Another Fine French Book Giveaway!

Just in time for the 2016 travel season in the South of France comes Markets of Provence: Food, Antiques, Crafts, and More by Marjorie R. Williams. This charming guide is perfect for anyone living in Provence...traveling here...or still dreaming of visiting "some day." 

The book comes out May 3 and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, would like to gift two of my lucky readers with free copies.

Marjorie is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based travel writer who believes that exploring markets is one of the most-rewarding ways to immerse oneself in a foreign culture. It's a passion that goes back to her very first sojurn in France around 1980...and one she has explored extensively through the articles she writes for magazines such as Afar, France Today and House Beautiful.

"My first French market was in Fontainebleau," she tells me. "I bought a sundress and a blue mesh bag which I still use...and they always take me back to memories of that trip."

Marjorie's first book was Markets of Paris, written with Dixon Long and published (second edition) by Little Bookroom in 2012.

The new book--which I already have and love--is the result of Marjorie's many months criss-crossing Provence, learning about the villages and markets, talking to the vendors, trying their wares, exploring surrounding areas. And while this research trip wasn't exactly a hardship, she says it definitely had its moments. Such as?

"Well, my rental car had GPS so I didn't think I would need a printed map," Marjorie tells me. "I was following the GPS and not paying attention when, to my great surprise, it led me onto a car ferry. I had no idea if that was mistake and, if so, where I'd end up! Everything turned out okay--it was just a 10-minute ferry ride and indeed a good shortcut--but the shock of it taught me to always carry a printed map.''

And then of course there were all the typical tiny misunderstandings, which happen even to those travelers who speak terrific French. "At a fromagerie stand in the Tarascon market," she remembers, "a vendor kept urging me to try his 'cheap cheese.' And I held back until I realized he was saying 'sheep cheese!'"

Popping up over and over again at all the various markets like certain vendors do, Marjorie got her share of curious looks; they couldn't quite figure out why this woman with notepad and camera was everywhere, asking questions and tasting everything. "And then one day in Arles I had the opportunity to shop the market with Michelin-starred chef Jean-Luc Rabanel," she recalls. "He's very recognizable and well known among the vendors. They certainly took notice of me then!"

The charming 300-page soft-cover features 30 of Marjorie's favorite market finds--the very-best ones and the B list as well. She also serves up local specialties, practical tips, interviews with popular chefs and farmers, delicious photos, maps, restaurant recommendations and more. It's organized by the day of the week to make itinerary planning easy...and small so it can popped easily into a handbag, backpack or glove compartment. You can read more about it here.

Peter Mayle, author of A Year in Provence and many other books set in Provence, finds it "thorough, accurate and mouth-watering."

Luke Barr, author of Provence 1970, calls it "an indispensable...authoritative and seductive guide."

So how to win a copy? Simply leave a comment below, where it says "comments," and tell us why you'd love to have it. Please be sure to leave us your email so we can reach you if you win; signing in with your Google account is not enough. If you're not sure which way is best to sign in, choose "Name/URL." Then put your name or any name in the first field...and your website or blog in the second field. If you don't have a website or blog, you can skip that. Then type your message...but be sure to leave us an email somewhere in your message.

If you want to go ahead and buy the book, it's on Amazon here. 

Marjorie will be doing readings and signings in various US cities in May...see the list here.

And to learn more about her or connect with Marjorie online, check out her website, blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Good luck in the giveaway!

17th Annual Country Fest This Weekend

This looks like fun. It's all weekend and all the concerts (country, blues, Zydeco, bluegrass, honky tonk, etc.) are free.  La Roque d'Anthéron is 15 minutes south of Lourmarin, 35 minutes northwest of Aix. For the schedule and all other info: countryroque.com

March 19: On your Mark, Get Set, Eat French!

On Thursday, March 19, more than 1,300 restaurants in 150 countries will offer special dinner menus designed to celebrate French gastronomy in all its forms.

Participating chefs include some of the top names in French cuisine — among them Paul Bocuse, GuySavoy, Joël Robuchon, Raymond Blanc and Marc Haeberlin — along with scores of other French and non-French chefs working in France and abroad.

Known as Goût de France, the initiative was spearheaded by superstar chef Alain Ducasse and Laurent Fabius, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development. 

