Want to Talk About It?

If you live here in Provence and have ever felt the need for some professional counseling, but the idea of sharing your confidences in French gives you the horrors…help is at hand.

Dr. Tracy Cooper is a British counselor and psychologist now living in Malaucène in the Vaucluse. Tracy has a PhD in Psychology and holds a BACP-accredited postgraduate diploma in counseling. She worked at the Tom Allan Counselling Centre (Glasgow) before moving to France, and set up Provence Counselling specifically to help ex-pats.

Tracy explains her particular approach: “My clients come with the problems that occur wherever one lives, e.g. depression, anxiety, bereavement, relationship difficulties, and alcohol problems. However, expats also encounter additional difficulties such as isolation from friends and family, and lack of the usual support networks that we rely on in our home country. I believe that when clients experience warmth, empathy, and a non-judgmental attitude, within a safe and secure environment, it can be pivotal in effecting personal growth and change”

Tracy works in Avignon and Malaucène with individuals and couples from around the Vaucluse. For clients who live further afield she can conduct sessions via webcam, Skype, Windows Live Messenger or phone.

Individual sessions last about an hour and Tracy charges 40€. For couples, a typical session is around 90 minutes, and the fee is 65€. To learn more about Tracy’s approach or for contact details, visit: http://www.provencecounselling.com/

Kinder, Gentler French Food

What's the big trend in Parisian restaurants these days? Bistros, of course, run by top chefs who are cooking great food and serving it in a casual atmosphere at reasonable prices. Christian Constant, former chef of the Crillon, is one example: with two Michelin stars, he left the ritzy hotel and now runs four of his own bistros, all of them small and relatively inexpensive, on the same Parisian street. National Public Radio (U.S.) just did a nice feature on this trend. You can hear it or read it by clicking here:

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114250336

Photos: Many meals at Constant's restaurant Les Cocottes are served in homey, oven-to-table casserole dishes.Chef Christian Constant (left) and chef de cuisine Stephane Schmidt in the kitchen of Le Violon D'Ingres — one of four small, lively restaurants that Constant has opened on rue Saint-Dominique in Paris. Photos by Clay McLachlan via npr.org

Appy Alowine!

In last Sunday's New York Times, Peter Mayle wrote about Halloween in Provence and, predictably, it's funny. Read it here.

Illustration by Katia Fouquet via The New York Times.

SWF Seeks Date for El Bulli

So is this the next big foodie romantic comedy waiting to happen or what?

Jules Clancy is a cookbook author and food blogger in Sydney, Australia and the type of girl who plans her holidays around restaurant reservations. "I'm always thinking about my next meal and have excellent table manners!" she says.

More than a year ago, Jules and her boyfriend somehow got themselves a reservation at chef Ferran Adria's Michelin three-star El Bulli on the Costa Brava in Catalonia--thought by many to be the best restaurant in the world. They made plans for a trip to Spain and dinner on December 15th.

It's notoriously difficult to snag a table at El Bulli: in 2008 there were more than 2 million requests for 8000 reservations.

Then then the couple broke up--and Jules got custody of the reservation. "Last month, sadly, the Irishman and I parted ways," Jules wrote on her blog. "And so I found myself with a ticket to Spain, a reservation at the best restaurant in the world--and no one to share it with."

So Jules has decided to hold a competition to find herself a blind date for the evening. To enter, you email her (jules@thestonesoup.com) and tell her why you would be her best dinner companion. "Points will be given for humor and creativity," she says. The deadline is Sunday November 15th. For all the details, click here:

thestonesoup.com/blog/2009/10/help-jules-find-a-date-for-el-bulli/

Bon Chance and Bon Appetit!

What is it...

...about these little drawings and captions by Andre Jordan? To see his website, click here.

Man Shops Globe, Starting With France

Keith Johnson has the job everyone wants. He travels the world for the American retailer Anthropologie, buying beautiful antiques, art, decor and textiles for the stores to sell or use as display. He also commissions original pieces or finds the perfect one-of-a-kind for the company to knock off. Keith travels half the year, scouring antique fairs, flea markets, artists' ateliers, tiny shops, museums and factories.

