.) Check out Terresa's site at http://www.lacucinaditerresa.com. The link to the Villa Dancourt special is here. Take a cooking class and make your stay in the best food shopping neighborhood in Paris even more memorable.