Nito Carpita is the owner and principal instructor of the Seasons of Provence Cooking School at Mas de Cornud in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. A Certified Culinary Professional (CCP) under the auspices of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), Nito has trained in France at the Lenôtre and Alain Ducasse professional schools. She has also participated in culinary workshops and study tours in Australia, Canada, Italy, Holland, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland and several regions of the United States.

Cooking classes at Seasons of Provence are held in kitchens designed with serious learning in mind. There are 10 work stations, each with its own fully-stocked equipment drawer fitted under large granite work surfaces. To ensure students work in a comfortable environment there are rubber mats underfoot and the electrical appliance cords hang from the ceiling, eliminating clutter. There is even air conditioning when needed.

Generous granite work surfaces are also an important feature of the outdoor teaching kitchen where you will find a wood-burning oven for baking bread and an old fashioned "chateau style" fireplace with a mechanical pulley driven rotisserie alongside a modern Viking professional gas grill complete with smoker and infrared cooking.

In these wonderful facilities Nito teaches the classic dishes of this region including gigot d’agneau, daube, papeton d’aubergines and tapenade. Recipes are used as a starting point, but everyone learns something new, no matter their skill level. Nito makes sure to include tips on kitchen hygiene, food safety and will work with you to improve your knife and other technical skills that might need improvement.

Besides teaching at the cooking school, Nito cooks almost every day for guests staying at the Mas de Cornud Private Country Inn on the same property. From Nito’s own garden come figs, cherries, tomatoes, artichokes, herbs and lavender. Other ingredients for the school and for the inn guests come mostly from local farmer’s markets and change with the seasons. In addition, she has developed a network of artisan suppliers from olive oil to goat cheese.

Seasons of Provence Cooking School is the perfect environment to come and learn cooking in Provence, with Nito or one of the guest chefs including Jacques Pépin and Jean-Claude Szurdak ( USA), Brad Steelman, The River Café, (New York), James Boyce, Montage Resort and Spa (Laguna Beach), John Toulze, the girl & the fig (Sonoma), Gabriel Gaté (Australia), Francesco Ricchi, Etrusco Trattoria (Washington DC), Roberto Donna, Galileo (Washington DC), Francis Reynard, Daniel (New York), Alessandro Strata, Alex at Wynn (Las Vegas), Sandy D’Amato, Sandford’s (Milwaukee), Philippe Théme and Jean-Pierre Novi, La Riboto de Taven (Les Baux), Jean-André Charial, l'Oustau de Baumaniere (Les Baux), Jean-Pierre Michel, La Regalido (Fontvieille), Wout Bru-Jacques of Le Bistrot d'Eygalières, Reine Sammut of La Fenière (Loumarin), Robert Brunel, Brunel (Avignon), François Perrot, La Maison Jaune (St. Rémy), Alain Assaud, Le Marceau (St.Rémy) and Serge Ghoukassian, Chez Serge (Carpentras), Occasionally, Seasons of Provence is fortunate to welcome a specialist in another cuisine such as Hiroko Sugiyama (Japanese).

Nito has taught at Viking Culinary Centers (Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville), Draegers (Menlo Park), True Cuisine(Chicago), La Cuisine Francaise (Amsterdam) and Hiroko Sugiyama Atelier (Seattle). Her recipes appear in Sarah Leah Chase's Pedaling Through Provence, The Backroads Cookbook, Fromages Fermiers by Georges Foveau, Les Meilleures Recettes des Maisons d'Hôtes de Charme en France and Fresh Herb Cooking by Linda Dannenberg.

CLASS SCHEDULE: 03 MAY - 16 JULY AND 23 AUGUST-31 OCTOBER 2010