Anthropologie if you don't know it, sells a fantastic and very unique mix of clothing, housewares, tableware, books, jewelry, fashion accessories, linens, art and crafts. At last count, they had 120 U.S. stores open; they're now expanding outside the U.S., beginning with a 10,000-square-foot London store opening tomorrow (Friday) at 158 Regent St. (anthropologie.com or anthropologie.co.uk).

And Keith is now the subject of his own TV show, called Man Shops Globe. It's on the Sundance Channel and it's great fun. In Episode #1, he runs around Paris, a large antiques fair in Avignon and the shops of Isle sur la Sorgue. He also visits with painter Aurelie Alvarez, who lives and works near Avignon, and he buys three of her pretty canvases.

The first episode of Man Shops Globe also introduced us to Michel Barma (abilisexport.com), Keith's agent in France, who lives and works in St. Remy and accompanies Keith on shopping forays to help with sourcing, negotiating, buying, and the complicated process of getting the merchandise to the Anthropologie warehouses.

In each half-hour program, Keith will travel to a new country such as Holland, India or Turkey. Michel and his wife Gabrielle will appear in a future episode, which takes Keith to Tunisia (where the glassware above was photographed).

For video clips of the show, go here:

sundancechannel.com/man-shops-globe

In conjunction with the show, Sundance is staging a contest with a shopping trip for two to France as the grand prize. To enter:

sundancechannel.com/man-shops-globe/sweepstakes/

If you'd like to know more about Anthropologie, the magazine Fast Company did a terrific article a few years back. You can read it here:

fastcompany.com/magazine/65/sophisticated.html

Tour d'Argent Cellar Sale

The landmark Parisian restaurant La Tour d'Argent, which dates back to 1582, is cleaning out its 450,000-bottle wine cellar, considered one of the best in the world. The Associated Press says the Michelin three-star is putting 18,000 bottles up for auction in December and that the event "has captured the imagination of French wine lovers." Tour d'Argent is selling mostly wine but also some very old spirits, such as three bottles of Clos du Griffier Cognac from 1788, the year before the French Revolution, as well as a bottle of 1875 Armagnac.

The cellar of the Left Bank restaurant, known for pressed duck and spectacular views of Notre Dame, is an important part of its history. A sign marks the spot where a brick wall was built in 1940 to hide the best bottles during the Nazi occupation.

Estimated prices at the Dec. 7th and 8th sale, by French auctioneer Piasa, range from 10€ to 2,500 to 3,000€ for each bottle of the 1788 Cognac, one of which will go to charity.

Among the wines on sale are Chateau Lafite Rothschild (1970, 1982, 1997), Cheval Blanc (1928, 1949, 1966) and Chateau Margaux (1970, 1990). The total sale is expected to bring in around €1 million.

Chief sommelier David Ridgway says the restaurant wants to cut down on wines it has in multiples to vary and modernize its selection. Buyers can rest assured the bottles aren't counterfeit — a major problem in the industry — because the restaurant bought them directly from vintners.

For more info go here: piasa.auction.fr/UK/

Or read the AP article on the NPR website:

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113861303

or in the Times:

timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6878642.ece

Photo: Four bottles of 1875 Armagnac Vieux, covered in a black fungus that looks "like matted cat fur," have been unearthed from the labyrinthine wine cellar at La Tour d'Argent. The restaurant will sell 18,000 bottles at auction this December. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Todd & Gina's Excellent Adventure, Part #2

Canadian journalist Todd Babiak, his wife Gina and their two daughters, are spending a year in Provence. Todd is writing about it for newspapers back in Canada. On Sept. 20th I published his first column, the one about the stinky mattress. Here's his second, about Speedos and rules and France. Enjoy!

Les Baux Rocks!

Italian photographer Max Belloni lives fulltime outside Turin but shoots frequently in Provence. He often works with a technique called HDR, which involves the layering of images to create a deeply saturated effect, but says this photo was taken traditionally. Max writes: "Walking around the base of the castle of Les Baux de Provence, I saw this nice texture effect of the water flowing in the centuries on the vertical rocks, and I couldn’t resist the shot." To see more of Max's gorgeous photos: maxbelloni.com. To contact him directly: maxbelloni@gmail.com

How Great Is This Photo?

