Provence Paradise is for Sale

After creating it and running it for 18 years, my friend William Moore has decided to put his beloved Provence Paradise on the market.

This is a historic hamlet of vacation villas on the outskirts of St. Remy, one of the prettiest, most-popular villages in the region.

Comprised of seven separate homes across five buildings—with 17 bedrooms total--Provence Paradise is being sold fully furnished, complete with an eclectic collection of antiques, art, books objets and tchotchkes, collected across France and beyond.   

All the buildings have new roofs, new electrical and plumbing, and reversible gas heating/AC. The roofs and insulation were redone in 2008 and 2021.
 
“There’s even a large, open-air terrace,” William says, “that’s just right for further development. Maybe a small bar and restaurant? The possibilities are numerous!”

This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in taking over a thriving, turn-key vacation village…where guests enjoy the amenities and privacy of private homes but the community feel of a resort. Provence Paradise has a 5.0 “Excellent” rating and great reviews on TripAdvisor…and a large loyal following with many guests returning year after year. William is happy to include his commercial assets (the Provence Paradise name, the website and a client list of roughly 2000 names) in the sale agreement, if wanted.

Or, the property could be divided and sold as private homes, individually or in clusters, or be converted to long term rentals. 

Originally from Chicago, Willy had lived in Europe for many years before buying the property in 2004 and setting out to bring its crumbling buildings back to life. For 350 years, the Tourtet family made traditional roof tiles and bricks here…but the business collapsed when the men went off to fight in WWI...and either died or came home disabled. The oldest home on the property is La Tuilerie, which was added to piece by piece over 150 years, beginning in 1621. 

“We’d finish one house at a time and then start renting it,” Willy remembers, “which helped finance the work on the next house.  People would say ‘oh what a beautiful house!’ and I’d say ‘want to see what it looked like before? Look over there!’

“It was a total labor of love,” William adds. “You wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

My clients who’ve stayed at Provence Paradise over the years love the welcoming spirit that William created—through Tuesday cocktail parties by the pool, for example—and unexpected, gracious touches such as the homemade first-night dinner awaiting all tired travelers and the fresh bakery delivered to every house each morning. 

But they also loved having all the modern comforts (washer/dryers, dishwashers, air conditioning, WiFi, etc.) in homes that hadn’t lost their traditional, Provencal feel…with thick stone walls, ceramic tile roofs, vaulted ceilings, beams, fireplaces, painted furniture and Provencal linens. The property itself boasts Roman relics, an ancient aqueduct and a large wine cellar. 

The seven units have fully equipped kitchens, living and dining rooms, and terraces surrounded by plantings that ensure privacy for all. They range in size from one to four bedrooms each and are modular, meaning certain spaces can be expanded for special occasions. The total “built surface” of almost 1000m² includes 780m² of indoor living space. 

All together there’s roughly 2800m² of land, fully landscaped with mature trees, vines, flowers and an automatic watering system. 

In the middle of the property there’s a large swimming pool (6m x 14m, with salt filtration), plus a hot tub, summer kitchen, loungers and deck chairs. The pool and hot tub are heated by hidden solar panels. 

Provence Paradise has three entrances and parking for seven cars but William says that could be expanded to ten or even 12 spaces.

The neighborhood is residential and quiet…but just a 10-minute walk to the heart of the village. 

St. Remy is a vibrant, historic town of 10,000 year-round residents, in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of the PACA (Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur) region. Spread out across the foothills of the Alpilles Mountains, it’s roughly three hours south of Lyon and one hour north of Marseille. Hugely popular with travelers and second-home owners, St. Remy is known for historic sites (including the excavated Greek/Roman village called Glanum), its appeal to artists of all types (Van Gogh painted 150 canvasses in the year he spent here), its festive summer events calendar and traditional local festivals, the quality of its produce and the natural beauty of the landscape. Paris is roughly three hours away via the high-speed TGV train from Avignon, 20 km north of St. Remy. 

