the scent of this stew as our native Albertan bison simmers the day away in a slow cooker filled with the warmest flavours spices can impart. If you can’t access bison, as we can here in Western Canada, beef will be a wonderful substitute.

A Visit to Carpentras It is not unusual to find us headed to Carpentras on Friday mornings for the weekly market or shopping for kid’s clothes. Carpentras is a 25-minute ride down the D-7 from the village of Sablet. As we get near, we see Notre Dame de l’Observance Church …

Goat Cheese and Olives The Provencal diet is a Mediterranean one that relies heavily on local produce, seafood, cheese, olives and olive oil. In Provence, locals eat “de saison” focusing on what is in season and fresh at the market. A visitor to the area should certainly try some- if …

Provence Food Trucks When you think of Provence, it’s unlikely that a food truck is a culinary image that springs to mind. However, the number of food trucks in the region is exploding. Most of these trucks are mobile, available to travel to private venues, public gatherings, markets and festivals. …

French Riviera Mysteries It was winter in Maryland when I began writing Murder on the Riviera. Outside my window, all was grey, cold and still, and I felt the need for some warmth, color and gaiety. As I could not change the season, I thought I could, perhaps, change my …

The following is my review of Edith Wharton’s French Riviera, by Philippe Collas and Eric Villedary, and translated from the French by Susan Pickford.  The French title of the book was La Côte d’Azur au Temps d’Edith Wharton. Flammarion, Paris 2002. French Riviera Images When one dreams of Provence and …

A daube refers to a slow-cooked meat stew. The ingredients always include wine, in this case, a white, herbs found in Provence, and usually lamb. Although, daube can easily be prepared with beef or even pork..

I  am deeply moved by Jean-Andre Charial’s philosophical book “Lunch in Provence.” More correctly, it strengthened my conviction that the foundation of great food lies not only in the provenance of ingredients and simplicity of preparation but in emotion and passion while enjoying it. Charial spoke of lovely, outdoor makeshift lunches where just-picked …

This guest post is by Susana Iwase Hanson, the founder of Provence Living Cotignac.  Susana is multi-talented and tri-lingual. She lives with her family in the Var in the beautiful, rural village of Cotignac (read more about her interesting backstory here). But after living on many continents, big city living …

Spring lamb and fresh peas will always be my go-to recipe for Easter. This combination is the culinary equivalent of putting away your winter coats. Fortunately, now that I live on the French Riviera, I no longer have to worry about heavy winter jackets. In Provence, the lamb is grass-fed and delicious.