I found this 2CV on FabulouslyFrench and just had to share.

Cezanne, Van Gogh, Picasso Slept Here

Ewa Zebrowski is a Montreal-based photographer who recently spent 10 "magical" days in Provence. She sent me the following photos and text, which I'm delighted to share with you here. Her contact info appears at the end of the photo essay.

What would a trip to Provence be without the art? I left for Provence knowing I wanted to see the Cezanne-Picasso exhibition at the Musee Granet in Aix. I never imagined that I would have a chance to see the atelier where Cezanne had worked, the bed where Van Gogh had slept and the chateau where Picasso spent the last days of his life. It's one thing to go to a museum and see great works of art. It's another to experience the places where great artists worked and lived.

I had heard about the asylum where Van Gogh lived at the end of his life (1889-1890), located near St. Remy de Provence some 32 km from Arles. I never expected to discover such a beautiful garden, building and cloister and to be so moved standing in his room seeing his small bed and seeing, with my eyes, the same view he had seen years ago. I could feel his presence and the burden of those years. I had not realized how prolific he had been while living at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, producing many paintings including the acclaimed, well known Starry Night (1889).

In Aix I discovered that Cezanne’s atelier was close to the center of town. It's as Cezanne left it. One enters the studio on the second floor, a large high space full of selected remnants of Cezanne’s life. One sees his clothes still hanging on hooks on the wall, a few still life arrangements, his easels, paints and other reminders of his presence. One wonders who made the decision to keep the place intact and if in fact the objects are exactly where he had left them. The light in the atelier is bright, north light...a place for contemplation. While walking to his studio one notices a black and white archival photo of the atelier on permanent display in the street. Today the building is virtually hidden by vegetation.

To my great disappointment, I only saw the exterior of the Chateau de Vauvernagues. Even though we arrived at the Musee Granet before 9 a.m. to purchase tickets, we were too late. Apparently they had sold out shortly after they went on sale in January 2009 and only 30 or so are available daily. Nevertheless we decided to drive to the small town of Vauvernagues situated at the foot of Mont Sainte-Victoire, so important in the work of Cezanne. We hoped to catch a glimpse of the chateau and hoped, having traveled all the way from Canada, that we would be allowed to visit once there. A naïve wish! In 1958 Picasso had moved to the chateau. Today he and Jacqueline Rogue are buried there. The chateau is furnished and decorated as Picasso left it; many bronze sculptures remain, although there are no longer any paintings either by Picasso or from his private collection.

The chateau is owned by Catherine Hutin, Jacqueline's daughter by her first marriage. She has opened the premises to the public for the first (and possibly last) time since 1973, in conjunction with the Musee Granet exhibiton.I was sad and frustrated that I was not able to visit Picasso’s last residence. I especially wanted to see the mural he had painted in the bathroom. I wondered what Picasso would have thought of these bureaucratic restrictions. What sense to have a museum that is virtually inaccessible to the public?

Artists die and leave a legacy of their work behind. We visit museums and galleries to see their work, but rarely do we see the places where they lived and worked, retrace their history and come to more intimately understand their parcours. These places of creativity give us a deeper appreciation. They remind us that these artists really existed in time and space, at once a humbling and inspiring realization.

Photos: Cezanne's Fruit, Van Gogh's Bed, Picasso's Chateau; copyright Ewa Zebrowski, 2009.

For info on the Cezanne Picasso Show and the Château de Vauvenargues: http://www.picasso-aix2009.fr/uk/exposition_granet.asp.

For info on the Atelier Paul Cezanne http://www.atelier-cezanne.com.

For info on Saint Paul de Mausole Monastery in St. Remy: 04 90 92 77 00.