The duo was inspired by legendary culinarian Auguste Escoffier, who launched the “Dîners d’Épicure” in 1912. Escoffier’s idea was to promote French cuisine by serving the same menu on the same day in cities all over the globe.

Ducasse says that Goût de France will "honor the merits of French food, its capacity for innovation, and its values: sharing, enjoying, and respecting the principles of high-quality, environmentally responsible cuisine." (The event is also being called Good France, as opposed to the literal translation of its name, Taste of France).

In everything from rustic bistros to gilded Michelin-starred dining rooms, those lucky enough to get a table will enjoy a set-price French-style menu featuring a traditional French apéritif, a cold starter, a hot starter, fish or shellfish, meat or poultry, French cheese, a chocolate dessert, and French wines and digestifs.

The chefs are free to highlight their own culinary traditions and culture, but have been directed to base the meal upon fresh, seasonal, and local products, with an eye to lower levels of fat, sugar, salt, and protein.

Menu prices are at the chefs’ discretion, and all participants have been encouraged to donate 5% of their proceeds to a local NGO promoting health and/or environmental protection.

French embassies abroad will also be involved, staging their own Goût de France dinners with ambassadors present. A grand dinner will be held at the Château de Versailles for foreign ambassadors posted in Paris along with other dignitaries.

After an open call for applications, Ducasse and his 40-chef committee chose the finalists based on the “coherence and quality of their proposed menus.”

Here in the South of France, you can see everyone who’s participating by clicking here. Below is just a selection; most but not all have posted their special menu and price on the Goût de France site.

*Gérald Passédat (Le Petit Nice, Marseille)

*Lionel Levy (Hotel Inter Continental, Marseille)

*Ludovic Turac (Une Table au Sud, Marseille)

*Guillaume Sourrieu (L’Epuisette, Marseille)

*Marc de Passorio (L’Esprit de la Violette, Aix)

*Pierre Reboul (Restaurant Pierre Reboul, Aix)

*Mathias Dandine (Les Lodges Sainte Victoire, Aix)

*Christophe Martin (Bastide de Moustiers, Moustiers)

*Erwan Louaisil (Moulin de Mougins, Mougins)

*Ronan Kervarrec (La Chèvre d'Or, Eze)

*David Cahen (Au Petit Gari, Nice)

*Notel Mantel (Mantel, Cannes)

*Alain Llorca (Restaurant Alain Llorca, La Colle sur Loup)

*Yoric Tieche (La Passagère, Juan Les Pins)

*Benjamin Collombat (Cote Rue, Draguignan)

*Paolo Sari (Elsa, Roqeubrune Cap Martin)

*Jean-Francois Berard (Hostellerie Berard, La Cadiere d’Azur)

*Benoit Witz (L'Hostellerie De L'Abbaye De La Celle, La Celle)

*Reine Sammut (Auberge La Fenière, Lourmarin)

*Xavier Mathieu (Le Phebus, Joucas)

*Robert Lalleman (Auberge de Noves, Noves)

*Thibaut Serin-Moulin (Restaurant Valrugues, St. Remy)

 *Johan Thyriot (Meo, Tarascon)

For restaurants elsewhere in France, click here.

And to find a restaurant in another country, click here.

In the US, there were 45 restaurants participating at last count, and you can see them all listed here.

At his three Bouchon Bistros (in Las Vegas, Yountville, and Beverly Hills), Thomas Keller’s Goût de France menu starts with foie gras cromesquis (foie gras that’s been cured, poached, breaded, and fried, like a fritter), then moves on to saucisson à l’ail (garlic sausage in brioche, with marinated vegetables, Dijon mustard, and garden mâche) and selle d’agneau rotie et farcie (herb-stuffed Elysian Fields lamb saddle with spring beans and English peas with mint-scented lamb jus). The cheese will be Camembert Le Châtelain (with rhubarb compote and black pepper pistachio pain de campagne), and the dessert, an opera cake (almond sponge with coffee and chocolate butter cream). The menu is priced at $65, with wine pairings offered for an extra $45. Seats are still available at all three locations. 

“Even though this is a one-day event, for Bouchon it’s all about paying homage to the core values we embody as a French bistro every day,” Keller says. "For Americans, Goût de France is really about discovering an appreciation for French culture through cuisine that’s responsibly prepared with high-quality ingredients and execution. We’re proud to represent the United States in this worldwide celebration.” 

