Third year Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Culinary Arts student Donal Byrne is currently completing his study abroad at Ferrandi Paris, a French Culinary and Hospitality school. Donal, originally from Trooperstown, Co Wicklow, shared his experience living and studying in Paris, France.
World leading food capital
Donal has chosen to attend Ferrandi Paris for his Erasmus, due to its high standards in culinary education, and its professional hands-on training. “Being located in central Paris gives access to one of the world's leading food capitals. The campus feels professional and is set up to reflect real working kitchens, with facilities like fully equipped training kitchens, pastry and chocolate labs, wine tasting rooms and student-run kitchens,” Donal shared.
Modules that Donal studied in Ferrandi Paris included menu presentation, creation and analysis, restaurant operation management, culinary workshops, oenology: vineyards and wines, financial analysis, operational management, applied entrepreneurship, spreadsheets and sanitary protocols.
Induction programme
Settling in to life in Paris, Donal took part in an induction programme: “This helped me get familiar with the campus, timetable, and expectations of the course. It covered important information such as health and safety in the kitchen, the dress code, and class structure. I found this very helpful as it eased me into the high standards and professional environment at Ferrandi. I was also appointed a buddy to help me with any problems,” Donal said.
Multicultural
Donal enjoyed meeting new people from across the world. He explained, “Ferrandi gave me the opportunity to meet students from different cultures and backgrounds. Most of my modules involved group work and I found that working closely with others from the start really help me to make friends quickly and to get to know my classmates.”
Living in Paris
Donal has been living in student accommodation during his time in Paris: “I lived at Canvas Paris Ivry, which is a newly built student residence located just a short train journey from the university. Getting around Paris is easier than expected due to the city’s extensive public transport system. My room is fully furnished and there are also shared facilities, like a kitchen, laundry room, gym, study area and lounge area which has a pool table, television, coffee machine and board games,” he shared.
Landmarks on your doorstep
Life outside of the kitchen and classrooms has been a highlight for Donal, who said, “Paris has a great social life. I especially like the French bakeries as they have some of the best pastries I have ever tried. So far, I have visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre Museum. I am lucky to have made friends with some local Parisians through Ferrandi and they have showed me around the best places in the city to eat, drink and relax."
Donal’s advice
To students that are considering studying abroad at Ferrandi Paris, Donal said: “It is an amazing place to study if you’re serious about cooking and hospitality. It offers a great mix of a practical experience along with professional insight, so you learn how top-class kitchens and restaurants operate. The facilities are top-notch, and the courses are designed to push you to improve your skills while remaining organised.”
He continued, “Living in Paris is also a great experience. There are many things to do including exploring the city’s food scene, markets, cafés, bakeries and restaurants. It also offers a lot of inspiration into culinary diversity.”
Donal concluded, “If you are given the opportunity to study in Ferrandi through studying Culinary Arts at SETU, you should take it.”