To contact Ewa Zebrowski: www.ewazebrowski.com, ezebrowski@hotmail.com

Starchitects in Provence

Did everyone know about this but me? Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and Tadao Ando, some of the very biggest names in architecture today, are at work on a new art center, restaurant and small hotel at Chateau La Coste winery in Aix.

A self-taught architect and Pritzker Prize winner, Ando drafted the art center’s master plan and designed its 3,000-square-meter (32,000-square-feet) main gallery. The center, opening next year, features a music pavilion designed by Gehry, a wine cellar by Nouvel, and other structures by Piano and Foster, all Pritzker laureates.

“We’re creating a space filled with water and the gallery will appear to float on top of it,” Ando told Bloomberg.com (which is where I just read it). The location holds special meaning, he says, because “Aix-en-Provence is the home of Paul Cezanne, the father of contemporary art.”

The project, in the French countryside famed for inspiring Cezanne and Van Gogh, aligns with Ando's desire to “create spaces for appreciating the intersection of nature with history and art,” he said. Earlier this year, he refurbished the interior of a 17th-century customs house in Venice, the Punta della Dogana, turning it into a contemporary art museum for Gucci’s billionaire owner Francois Pinault.

The new art center was commissioned by Irish property developer Patrick McKillen, a friend of Bono of the rock band U2. Ando is also designing McKillen's new home on the Irish coast.

Read the Bloomberg story here.

Photo: Chateau La Coste in Aix.

The Cocktail Drinkers' Guide to Gardening

Born in Hampshire, England, my smart (brainy) and smart (elegant) friend James Clay is an artist and sculptor who settled down (somewhat) in St. Remy close to 20 years ago. Over the years, he lovingly created a gorgeous one-hectare garden, filled with fruit, palm, pine, and olive trees (he has 60 olive trees, all of them transplanted), plus many varieties of bamboo, flowering plants and shrubs.

James knows everything about gardening in Provence. Plus, he likes to drink. And he likes to write. So in this new monthly column, he'll serve up essential month-by-month garden tips... with drinks. It's so obvious, no?

If this all seems familiar to you, it's because you read something similar (by which I mean identical) on AlpillesNews.com, where it first appeared. Without further ado, here's James' thoughts on September.

Column #1: Laws of the Lawn

I always breathe a sigh of relief come September. The major heat of the summer is past and, with luck, I've managed to get to this point without losing the lawn; I don't mean in the sense of having misplaced it, rather that it hasn't died on me. Whether you water by a sprinkler system or by irrigation flooding (the ancient and better way), it's always nerve wracking when you lose patches (and it’s ugly to boot).

It's common sense to water your lawn either late at night or very early in the morning. With the intense heat, the grass, if watered during the daytime, is liable to burn and of course the water tends to evaporate very quickly. I often think how crazy it is to water during a mistral with blasting temperatures--something one does see here in Provence, which constitutes the equivalent of burning money!

I wonder if you’ve noticed what I think of here as a second spring? By mid month, we enjoy a milder heat and what with the abundant water system installed by the Romans, there is a period of growth which is quite surprising. (To quote from the Monty Python film The Life of Brian: "What did the Romans ever do for us?" to which a character replies: "Wine, aqueducts, under-floor heating, roads"...the list is almost endless!)

Lawns in Provence are high maintenance and quite expensive to keep up so I always advise people (if they are determined to have one) to keep them as small as possible. Another tip during the hotter months is not to cut the grass too close but to let it grow longer than you would do, say, in the spring.

I’ve finally progressed to a tractor mower (my pride and joy) and they’ve become far less expensive over the last few years. I find mowing quite therapeutic and it gives me time to survey the garden as I trundle round.

Again, it is best to mow later in the day as the heat declines. The other great thing about mowing is that you can anticipate the coming evening and perhaps reflect on what might be delicious to serve your friends who are coming over to enjoy the cool of the evening on the terrace with you.

Cousin Neil and his delightfully witty wife Becky came to stay last month. Her stunning impression of Skippy the Kangaroo (remember the Australian children's TV show from the early ‘70's?) had people in tears of laughter; she managed to hold herself back when it came to the jumping element natural to that species! On seeing yours truly alight from his orange (YES orange) tractor calling for a drink, this funny lady suggested making a ‘Lawn Boy.' So here’s the recipe for this thirst-quenching cocktail.