At Jade Mountain on St. Lucia in the Caribbean, executive chef Jeffrey Forrest has infused his Goût de France menu with a wide range of local ingredients. He'll be serving roasted cabbage with toasted farro, christophene and a lime-curry nage; cured lionfish with passion-fruit caviar; fromage frais with papaya mustard; "wahoo aubergine" and a chocolate mousse made from from chocolate grown and produced onsite. (Full menu details are here.)

"Jade Cuisine embraces the French concepts of culinary exploration and the use of fresh farm-to-table ingredients," Forrest says. "Our resort runs its own organic plantation producing fruits, vegetables and spices such as turmeric, cashews, tamarind, mango, avocado, oranges, tangerines, guavas, papaya, coconut, breadfruit, yams and sweet potatoes. Cocoa plants are numerous on the grounds for guest to see and for the resort to produce their own chocolates.  We completely embrace the French philosophy and principles of high-quality, environmentally responsible cuisine."

So why this promo and why now? No one is addressing that exactly, but French chefs have come under fire in recent years, accused of serving frozen rather than freshly made food, high menu prices, failure to keep up with global culinary trends, failure to innovate, and the sin of “aesthetic snobbery” — meaning hiring only the prettiest people and seating guests according to attractiveness.

Ducasse and his culinary comrades have worked tirelessly to counter these attacks through a wide range of initiatives, of which Goût de France is the latest. ''In the space of around two months, we received and approved applications from over 1,300 restaurants throughout the world,'' he says. ''This is certainly food for thought for all those who love to talk about the decline of French cuisine.” (And what will Ducasse serve on this special night? His restaurants and their Goût de France menus and prices are here.)

“France is well known as the country of art de vivre,” says Parisian chef Guy Savoy, “and cooking, of course, belongs to that art de vivre. As cooks, our craft is to make our guests happy… and we want to share it, show it, promote it." He adds, “French cuisine is built on ancestral know-how, and is wide open to the future.” Savoy’s menu is here, but the dinner (at 380€ per person) is fully booked.

At the restaurant Pavillon in the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, Michelin-starred chef Laurent Eperon calls Goût de France an exceptional way to preserve the ideals and pleasures of French gastronomy. “In my humble opinion as a Frenchman, French is the best cuisine of all!” he proclaims. “I’d love to see Goût de France happen annually. The world could always use more French cuisine!” Eperon’s $160 menu for the occasion is here.

Quite a few chefs told me they hope this will be the start of something big, a regular event that will keep growing as time goes on. "I am so happy and proud to celebrate the French gastronomy in the world!" proclaims Laetitia Rouabah, chef at Allard restaurant in Paris. "Good France was able to gather more than 1300 chefs all around the world and that is wonderful ! I sincerely hope that after this first edition, other initiatives like this will follow to promote the French cuisine all around the world." To see Allard's 85€ menu (140€ with wine pairings), click here.

Ducasse, for his part, says the initiative has already satisfied one of his major goals: to illustrate how French-trained chefs are respecting the traditions of the French kitchen while tweaking them to make vibrant, modern and highly personal cuisine. 

“When I look at all the chefs participating,” he says, “I’m struck by their great diversity... all generations and styles of restaurant are represented. The influence of French cuisine can be seen in this human chain of men and women, whose professional roots extend far back into great French culinary traditions. It’s a brotherhood of professionals who share and uphold the same values worldwide." But, he adds, “The main point of this event is generosity and sharing, and a love for what’s beautiful and tastes good.”

For all the info, visit GoodFrance.com. They’re also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Photos: One thousand chefs in 1300 restaurants worldwide will be serving Goût de France dinners on Thursday night. Top photo: Event organizers gathered for their close up, which in this case was more like a far away. (2, 3, 4) Jade Mountain on St. Lucia, Benoit in NYC and Pavillon in Zurich will all be strutting their best culinary stuff. (5) At Thomas Keller's three Bouchon Bistros, one course will be this herb-stuffed lamb saddle with spring beans, English peas and mint-scented jus. (6) Laetitia Rouabah at Allard in Paris. (7-13) The large number of chefs participating in the South of France include: Paolo Sari (Elsa in the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel), Olivier Rathery (with wife Sylvie) at Le Gout des Choses in Marseille, Xavier Mathieu (Le Phebus, Joucas), Noel Mantel (Mantel, Cannes), Johan Thyriot (Meo, Tarascon), Alexandre Lechene (Le Roc Alto, Saint Veran) and many more. (14) The logo.