Many of Provence’s best-known places—including Les Baux, Arles, Aix, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Pont du Gard, the Luberon and Nimes—can be reached in an hour or less. 

Intensely passionate about historic preservation, William says that giving this old property a new life, and sharing it with guests from all over the world, has been more rewarding than he could ever have imagined.  But considering he'd already spent 36 years in international manufacturing before he began building Provence Paradise--and that he had never really planned on a demanding second career as a full-time, hands-on innkeeper in the first place-- he’s definitely ready to turn the page, to focus on family (his four kids and 11 grandkids all live in Europe now) and on travel. 

He's also thinking he may do up a few more more old buildings, like the ones he recently transformed in the nearby village of Noves. "There's magic in old stones," he says, "and they definitely get under your skin!

"This slice of paradise—Provence Paradise--has survived since the reign of Louis XIII!,” Willy continues, “and it’s definitely time to pass the torch. My hope is of course to pass it on to someone who’ll cherish it as much as I have."

For more info: williaminprovence@gmail.com, +33 (0)6 07 82 66 63.

Peony Confetti: Made in Provence with Love

My friends Debbie and Marcel van Eenennaam are the owners of Ferme Fleurie, a large, wholesale flower farm just outside Tarascon, between Avignon and Arles. They grow a wide range of flowers from October to June but they’re particularly well known for their peonies: gorgeous fluffy blooms in colors including Sarah Bernhardt, Duchesse de Nemours, Coral Sunset and many more...in both “simple” and “double” varieties. 

The farm’s 130,000 stabilized peony bushes will produce roughly one million stems this year.

Deb and Marcel export 95 percent of their harvest to Holland, sending huge refrigerated trucks packed with blooms--all measured, clipped, bunched and boxed—two to seven times a week in season, to be sold at auction. But they always hold back plenty of reasonably priced bunches and bouquets to sell in their small farm shop. I have friends who “go to Deb” every week, keeping their homes filled with gorgeous fresh flowers all fall, winter and spring. Many local florists, hotels and restaurants also buy regularly at the farm.

And now Deb has launched an exciting new venture all her own: producing dried-peony-petal confetti for weddings and other special events, from peonies grown and hand-picked at Ferme Fleurie.

Called Pétales de Provence, the new confetti company currently offers eight colors, ranging from rich cream to coral to deep red. The petals are 100% natural, 100% dye-free and 100% biodegradable. The most-popular use, Deb says, will be as loose confetti to throw at weddings, but they’re also perfect for flower girls, table decor, petal paths and more. Prior to lockdown here in France, Deb was making the rounds of the Provencal wedding expos and she says the response so far has been super. Samples are available and the company ships worldwide.

“Pétales de Provence was born in 2018, after an extremely hot peony season with lots of open flowers in the fields,” she explains. “And rather than see them go to waste, I had the idea to turn them into confetti. Now three years later, we’re finally ready to share our fluttering petal-confetti clouds with you! From the planting to picking to drying to packaging...it’s all done right here on the farm. We package them with love and post them to you wherever you are in the world. We like to think we’re selling smiles in a box."

In France, people traditionally throw rice at weddings so this is a new concept here, Deb explains. And most of the petal confetti already produced elsewhere comes from delphiniums,and cornflowers, which have much-smaller petals and no particular significance with regards to weddings. "Peonies have long symbolized romance and happy marriage, in both ancient and modern cultures," Deb tells me. "So in addition to being beautiful, they really do add special meaning to your day. Plus, they just look so amazing in photos!”

For more info (including prices and suggested quantities), visit the Pétales de Provence site here...and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

To learn more about the farm and boutique, read my recent blog post here. The shop is now closed for its summer break (it’ll probably reopen in mid October) but after they reopen you can see shop hours and what flowers are available on the Facebook page here.