Put three handfuls of ice and six shots of vodka in the blender, toss in a handful of fresh mint, blend until smooth, adding sugar to taste; fill with lemonade. Add more vodka if you like! Pour into a pitcher, serve in tall glasses--et voila! As your guests are chattering away, take a second or two to admire your freshly mown lawn (always a satisfying moment). My darling Ma would always say, "Keep the lawn cut and the paths weed free and the garden will always pass as well kept."

How right she was...Have a cool September! Cheers.

Todd and Gina's Excellent Adventure: Part #1

The other day I got a terrific email from Canadian journalist Todd Babiak. (Then again, how bad could any email be if it starts "Dear Julie, I love your blog"?)

It turns out that Todd, his wife Gina and their two daughters are spending a year in Provence...and Todd is writing about their adventures for a chain of daily newspapers back in Canada. I read Todd's first column and knew immediately I wanted to share it. You can read it by clicking HERE. Start with the video at the top of the page...it gives you the backstory.

Todd's column will appear weekly in Canada and, hopefully, on Provence Post as well. If you'd like to know more about Todd and his work, go to www.toddbabiak.com or email him: toddbabiak@shaw.ca.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this first installment as much as I did!

Avia (left), Esmé (middle) and Gina Babiak in the Roman ruins of Vaison-la-Romaine. Photo by Todd Babiak.

Jan and Janet's Excellent French Adventure

Jan Lipes, an American physician and painter, and his wife, Janet, are looking for a handicapped-accessible Provence rental for one month (May, June or September) in 2010. They'd like an apartment or small villa with 3+ rooms, plenty of air and light. They don't need a pool but they do need a garden or terrace. They're looking anywhere between St. Remy and Villefranche but prefer the St. Remy, Avignon and Aix areas. Jan speaks French and is eager to meet people, so the Lipes prefer to rent something not too isolated.

Jan's paintings, by the way, are wonderful to begin with but even more so once you know his story. He has lived with multiple sclerosis since 1979. After he left medicine in 1993, he began painting (with no training), using his left (non-dominant) hand because his right arm had stopped working well. "My whole story is quite serpentine, mysterious and ultimately life-affirming," he tells me. "Meanwhile, if there is anything I can do to help this effort to get back to my beloved France next year, I'll do it! I may be a New Yorker by birth, but my soul is French!"

You can see more of Jan's work at www.janlipes.com. Pictured above is Summer New Hope.

If you have or know of something for Jan and Janet to rent, please email them at jklipes@comcast.net.

Willy Ronis 1910-2009

Photographer Willy Ronis died Saturday, aged 99. Best known for his portrayals of life in post-war Paris and Provence, Ronis, a contemporary of Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson, remained "bright and spirited till the end" despite dialysis and being confined to a wheelchair, said Stephane Ledoux, head of Eyedea Presse, owner of Ronis' agency, Rapho.

"We have lost the last of the great men," Ledoux said.

In an interview with Agence France Presse last July, the photographer celebrated for his emblematic black-and-white 1957 shot of a couple kissing with Paris at their feet, said: "Just as I was about to shoot the picture, the young man kissed his girlfriend on the forehead."

"I never ever went out without my camera, even to buy bread," he added.

Born in Paris to refugee parents from the Ukraine and Lithuania, Ronis took over his father's photography studio before deciding to close shop in favour of greater photographic freedom by joining Rapho in 1946 along with Doisneau and Brassai.

In the post-war years, his assignments ranged from feature stories to fashion to industry and were commissioned by some of the best magazines of the times, including Life and Vogue.

But his special passion through the late 1940s and 1950s was the portrayal of everyday life in Paris, its streets and its people, and particularly the working-class districts of Belleville and Montmartre.

"I never went to the rich districts," the staunch leftwinger told AFP. "I was interested in popular life."

Some dubbed him "the photographer of Paris par excellence" or a "humanist photographer", and his work featured in Edward Steichen's seminal "The Family of Man" exhibition in New York in 1955.