Château Shopping in France?

This is kind of fun: HGTV and Magilla Entertainment got in touch the other day, looking for families who are about to buy and renovate "a castle, château or very large estate" in Europe. If that's you and you want to be considered for a new TV series, you should email: castingdirector@magilla.tv. Be sure to include your name, location, phone, photos of yourselves, photos of your new property and a brief paragraph about your story. And if you haven't found the perfect property just yet, you may be in luck...because look what I just found online. This nine-bedroom, 18th-century château above is set on 83 hectares--near Lourmarin and Ansouis in the Southern Luberon region of Provence--and it's for sale. The main house (a Provençal bastide) has more than 1000 square meters of living space, while the property features a farmhouse, hayloft, winery, stables, garages...and even a preserved private chapel with frescoes. It all sits at the edge of a magnificent 31-hectare, wholly private lake. The property is less than an hours drive from Marseille Airport, 30 minutes from Aix. The price is upon request but whatever it is, you're worth it! For more info, click here and then use location Luberon.

Days of Wine and Truffles

Very quickly after I launched my new company Provence Post Travel---arranging amazing vacations in Provence for couples, families and groups of all sizes--I learned how much my clients love activities that get them up close and personal with real life in Provence….the special experiences I arrange for them with artists, farmers, fishermen, winemakers, bread bakers, chefs, guides and more. Travelers these days definitely want to meet interesting locals who love to share their passions.

For example? At our local goat farm, clients love seeing the animals and then tasting the fresh goat cheeses with the farmer who just made them. They love biking with a charming chef who provides a gourmet picnic along the way. They've loved meeting artisan food-makers in Aix and walking in Roman footsteps with an American blogger in Arles. They’ve experienced vineyard barbecues with winemakers and olive oil-tastings with the young woman who tends hundreds of her family's trees and presses award-winning oils. I’ve sent clients out wine tasting with a charming sommelier...to bake croissants and make nougat at a traditional boulangerie…to slice and dice with Michelin-starred chefs…to comparison-taste homemade honey with a third-generation beekeeper…to ride gorgeous horses on a windswept Camargue beach...to tour lush, hidden gardens and learn about the visionaries who created them. I’ve sent private chefs to prepare special dinners in scores of rental villas…and sent kids to sculpting class with my favorite local potter.  This week some clients sipped chilled Pastis in the sunshine while learning to play boules on the village pitch. Loved it!

So now that I know what how appealing these activities are, I’m working on a Menu of Delicious Provence Experiences that I’ll be publishing here soon. In the meantime, here’s one that I just couldn’t wait to share.

Lisa and Johann Pepin are a Franco American couple who moved to the South of France from Chicago in 2003 to take over the Pepin family vineyard and find a better quality of life. (That’s the press release version of the story. What really happened is that Johann’s grandparents really missed him and were dying for him to come home … so they bribed the younger couple by offering up the family farmhouse as a gift. How sweet is that?)

So just like on Green Acres (remember?), the Pepins traded in their high-flying jobs in finance and PR for fresh air, starry skies and organic farming in the bucolic Luberon region of Provence. That was ten years ago. Today their 11-hectare farm Les Pastras (in Cadenet, near Lourmarin) produces grapes, olives, apricots, cherries, plums, apples, pears, pomegranates, figs, almonds, hazelnuts and—wait for it--black winter truffles. Yes, la famille Pepin must have done something right in a past life because they own 50 mature olive trees and another 320 trees (that they they planted themselves—yikes!)  and a stand of oak that regularly produce the prized tuber melanasporum, AKA truffes noirs, AKA Black Gold. They also produce tuber aestivum--white summer truffles--as well.

“Most foodies are familiar with the famous Perigord truffle,” Lisa tells me, “but what they don’t know is that those pricey morsels are the same sort that you find at Les Pastras and across Provence, which is where 80% of black truffles are produced. The Perigord region has just done a vastly better job of marketing themselves to truffle lovers.”    

