World-class culinary training venue École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio to open next month

The Nai Lert Group has introduced École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio to Thailand, bringing world-class culinary and pastry arts classes to all who love cooking. The new venue, which opens on 14th December, combines a training centre for enthusiasts and professionals alike, an exclusive event space as well as a café open to the public, and is set to be the hot-spot for world gastronomy in the Thai capital.

Driven by École Ducasse Founder Chef Alain Ducasse, an established benchmark for culinary excellence since 1999, the French network of schools has developed some of the most renowned talents on the world gastronomic scene. Bangkok was deemed the ideal destination for specialised training in the culinary and pastry arts and chosen for the first École Ducasse Studio outside Paris thanks to Thailand’s exceptional culinary heritage, which is carried by a pool of talented chefs and passionate aficionados.

Naphaporn “Lek” Bodiratnangkura, CEO of Nai Lert Group, said: “This is a significant milestone for Nai Lert Group, as with École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio we pursue our commitment to excellence, enrich culinary education and bring a new holistic gastronomic experience to Thailand. It will contribute to opening up new culinary landscapes in the country.”

Alain Ducasse, one of the most renowned chefs of his generation who heralds from the Landes region in the southwest of France, added: “I have always run on my vision of culinary and pastry arts. I share my know-how with all young people who have a craving for learning, enthusiasts, career changers and professionals alike willing to strengthen their skills, with a single motto in mind: excellence in practice. I am delighted to extend this vision to Thailand, one of the most vibrant culinary scenes.”

The Studio’s professional teams of Alain Ducasse chefs offer a unique mix of expertise, comprised of Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsmen of France), world champions, renowned chefs and pastry chefs, artisans and hospitality experts together with Thai teams.

World-class facilities

Nestled in the century-old Nai Lert Park, with a prime location in the heart of Bangkok, École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio is the perfect venue for those in pursuit of understanding and making exceptional gastronomic experiences.

The purpose-built building spans over 1,400 square metres across three floors, with two of these floors dedicated to the school’s five kitchens and workshops, a chocolate and ice-cream lab, wine cellar, and an event room. Created with professionals and amateurs in mind, the Studio is contemporary, convivial and inviting for all.

The kitchens have been designed by the stellar team of École Ducasse to ensure that the facilities, appliances and layout are all state-of-the-art, meeting professional standards.

Classes for everyone

École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio will share culinary and pastry arts know-how with culinary enthusiasts to professionals, offering practical and academic courses that jointly celebrate the heritage of French and Thai cuisine, while echoing trends in contemporary gastronomy and the philosophy of its founder.

Taught in Thai, English and French, with easy-to-use professional equipment, every programme is in tune with the times and tailored to different levels of learning. With a relatively small number of students per class, allowing for one-to-one attention from the highly talented training chef, this is an ideal environment to help students enhance their talent, cultivate their identity, and meet the high expectations of the industry as the vision of École Ducasse is to train entrepreneurs, managers and citizen chefs.

Informative and engaging, students can truly benefit from the lived expertise of their trainers, whether they choose a four-hour class on childhood desserts or mignardises, a class on brunch or bistro cuisine, or a highly immersive and practical full-time ten-week course on culinary essentials. There is something for everyone at every level, from choux chocolat to brownies, from rib steak and béarnaise sauce to sea bream meunière, from in-depth secrets of French cuisine classics to 3-star Alain Ducasse classics.

École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio will also train professional chefs who want to continue to reinforce their expertise on gastronomic themes such as “3 stars menu”, “Vegetarian cuisine”, or “Artistic pastry pieces”.

Events space and café

From work meetings, seminars, product launches and team building to after-work parties, demonstrations, film shoots and corporate dinners, École Ducasse – Nai Lert Bangkok Studio can create one-of-a-kind events. Meanwhile, on the ground floor of this world-class school, overlooking Nai Lert Park, is École Ducasse Bangkok Café serving French breakfast with daily delights such as quiche Lorraine and smoked salmon or sophisticated and innovative French pastries, gâteaux, chocolates, ice cream and hot and cold crafted beverages created by École Ducasse’s Executive Culinary and Pastry Chefs.