In a tribute, French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand called him "one of the great masters of photography" and said he had "immortalised the poetry of our daily lives."

In the late 1950s he switched to fashion photography, teaching in Paris and Provence, where he made his home (in Gordes) until returning to the capital in 1983.

Above: Petit Parisien, 1952, by Willy Ronis.

A Taste of France in New York

The French Institute/Alliance Francaise (New York) will host its fall festival, Crossing the Line, Sept. 12th to Oct. 3rd. The schedule includes so many great events (concerts, performances, shows and more) it would be impossible to list them here. The kick off is an afternoon dance party/picnic in Central Park's East Meadow tomorrow (Sept. 12), with choreographers from France presenting a new take on the bal populaire, creating short dances to be taught section by section to the public. There will be tastings of cheese, chocolate and bread...while a brigade of top chefs from both France and New York will offer up modern bento boxes. Or, bring your own picnic. This is a free, family-friendly celebration. For all the info, click HERE or call 212-355-6100.

French Drivers and Other Mysteries

Vicki Archer, author of My French Life, has a blog called French Essence and it's great fun. Her post last Tuesday, about French-driver syndrome , was priceless. To read it, click here.

Gorgeous Antique-Filled Home for Sale

It's always fun to see someone you know in the paper, right? I met antique dealer Thomas Kerr in cooking class at La Mirande in Avignon...and later found we have mutual friends. Now I see he's selling his spectacular home near Isle sur la Sorgue--and everything in it--so he can move on to other projects. (I've been there, I've seen the house. Trust me...you could do worse!) This is an amazing opportunity for someone who loves antiques but doesn't have the eye...or the time...or the patience to acquire their own. Click HERE to see the article about Thomas and his house that just ran in The Telegraph.

Photo by Clara Molden via The Telegraph.

Garden Guru

Lidia Bradley, the friend of a friend in Eygalieres, recently sent me this note...

Dear Julie,

During a tour of Provence gardens organized by Louisa Jones last spring, one of the very beautiful gardens we visited in the Luberon was created and maintained by Jean Luc Le Boursicaud (left), a landscape architect/ designer/gardener who lives in Cabannes, close to the Alpilles. Jean Luc wrote to me recently to say he was looking for work in the Alpilles, and I'm writing to recommend him to your readers. Not only was the garden we visited beautiful and beautifully taken care of, but Jean Luc has lots of experience dealing with owners who are not here all the time. I thought it could be useful for you to know about him. Jean Luc's contact info is below.Warm regards!--Lidia

Jean Luc Le Boursicaud

j.le-boursicaud@orange.fr

06.65.05.78.48

Provence in the Press

Summer always brings more Provence in the media than usual, it seems. Here are a few articles I noticed in the last week or so.

A tour of the Luberon in the L.A. Times.

From The Independent: the joy of a visit to Aix.

In his syndicated column, Rick Steves wrote about outdoor markets. Here it is in the Chicago Tribune.

Brad and Angelina give their kids a "normal life" in a £45million Provencal chateau.

Revisiting Avignon after ten years, in the Australian.

Taking a tour of Provencal vineyards, in the Sunday Times.

The Telegraph looks at what Pierre Cardin is up to in Lacoste, whether the locals like it or not.

And here's the New York Times' take on the Pierre Cardin contretemps...

Photo by Sankha Guha via The Independent.co.uk

Where Should We Eat?

I'm always asking friends to tell me about great restaurants they've found around Provence, where the greeting is warm, the food great, the prices fair. At the same time, people ask me the same thing: where should we eat? So I decided to start a new feature --One Restaurant I Love--and anyone who wants can take a turn writing it. This week, our guest reviewer is James Clay, my smart, funny and oh-so-worldly friend in St. Remy. James isn't a hardcore foodie--he actually spends most of his free time making out with his garden--but he throws super parties, loves to eat out and, when invited (or not), is great fun as a guest. (Speaking of James' real passion, plants, in the next week or so I'll debut his monthly column "The Cocktail Drinkers Guide to Gardening." Don't miss it!) But first, let's hear about One Restaurant He loves: Chez Gigi. James writes:

After 20 years of hanging out in Provence, I've learned to keep a few things secret. So now you're asking yourself then why's he going to tell us about this restaurant? Well I've decided I have to learn to share--they do say giving is better than receiving (though a Cartier watch wouldn't cause a problem for me anytime).

