Port Fairy couple Stephane Nguyen and Kate Blenkiron's French Cooking Academy goes viral

"I'm a keen surfer and Port Fairy reminded me of Biarritz which is a sea-side town in France," Mr Nguyen said.

"At the beginning it was a novelty coming to Australia, but after some time I realised I couldn't really find a great place to get my croissant or baguette - my special meals.

"I started to realise if I wanted the old-world food of France like an authentic coq au vin, soufflé or a good slice of pâté I had to make it myself."

With the help of his partner Kate who handled filming, the two launched their Youtube channel and have been busy growing their own ingredients, engaging with local food producers and establishing their boutique course, the 'French Cooking Academy'.

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Self-taught, Mr Nguyen aimed to demystify the cuisine.

"I found a lot of English speakers wanted to learn how to make French food, but there weren't many resources on how to make proper French recipes with someone speaking in English," he said.

"It was a laugh at the beginning but it was really well received. Before long it started to reach 100,000 followers."

But he said moving to the region certainly had its challenges.

"When we moved originally we knew there would be plenty of fresh produce and we had our vision of what it would be like," he said.

"But when we arrived it was much more challenging than we thought because there were actually just a few supermarkets and it was hard to get ingredients that were uncommon.

"The quality is great but you need to do your homework. We go all around the western district to get the best ingredients. We also grow our own things like herbs and vegetables and just work with the seasons."

With the success of their Youtube channel and cooking academy, the pair said they were now looking to establish a bricks-and-mortar culinary school in the future.

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