La Pitchoune: Cooking in France

La Pitchoune: Cooking in France popped up in my feed when HBO and Discovery+ merged. I was intrigued by the title, so I gave it a go!

I should add that I'm not a fan of competition shows (which this is not), and over all not a fan of "reality" tv. The only "reality" tv I tend to watch is the kind that's inspiring, low to no drama, and relaxing. La Pitchoune falls into this category, with its beautiful location, premise and hosts. You can tell that the team at La Pitchoune is really trying to create something special and inspire folks in the same way they are inspired every day by their surroundings. Yes, the school is located in Julia Child's former home, but the show is not about Julia or her style of cooking. Facts and stories about Julia are peppered throughout the show, but it's not the focus. Instead, it tries to focus on the guests and the ethos behind the school.

One of the things I wish we had gotten more of was the backstory of the hosts. It took me a few episodes to connect with them, mainly because I wanted to get to know them a bit more. Nothing invasive, but a bit more about how they got started in cooking and why they landed in France. You get some bits and pieces over the episodes, but weaving the hosts' stories, their "why", into the episodes a bit more would have been nice.

Overall, I enjoyed the show and what kept me coming back for more were the hosts, the ethos of the school and well...France!

I have been following this story for awhile. I saw the show and fell in love with not only the story but the people. It is inspiring to think of food in a different manner.

As a long time caterer and home cook I was intrigued by the thought of no recipes. I now understand what they mean is they give you building blocks and help you understand what things taste like together. Your flavor profile can be added on top of those building blocks. Mind blowing that it can be that simple yet it makes most of us freeze.

The scenes of France make me so excited that I booked my own French cooking adventure in 2024!

I love this show- no drama, no stress! I adore cooking shows but don't love the competition factor in some of them, and LOVE travel shows that take me away to awe inspiring destinations. This one hits all the right marks with the simple joy of cooking and sharing food with others in a lovely setting. Definitely worth watching and dreaming about the South of France! I especially love that each episode takes the viewers to different hidden gems around La Pitchoune, wishing we could partake in the festivities. If you love watching shows with things to add to your bucket list, look no further.

Looking forward to more episodes down the line...

If you have an insatiable nostalgia or obsession for France, French cooking, and of course Julia Child, this show will definitely be well received. You won't actually care about semantics; there will be no impetus for critique. If you take a (very tiny) step back, however, you'll easily be disappointed. It appears that many of those who rated the show 10/10 are either motivated by a prior personal experience in France, with French cooking / identifying as a "foodie", etc.

I have personally made many Julia Child recipes and I find her to be endearing to watch; I often pull up even her original cooking show from the '60s. This is what motivated me to watch the episode. What I saw, however, was a reality show about an expensive destination cooking experience. I found it to be a well-made advertisement. For example, I was expecting there to be more details on food, ingredients, etc. I wanted to learn from the show, but can't say I did. That was disappointing. Perhaps because I've already watched Julia herself (even still, I'm far from a chef). There were a few cooking tidbits here and there (which weren't personally enlightening), and I couldn't get past all of the "testimonials" from the guests about how much their lives have been changed from this experience and how grateful they are to the owner. It comes off as insincere to me. Not to say their emotions cannot be real, but the repeated on-camera accolades to the host is off-putting (as if they are real guests and not customers paying nearly $10K). In other words, and in summary, I got the impression that the "guests" were carefully curated to play in this 43 minute Instagram-esq add for the cooking school.

Last but not least, I was left with several questions. How was this show picked up by HBO? Are the owners just simply riding off the Julia Child name? Do they have a personal connection to France? Why does the owner, who says she went to Le Cordon Bleu, come off so green in the kitchen? Did she go to Le Cordon Bleu just to have a résumé for starting the school?

*Addendum: after finding a couple articles on the owner in Vogue / Boston magazine, most of these questions can be answered. Look her up.

I love this show. It's beautifully shot and the characters are interesting. There is no screaming or competition and no one is trying to sell me on why I should be thinner, prettier, or have more stuff.

I love the pacing and the way the show rolls out. Made me feel like I had a week vacation in France.

This is more of a cooking philosophy show than a cooking competition or even cooking education show. You will not be blown away by what the chefs can do, which is great for me. I'm never going to make a complicated Michelin Star meal, but this show made me want to find joy and connection in cooking.

I was inspired to cook twice in a day after watching an episode and I never cook. I always felt like a hopeless chef, but this show gave me hope. If you are looking for the most advanced dishes, you won't find it here. But if you want to feel more hopeful about life and the potential for beauty and beautiful moments as globalization comes to a screeching halt and capitalism falls apart bringing all our institutions with it, check it out.