Ok, mustn't lose my train of thought which is so easily done here in Provence in the summer, what with the cicadas chirping away and the heat et al. My favorite resturant in Provence (and oh boy, is it chic--not!), is to be found by the side of the Route National between between St. Rémy and St. Etienne du Grès in Mas Blanc des Alpilles. Chez Gigi can be spotted as you drive (slowly, please) through the little village.

The first time I ate there a few years back I had a Caesar salad which blew me away....so much garlic it could have been called spicy. By French standards, very spicy.

The entrées are imaginative and made with the best local fresh vegetables and meats. In fact, some are so good it's great to chose all of them and eat them tapas style with your friends. The principle plates vary from basic pizzas to dorade, ribs, duck, stuffed quail and carpaccio de beauf with a terrific sauce.

Desserts tend to be fruits in season, chocolate mousse, brownies or whatever else they dream up that day.

Chez Gigi has all the right attitudes toward food and service (which can be mildly erratic but amusing nonetheless). The menu is hand written on boards: another good sign as it changes often. The wines are mainly local and excellent. If the 'vin en pichet' is good, then you know the meal will be too. The bread is great as well.

Owners Michel and Gigi Sivauossian--he's from Nice, she's from Quebec--have travelled widely and, for that reason, the food is so varied and interesting. For a 'local' like me, it's such a relief to find dishes that aren't always typically Provencal.

Michel and Gigi (pictured above) know their market and, as the French say, are 'correct' in terms of cost. Believe it or not you can actually get a three-course lunch including wine and coffee for around 15 € per person. They do dinner during the high season on Friday and Saturday nights...make sure to book for that but it's not neccessary at lunch. And don't dress up--this place is really casual.

There's a 'terrace' (always a high point in my book) and remember this is a fun place so don't go looking for linen table cloths and crystal. I may regret spilling the beans if I can't get a table next Friday night but then I'll know I've 'shared' and that's a good thing, isn't it !?

If you go, please mention ProvencePost.com or say I sent you! Bon Continuation!--James

Chez Gigi

RN #99

Between St. Rémy and St. Etienne du Grès

Mas Blanc des Alpilles

04-90-49-10-80

www.chezgigi.beaucaire.net

Photo by James Clay.

Don't Miss the Rencontres

My friend Peter Gillespie, who lives near Aix, just returned from Arles raving about this year's Rencontres. If you've never experienced this citywide celebration of photography and graphic arts, Peter says this should be the year. He sent me this short update.

As anyone will tell you, summers in Provence are affairs of the heart: a time for day tripping, slow meals under the shade of a plane tree and long lazy evenings with friends. But Provence is also a land with a passion for summer festivals. From late June to late September, hundreds of events are scheduled offering something for everyone: from music (piano, opera, dance, hip hop) to the performing arts (folk dancing, street theater, open air concerts) and an endless run of art exhibits.

In 2009 the buzz has been all about the Picasso-Cezanne exhibit in Aix (May 25 to Sept. 27, at the Musée Granet) and the 40th anniversary of Les Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles. Les Rencontres is a two-month celebration (July 7 to September 13) of photography, with 66 exhibits in venues ranging from the church of St. Anne and the St Trophime cloisters to the SNCF rail yard where Arles, through an urban renewal project, is reinventing itself as a center for publishing and photographic arts.

Among the headline exhibits are major retrospectives of the work of Willy Ronis and the fine arts publisher Robert Delpire (500 photographs and over 150 books and prints), a poetic exhibit by American photographer and poet Duane Michals, an exhibit of the work of Japanese photographer Naoya Hatakeyama and James Allen’s collection of United States post card photos, “Without Sanctuary,” presented as a memory of mob violence and racially motivated lynchings in the Jim Crow South.