Photos: (1) Petal Pushers! Deb and Marcel met at a dinner party in Provence and quickly grew deeply connected. She's English, he's Dutch. They married on the farm in 2015. To learn more about the farm itself, click here. (2) The logo for the new company. (3) Peonies ripe for the picking; Deb and Marcel grow roughly one million stems each year. Marcel knows more about peonies than anyone. Many of his plants may very well outlive him...peonies can live to be 100 years old. (4) In peony season, the farm employs roughly 40 workers to get the flowers out of the field at just the right moment, then processed quickly for shipping to Holland. Marcel's brother receives them on the other end and does a final quality check before they go on to the Flora Holland Auction and world wide sales. Deb hopes that each year, more and more of the crop will become dried-petal confetti. (5)  Lily De Plano, who's studying immunology at university in Glasgow, helps out each year during peony season. Her friends think she has the best job in the world. (6) The first step is drying. (7) Beauty shot! Petals, leaves and buds in a basket. (8-11) Peonies come in every color but blue...who knew? Pictured are four of the eight varieties currently available as confetti: Duchesse de Nemours, Paula Fay, Sarah Bernhardt and Coral Sunset. (12) Deb made this petal path for a recent photo shoot at the farm. (13) Our favorite flower girl and her helper, Rejanne Havond, at a January wedding show in Aix-en-Provence. (14) You want samples? Just ask. (15) Deb says she feels like she's selling "smiles in a box" and will ship worldwide. (16) Personalized paper cones filled with confetti, ready to throw at Stephanie and Josh's recent wedding in Washington, D.C. (17) Pretty sure you get what's happening here. (18) The shop at Ferme Fleurie will reopen in October with the first flowers of fall: lillies. Then watch for anemones right though until peony season. 

Love Antiquing? Want to Be on TV?

I just received the following email which sounds like a really fun opportunity for one of you...or perhaps for someone you know? 

Dear Julie,

I love your blog and thought you might be able to help...

We are Purple Productions, part of All3Media Group, based in the UK. We've recently been commissioned by BBC 1 Daytime to produce a brand new antiques programme/pilot.

The aim of the programme would be to help expat British homeowners who have finished restoring/renovating--or are in the process of renovating--an amazing property in Provence.  The idea is to have an experienced antiques dealer help them find beautiful objects and furniture to add the finishing touches to their homes.

This is a pilot and if filming goes well and the channel is happy, it will be commissioned as a series.

As it’s a pilot we can help with some of the costs but in the series it will be the homeowners who’ll be paying for the actual items. What the programme will offer is the expert advice and invaluable contacts of our dealers, to get the homeowners not just incredible items but hopefully at very competitive prices. They'll be using all their knowledge and contacts to get our homeowners the best deals!

Ideally we'd like a full-time resident in Provence but part time will work too...as long as they're British.

We hope that filming for the pilot will take place in late February and early March, in the Avignon/Provence region. 

We need to find just one homeowner soon to hit our schedule and really appreciate any help you can offer! Do you know anyone who might want to take part in this BBC 1 pilot? If so we’d love to hear from them. They can contact us at: info@purpleproductions.co.uk

Many Thanks,

Dympna Jackson
Creative Director
Purple Productions / Objective Media Group North

Photo: Courtesy of Cachepot Brocante via Instagram. 

You're Invited: Thanksgiving in France 2019

Because I totally live to please you, once again I've rounded up a great selection of American Thanksgiving celebrations here in the South of France and in Paris. Who attends these gala soirées? Local expats of course, but also hungry French folks and other Europeans, travelers, house guests...whomever! With a couple exceptions, all nationalities are wanted and welcome! 

Over the years, many of my French friends have told me they love the idea of celebrating this American holiday...to meet new people, to sample unusual foods, to learn the history and traditions. At a friend's Thanksgiving in Provence a few years back, one French guest told me he loved how the various dishes were served all at once, all on one plate, rather than in courses. Another said he was looking forward to his first taste of cranberry sauce, which he called red fruits jam. 

While the literal translation is Action de Grâce, most French people just call it Thanksgiving...except for my friend Philippe who refers to it as Merci Donnant, which he says "means absolutely nothing at all." 

