WHAT‘S COOKING

Café Provence

Delicious Culinary Theater Every Tuesday Evening

By Maria Buteux Reade | December 22, 2023

“Education is important to me,” Chef Robert Barral says. “I have always cherished my teaching time, whether it’s with young chefs or guests here at the café.”

Chef Robert Barral has been teaching popular cooking classes at his Café Provence in Brandon for the last 20 years. The atmosphere is relaxed: guests can sip drinks and engage with the chef as he prepares a three-course meal and shares invaluable culinary tips. And yes, you get to enjoy the dishes he crafts!

I sipped my Bordeaux and chatted with the couple seated next to me at the table, then we settled in to our seats and watched as the chef quietly arranged his mise en place: perfect cubes of marbled beef, quartered mushrooms, diced onions, minced garlic, butter, fresh herbs, and a bottle of red wine. A straight-sided, gleaming, copper sauté pan waited on one burner. Satisfied with his arrangement, he adjusted his tall white toque, clasped his hands together, and stood for a moment in front of the stove. The culinary theater was about to begin, with Chef Robert Barral as the principal actor and the 20 of us seated a few feet from the demonstration kitchen, the fortunate—and hungry—patrons gathered to enjoy the show at Café Provence.

I have taken several of Chef Robert’s classes and already have my eye on a few more slated for this winter. The $60 class includes a three-course meal that Chef Robert prepares right there in his comfortable demonstration kitchen and intimate restaurant space. The atmosphere is relaxed as he explains the various steps of each dish as he cooks. Guests are welcome to try their hand chopping an onion using his technique or to come up to the stove and peer into the burbling pot. If it’s a small class, guests will be seated at the curved polished bar just inches from the stovetop. Larger classes sit at tables arranged so that everyone has a clear view of what’s happening at the counter. After he finishes preparing each course, servers assemble and deliver plated portions to the guests. It’s not uncommon for appreciative diners to burst into spontaneous applause as they savor the first bite of each course.

Chef Robert has been teaching cooking classes ever since he and his wife, Line (pronounced Lean), established Café Provence. The beloved French restaurant in the heart of Brandon celebrates its 20th anniversary this coming July. A natural and patient instructor, Chef Robert spent the first half of his career as executive chef of the New England Culinary Institute, guiding and inspiring countless young chefs. Prior to that, he was the executive chef at Four Seasons restaurants across the United States and in Canada. He also did a stint as corporate chef, training rising chefs on the Miami-based Celebrity Cruise Line.

Chef Robert Barral in his culinary theater at Café Provence

“Classes give me the opportunity to connect with my guests and to establish a rapport beyond merely preparing meals in the restaurant kitchen upstairs.” –Chef Robert Barral

“Education is important to me,” Chef says. “I have always cherished my teaching time, whether it’s with young chefs or guests here at the café. I had no intention of owning a restaurant, but my wife really wanted to open a shop of some kind. On one of our road trips around Vermont on a snowy day in February 2004, we stumbled on a brand-new building in Brandon that consisted of just four walls with nothing but potential inside. We went back to our home in Burlington, and that night, while sitting in front of the fireplace, I sketched out what is now the floor plan and vision for the restaurant. Line and I made a business plan, and we opened Café Provence on July 3, 2004. I had been doing a cooking segment on WCAX every Friday, so that generated interest and the place was packed from that first weekend on. I ran out of food by Sunday afternoon and had to borrow some duck breast from The Brandon Inn! We never dreamed it would be so busy.” Line opened her shop, Gourmet Provence, a few steps down the block. She just transferred ownership of the European-style bakery stocked with gourmet products in June 2023 to a man who has maintained the vibe.

Chef Robert began his cooking classes in September 2004 and has continued them ever since. “Classes give me the opportunity to connect with my guests and to establish a rapport beyond merely preparing meals in the restaurant kitchen upstairs. Guests travel from Burlington, Shelburne, Randolph, Manchester, and beyond. They say it’s worth driving more than an hour to spend the evening learning a little more about cooking and enjoying a good meal. I genuinely appreciate that effort. We have many repeat guests. People will take the recipes I provide and try to replicate the meal at their home. They’ll message me with questions or send photos. These personal connections are what makes the classes so special.”

This winter, classes might include boeuf bourguignon (that’s what I enjoyed in mid-November), coq au vin, pork tenderloin stuffed with andouille sausage, baked salmon and scallop mousse in puff pastry, pan-seared duck breast with root vegetable gratin, or lobster bisque with garlic aioli. Et bien sur, a French chef will close a meal with poached pear Belle Helene with chocolate sauce, apple tarte Tatin, or an ethereally light ile flottante with crème anglaise.

Classes take place every Tuesday evening starting at 5:30 and wrap up around 8:00. You will stroll out of the warm café feeling satiated in every way, already dreaming of taking the recipes he shares and preparing that meal at home. It’s no wonder so many people travel for miles and return to spend an evening with Chef Robert Barral, again and again.

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