Additionally, lovers of photography will be interested in the work of 15 photographers nominated for a “Discovery 2009” prize of 25,000€. The nominated photographers are listed on the festival website: http://www.rencontres-arles.com/

Les Rencontres is much more than an exhibit. It's a citywide celebration and it's almost certainly too much to see in a single day. Whether you're an avid photographer or simply looking for a reason to explore Arles, the Rencontres, with lunch at any number of inexpensive sidewalk cafés either on the Place Voltaire or the Place du Forum, would certainly be worth your while.

Admission is by pass, which may be purchased for the day or for the entire season. All but a few of the exhibits require admission. For ticket pricing and information about on-going special events, contact the Arles Office of Tourism, 04-90-18-41-20 or the Rencontres office: 04-90-96-76-06.

Photo: Hyper 08 by Denis Darzacq (denis.darzacq.revue.com/) His work is on display at Le Capitole until August 30th. The gallery is at #14, blvd. Emile Zola in Arles.

Passion! Ambition! Butter!

Tomorrow can't come fast enough for foodies here in the States, because that's when Julie & Julia comes out. The new movie has gotten huge press but if you haven't heard about the it, here's the gist. A young woman named Julie Powell, working in a depressing job in lower Manhattan and dreaming of becoming a writer, decides she's going to cook every dish--that's 524 recipes--in Julia Child's landmark book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking...and do it in one year....and blog about it. She called her blog "The Julie/Julia Project" and it was terrific. I followed it for a while.

So there was poor Julie Powell, working all day at that job she hates, then shlepping store to store trying to find all the ingredients, many of them esoteric, that she'd need for that evening's recipe, be it pigs' feet or bone marrow or beef bourguignon or whatever. Then dragging it all home to her apartment in Queens, complete with miniscule kitchen and patient young husband, and spending the whole evening turning out yet another classic French masterpiece (or flop). And then, before falling into bed, writing about it....articulately, amusingly, insightfully. What an amazing, insane, wonderful, terrible thing to do, I remember thinking.

The blog developed a huge following and Julie got a book deal. And now it's been turned into a movie, with a screenplay by Nora Ephron, who also directed. Meryl Streep plays Julia Child and everyone says she's brilliant. Stanley Tucci plays Paul Child the adored husband, the man responsible for giving Julia her very first taste of France. (He was in the foreign service and they accepted a posting to Paris.)

In France, Child "found herself" in the kitchen. She studied cooking at the Cordon Bleu and in Provence, then returned to the US and introduced Americans to French food though her books and TV shows, the first of which, The French Chef, you've probably seen parodied once or twice. Child broke barriers left and right, charmed everyone she met, paved the way for celebrity chefs and did scores of great things for the food world. (Her kitchen is now in the Smithsonian.)

The movie also follows the lives of Julia and Paul Child during their years in France (1948-1954), through Child's memoir, My Life in France (a wonderful book). Ephron, the critics say, has woven the two memoirs together beautifully...two strong and talented women finding professional purpose through food.

Julie & Julia opens Friday in the U.S. and I'll be there for sure, with a gaggle of my foodie gal pals beside me. It opens in the U.K. Sept. 11th and in France Sept. 16th. Reviews and features are all over the internet so I won't bother to give you a link. But I will do as Julia always did and wish you a hearty "Bon Appetit!"

Unusual Avignon Apartment Available

My friend Kate writes..."After 5 years, I'm leaving my beautiful apartment in Avignon.It's an exceptional place for which I searched six months. Located on the third floor of a former religious building of the late 18th century (above), the apartment (about 1200 sq ft) has beams in its high ceilings, stonework and a large terrace that gives onto a huge court, yet has all the modern conveniences (elevator, intercom, etc). This is the most prestigious address within the city walls. If this interests you, please contact me at kate.schertz@gmail.com with subject line of Rental 5 Rue du Crucifix. I will send pics. Rent with charges (heat, water, maintenance) will be 1570€. This notice is only meant for individuals. I'm trying to help my landlord who is wonderful and whose wife is ill.""