I’ve only listed the Thanksgivings that still had space available, as of today. Book soon because most have limited capacity and fill up. For a Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 30 at the American Church in Paris--the first American church established outside the United States, with roots back to 1814--seats will be opened up to non parishioners after Nov. 17 but there's a special service on Thanksgiving Day, open to all. 

Also in Paris, there's a Thanksgiving cooking class, with lunch or dinner, that sounds like great fun.

For those of you hosting your own Thanksgiving or sharing in the food prep, I've provided three sources for traditional ingredients. When it comes to the big juicy bird, the Paris shop called The Real McCoy sells them both fresh and already roasted; more info about that is below.

If you're hosting or know of a Thanksgiving celebration in the South of France that's not listed here, email me the info (provenceblog@aol.com) and I'll happily add it. 

And finally, a very heartfelt thank you to all of you: for reading and supporting my blog...for sharing it with your friends....for commenting on the stories you particularly enjoy. I wish you all the most joyous and delicious Merci Donnant, wherever you plan to spend it!

COTE D’AZUR

The American Club of the Riviera's Thanksgiving is a gala, annual affair...large, elegant and extremely popular. This year it's in the Salon Belle Epoque at the Hotel Hermitage in Monte Carlo on Thursday Nov. 28, starting with a 12:30 Champagne reception, followed by a luncheon feast of butternut squash veloute, stuffed turkey, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, grilled veggies and apple and pumpkin pies.  All nationalities are welcome but book quickly as this event always sells out; 150 people are expected and it's first come, first served with priority going to members and their families. Last call for reservation payments is Nov 19. All the info is on the ACR website here. Questions? secretary@americanclubriviera.com.

MonacoUSA will host its annual Thanksgiving dinner at StarsNBars (Monaco) on Thursday Nov. 28  starting at 7 pm. Seating is family style at communal tables in the main restaurant. The menu: Stuffed turkey with cranberry sauce, peas, creamed onions, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and cornbread. Desserts will be apple tart, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and brownies. Also included: a glass of wine, beer or soft drink, bottled water and espresso.  Cost: 40€ adults, 25€ kids.  Space is limited, you must reserve through MonacoUSA at rsvpmcusa@gmail.com  and payment in advance is required; no payment at the door and no walk-ins allowed, sorry! All details are on Facebook here.

The MonacoUSA party (just above) is open to everyone but for those who don’t want to join the group, the all-you can-eat Thanksgiving buffet will be available at StarsNBars starting at 7 pm. Cost is 38€ for adults and 20€ for kids, excluding drinks. The restaurant will also be serving its regular menu that evening. Turkey will be served as the plat du jour at lunch, starting at noon, for 21€ (with a drink and dessert) or 15€ (main course only). To book: + 377 9797 9595. Questions: info@starsnbars.com.

The Riviera Chapter of Democrats Abroad invites you to a festive Thanksgiving pot luck at Holy Trinity Church Hall, at 11 rue de la Buffa in Nice, on Nov. 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. It’s open to members, Americans in the region and accompanying guests. Seats are limited and they’re filling up quickly so RSVP soon!  DA will provide the turkey and asks all guests to bring a prepared salad, vegetable or dessert to be shared. (Sorry, no cooking facilities available on-site). The closest parking is Palais de la Méditerranée or Grimaldi and there are several bus stops in walking distance. For a map and details, click here. For more info, to RSVP or questions: daf-riviera@democratsabroad.org. *NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT, SORRY!

PROVENCE

Once again, the Anglo-American Group of Provence welcomes the community to its annual family-oriented  Thanksgiving in Aix "with a spirit of appreciation for all that we share."  The dinner is Sunday, Nov. 24 at 4 pm (aperitif) and 5 pm (dinner) at Restaurant Le Verguetier, 7 chemin d'Eguilles in Celony (Aix), across from the Maison de Ste-Victoire. They'll have all the traditional foods: turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Cost: 20€ for members, 10€ for their children under 12; 36€ for guests and 18€ for their children under 12. This includes aperitif, the meal with dessert, wine and coffee. To reserve, send a check payable to AAGP to Michel Parisot, 5 rue Emmanuel Brunet, 13080 Luynes.  Please make sure to specify the number of adults and kids (with ages). Reservations will be made upon receipt of your check, which must be received by Nov. 18. Questions? bobkeltz@aol.com or 06 37 83 80 45.

