The Vancouver Sun

French cooking class served up loads of fun...
STAY ZEN: Frederique Lauwerier's Diet Cafe concentrates on healthiness -- a daunting task in the Land of Cheese. Diet Cafe is rather chic, and relatively inexpensive at 80 euros ($125 Cdn) per course (...)
Frederique's approach is all about staying Zen. She explains most of what you need to know about her theory while sautéing some onions, "To cook, you only need olive oil or peanut oil." Butter, it seems, doesn't get any shelf space in her fridge.?A dietician and pharmacist by training, Frederique has the aura of a person whose real age would surprise you. She's far from fat, and just as importantly, far from too thin and has a healthy glow not seen on most Parisian faces. Whatever her age, she comes across as very comfortable with herself and very good with people.?The food made at Diet Cafe tastes healthy without leaving the feeling that you're missing out or that you'll be hungry at the end of the meal.?Frederique guides her students through a vanilla-scented sea bass tartar surrounded by finely diced beets in hazelnut oil. Whether it's with this or a pumpkin soup with sautéed scallops, the beauty of the preparation, the freshness of the ingredients and the flavors they create when combined make you think of a haute cuisine restaurant much sooner than a health-oriented cooking course.?Occasionally, a "diet" tinge does come through, as in a fructose-sweetened tarragon-scented ice cream served with sautéed, honeyed pineapple, yet in a similar jasmine tea-scented version with pears, it tastes just fine.?"I come to Frederique's courses because I feel less guilty about what I eat, but it also gives me more confidence when I go to the market," explains Parisian FC. "I'm less afraid when I shop at the market and more inspired to try new things." (...)
(12 June 2004)