The olive oils, meanwhile, are 100% organic, extra-virgin and cold pressed, made with olives from trees that were grown in the wild and have never been treated with chemicals of any kind. Also, they don't plump their olives unnaturally using a water-wasting irrigation system; any extra water their trees need comes from collected rainwater.

Because they are just totally cool people all around, Lisa and Johann decided early on that they would give 50% of their olive oil and truffle oil profits to the One Family Orphanage in Dargout, Haiti, where their close friend Kelsey works.  For the time being, the oils are sold only at the farm and online, but they’re currently working on distribution in the U.S. and beyond. So if you visit, be sure to take a bottle or two home! Or order from the website here.

So here’s where the experience comes in: Lisa and Johann are now hosting truffle hunts in both summer and winter truffle seasons. At other times they offer olive picking, grape harvesting, petanques parties and other outdoors events. But their extremely popular truffle hunts are the main event, offered in both Winter (Nov 15 to March 15) and Summer truffle seasons (May 1 to Sept. 30).

In season, truffle hunts are available every weekday except for French public holidays. First you'll learn how truffles are cultivated and truffle dogs are trained, and then you'll sniff out some of your own, with the help of two truffle dogs. Following that, you'll discover the rest of the property, home to wild herbs, vineyards, olive groves and beehives. Then you'll return to the outdoor kitchen to taste three different hors d'oeuvre with truffles, followed by truffle ice cream with truffle honey, and finally a tasting of Les Pastras' organic extra-virgin olive oil, truffle oil and truffle salt. To accompany your tasting there will be Champagne, of course...all you care to drink. And during the tasting you'll learn how to buy, clean, store and prepare truffles once you're back home. The experience lasts at least 3 hours. The cost is 70 euros per adult, 50 euros for kids (10 to 17) and 30 euros for children (2 to 9).

For more info or to book, see the Les Pastras website here. To reach Lisa or Johann directly, email: pepin@lespastras.com. And for more fabulous Provence experiences you can share with family and friends, stay tuned….

Photos: Lisa and Johann do their best American Gothic; Green Acres and black truffles at Les Pastras; 50% of  olive- and truffle-oil profits go to an orphanage in Haiti so order often and order lots!

Music Festival Opens Tonight

The two-week Festival Durance-Lubéron will open its summer 2011 season this weekend, featuring a broad range of musical styles presented in unique venues under open evening skies. On the schedule are Indian folk music, classical and comic operas, and the Marseille-based Bamboo Orchestra presenting their original score for the 1932 silent film classic “Les Gosses de Tokyo.” The Festival Durance-Lubéron is led by Jean-François Héron, who also serves as vice president and principal artistic director.

This weekend, two programs in Lourmarin feature Indian folk music: the Fanfare (Aug 12) and Rajastan Gypsies (Aug 13).

The “buzz” is that the program at the Château Mirabeau  (Aug 20-21) will be exceptional, not only as an original libretto and arrangement, but as a rare opportunity to enjoy the privately owned chateau surroundings. Two other evenings of particular interest are the ApéroJazz and OpéraApéro at the Jardins Magali in Lauris (Aug 16-17) and the full choir performance of Carmina Burana among the ruins of La Tour d’Aigues (Aug 25). My friend who is volunteering says he’s particularly looking forward to the Aug 15 film projection in Mérindol.

Tickets range from free (there is no charge for the opening events in Lourmarin) to 36€ for a double concert evening with a dinner buffet included (at the Château Mirabeau). The average concert costs 15€/person. Tickets may be purchased through FNAC Tickets and France Billets. 

  

For all the info, click here.  If you have questions in English, you may contact Peter Gillespie : p.gillespie@gnmco.com, 06 62 60 33 95.

Must Read: A Return to Provence

Nicholas Delbanco and his wife, Elena, lived in Provence as newlyweds; they returned recently to celebrate their 40th anniversary. His moving, beautifully written then-and-now story ran in the New York Times this week and I didn't want you to miss it--you can read it here. If you love Nicholas' writing like I do, you may want to pick up a copy of his 1989 book Running in Place: Scenes from the South of France, available in a 2001 paperback edition on Amazon here.

Photo: Ed Alcock for The New York Times