Once again the Avignon Chapter of Democrats Abroad will celebrate Thanksgiving with a family-style pot luck at the Cavaillon home of Joan and Charlie Jarowski. The party’s scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24, from 1 pm to 5 pm. Expect turkey of course but also baked ham, leg of lamb, sausages and all the typical sides including an Impeachment Pie for dessert. Guests are asked to make a small financial contribution and also to bring a starter, side, dessert or drinks to share. *NOTE THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT WITH NO WAIT LIST.

At the restaurant L'Epicerie de Cecile in Beaucaire, chef/owner Cécile Guillo is all fired up to host her annual Thanksgiving fête, at lunch and dinner, on Saturday Nov. 30. Seating is communal at large tables for 12. Expect to pay 25 to 30€ per person (with a couple glasses of wine) and there will be live music in the evening. Cecile is also happy to offer her traditional Thanksgiving meal on the day itself (Thursday Nov. 28) but only for groups of 10 or more.  To reserve: 07 85 40 38 20. The restaurant has no website but they’re on Facebook here. Questions? niefchristine12@gmail.com.

Near Forcalquier, the restaurant Le Bistrot de Pierrerue in Pierrerue celebrates its annual Thanksgiving on Friday Nov. 29 and Sat Nov. 30 at 8 pm. On the menu: an amuse bouche, brined and roasted turkey with dressing (made from bio sausage and chestnuts), homemade gravy and cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, roasted local Brussels sprouts,  pumpkin pie and chocolate pumpkin-seed torte with vanilla ice cream. Price is 25€ per person, without drinks. To book: 04 92 75 33 00, maryvonne.kutsch@orange.fr.

Once again my friend Jon Chiri, an American chef with 20+ years experience working in Provence, will offer a Thanksgiving lunch at Cuisine Centr'Halles, his cafe and cooking school at Les Halles, the wonderful indoor food market in Avignon. On Thursday Nov. 28, Jon invites you to join his family for a special holiday lunch from 11:30 am to 2:15 pm. (The market officially closes at 2:15 pm so be sure to seated by 1:30 pm latest.) The Thanksgiving Plat du Jour (turkey with Jon's version of accoutrements) will be 24€ ...or 30€ with pumpkin pie. Wine and soft drinks are extra. To reserve: contact@jonathanchiri.com, 06 46 89 85 33.

Biocoop - La Coumpagnie in Aix (840 ave. du Camp de Menthe ) will host two Thanksgivings on Thursday Nov. 28: a lunch at the store and a dinner at the restaurant BioChef, near the center of Aix. The lunch, owner Rick Harrison says, ''is mostly for our curious French clientele and always our biggest lunch turnout of the year!" It’s 18.50€ per person and reservations are not necessary.  Then comes the main event: a dinner starting at 7:30 pm. at BioChef (4 rue Pierre de Coubertin, 13100 Aix). "We have a wide diversity of Americans, French and English people excited to attend," Rick says. "The meal will be 100% organic, 0% GMOs and 100% homemade from American family recipes.” The evening starts with spiced wine and appetizers, followed by turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole (with cream of mushroom soup...yes!), pumpkin and pecan pies and a classic cheesecake. Prices are 29€ adults and 19€ kids under 12; wine and beer are available for purchase. Reservations are required for dinner; reserve soon as there’s less availability than last year, due to the change in venue. To reserve: 06 81 34 85 74, rick@biocoop-lacoumpagnie.fr. 

On Friday Nov. 29, Cyril Giordano, chef/owner of the restaurant BioChef in Aix (see listing just above) will present his own Thanksgiving dinner. Like the one the previous night, it will be 100% organic but this will be quite a bit more gastronomic. It’s 37€ per person (kids or adults); drinks are extra. Seating starts at 8 pm and reservations are required: 04 42 93 26 05. BioChef is at 4 rue Pierre de Coubertin, 13100 Aix.  

PARIS 

Celebrations Hosted by Clubs

The American University Clubs of France (which promotes networking, cultural and business-related events for all American University alumni in France), invites you to their traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday, Nov 26 at 7 pm at the Ecole Militaire. Founded in 1750 by Louis XVI for the training of military officers, the Ecole Militaire is an important heritage site that’s normally closed to the public so this is rare opportunity to enjoy exclusive access. A four-course meal will be served, starting with an aperitif and ending with pecan pie. Wine and soft drinks are included. Price: 59€ for AUC member; 69€ non members. Registration is limited so be sure to reserve soon, by clicking here before Nov. 12; registration closes after that date. For security purposes, you’ll be asked to provide official ID to enter the building. Questions? contact@aucfrance.com

The American Club of Paris will hold its annual Thanksgiving at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Paris 3ème) on Friday Nov. 29 at 7:30 pm. This private hunting and nature museum in the heart of the Marais has been described by Smithsonian Magazine as "one of the most rewarding and inventive in Paris." The evening includes pre-dinner Champagne (accompanied by Lionel Patrix at the piano), an elegant Thanksgiving dinner and after-dinner drinks in the bar. The dress code is evening attire/black tie optional and roughly 50 people are expected. Members 150€; non-members and guests 175€. All the info and registration is here. Questions? contact@americanclubparis.org, 01 47 23 64 36.

Restaurants

There seem to be more and more Thanksgiving celebrations in Paris restaurants each year, ranging from the very-casual one at the Hard Rock Cafe  (Nov. 28 at lunch and dinner; reserve here or call 01 53 24 60 00) to the very-posh one at Ralph's in Ralph Lauren's elaborately appointed store on the Blvd. St.-Germain (dinner Nov 28, with a set menu at 135€). Reservation by email only please: restaurant.ralphs@ralphlauren.com. Questions? 01 44 77  76 00.

On Thursday, Nov. 28, chef Fabienne Eymard of the Michelin-starred Parisian bistro Benoit invites you for free-range turkey stuffed with wild mushrooms, cranberry and gravy (46€). Details and reservations are here. restaurant.benoit@ducasse-paris.com, 01 42 72 25 76.

This year, the restaurant Sunday in Soho (at 7 rue Saint Marc, hello@sundayinsoho.com) will offer Thanksgiving for three nights (Nov. 28, 29, 30), with two seatings per night. The 55€ adult price includes appetizers, the Thanksgiving feast, desserts and one glass of Champagne or the house cocktail. Kids prices upon request. Reservations are online only, here.

Not what you’re looking for? Thanksgiving is also being celebrated at Joe Allen, Verjus, Harry’s Bar, Breakfast in America, Ô Chateau and Treize au Jardin. 

A Paris Church

At the American Church in Paris (65 quai d’Orsay), Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Saturday Nov. 30 at 5:30 pm. A traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings is 20€ for adults, 15 € for kids. The event is currently open to parishioners only, but any remaining tickets will be available to the general public sometime after Sunday Nov. 17 on a first-come, first-served basis, at the church and possibly online. Also, a special Thanksgiving service will be held Nov. 28 at 12:15, with music, a speaker and a reception afterwards. For more info: reception@acparis.org, 01 40 62 05 00.

Cooking Class with Lunch or Dinner

La Cuisine Paris is once again offering their popular Thanksgiving Cooking Class; in fact this year they’re hosting two! On Thursday Nov. 28 you can choose between a lunchtime or evening class and enjoy the festivities! Find out more and snap up a space here. Info: contact@lacuisineparis.com, 01 40 51 78 18.

SUPPLIES

MyAmericanMarket.com sells lots of things you’ll likely need to prepare your holiday feast: cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin, cornbread mix, gravy, corn syrup and more. They also have ingredients and treats for other holidays, too, such as eggnog and candy canes. They are 100% online and will deliver pretty much anywhere in the world.  The company uses various couriers but plan to order by Nov. 14 to get your goodies sent to you anywhere in France  in time. Specific Thanksgiving foods are on a special page here. contact@myamericanmarket.com, 05 34 50 47 36.

The Franco-American owners of My Little America, Todd and Anthony, hail from Ohio and Brittany and launched their mail-order business to make it possible for Americans to find their favorite foods easily, wherever they might live....and to help French people discover these new products. Today they import a wide range of American foods and ship them throughout France and Europe. For Thanksgiving, they sell cranberry sauce (whole berry and jellied), stuffing mix, turkey gravy, corn muffin mix, corn syrup (light and dark), graham crackers, canned pumpkin, cut sweet potatoes and more. See their Thanksgiving selection here. Their special items for Christmas are already available online too. Plus they sell classics such as Kraft Mac & Cheese, Toll-House Chocolate Chips, A-1 Steak Sauce, Jif Peanut Butter, A&W Root Beer and more. Questions: contact@mylittleamerica.com.

The Real McCoy is the Parisian go-to for American foods, particularly at holiday time.  In their shop (no mail order) they’re selling fresh farm-bred turkeys...or they’ll even roast and package it for you with stuffing and roasting juices. (Be sure to order at least a few days ahead.) Their roast turkeys average 4 to 7 kilos each; they request a 30€ deposit and then charge 11.50€ per kilo. The Real McCoy also sells pecan and pumpkin pies, cheesecakes and a wide selection of Thanksgiving products such as fresh cranberries and canned cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, stuffing mix, cornbread mix, pie crusts and fillings, yams, turkey bags, basters and more. They’re located at:  194 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, 01 45 56 00 00, us.food@wanadoo.fr. No website but find them on Facebook here. 

Above: The much-loved, often-parodied painting is Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want" from 1942. Everyone in it was a Rockwell family member or friend; they were photographed individually and painted into the scene. Learn more about the painting and artist here. 

Two-for-One Meal Deals Oct 1 to 14

From October 1st to 14th, restaurants all over France will be offering special "buy one, get one free" three-course menus in the 9th annual Tous au Restaurant promotion.

Launched in 2010 by superstar chef Alain Ducasse, it's meant to encourage people to eat out: in mom-and-pop bistros, in top Michelin-starred restaurants and everything in between.

So what's the deal? Book online and order the special Tous au Restaurant menu and a second person at the table enjoys the same menu free. (Pas mal!, as the French would say, when something is very good indeed.) Participating restaurants can choose whether to offer the menus at lunch or dinner or both...and on which days at what times. In some cases there's no choice; you eat what the chef is serving. In many cases however, you have multiple choices for each course.  

Last year more than 200,000 people reserved tables to enjoy the promotion in 1500 restaurants. This year, an estimated 2000 restaurants are expected to take part. The booking site went live this morning and restaurants are still being added so if you don't see one you like, check back...but be aware that the most-popular places sell out quickly.

To get started, click here and choose your region or city from the drop down menu. (You might need to play around with it a bit. For example, for Provence you can choose Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur where you'll find all the listings...or choose one of the specific cities that comes up. For Paris you can choose "Paris" or a specific arrondissement.)  Then, click the links to view the restaurants' special menu and prices.  You'll see that most restaurants also publish selections from their regular menu as a convenience...but the two-for-one Tous au Restaurant menu is clearly noted. Then, to see the available dates and times, click the green bar that says Reservez une Table. You'll be asked to choose your day, time and party size...and then be taken to another page to input your name, email, phone and any special requests. I assume they follow up with a confirmation of your booking by email. The site is only in French this year but it's fairly easy to figure out.

If you book and then need to cancel, you can do that through the site as well. If you reserve but don't show, you'll be blocked from making future bookings.

Organizers say the two-week festival is not designed to be a money-maker—many restaurants just break even--but rather to get people out discovering and enjoying. It’s a great opportunity to sample a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try...or to act like a big shot and treat your friends to a fancy meal. Bon Appétit!