Cooking Classes in Uzès I’ve been to about six local cooking classes offered by cooking schools in the Luberon, Alpilles and the Languedoc. I have to say, Le Pistou Cooking School, owned by Petra, is one of my favourites. Petra’s kitchen is located down a little road in the centre …

Brioche à la Praline is a sweet treat from the gourmet city of Lyon. The recipe from the Mirabeau Wine kitchen is festive, perfect for guests or for that special someone. Don’t forget the rosé!

Pink Pralines are pink sugar-coated almonds, and a specialty from the city of Lyon, also known as the French capital of gastronomy.

For most people, Tuscon, Arizona does not spring to mind as a foodie capital, but if you are “into” food the city has a surprising culinary vibe. Marc and I moved to the desert city without much of a plan. We took a leap of faith, quitting our jobs and selling …

Sadly, restaurant meals do not always live up to our expectations for service, food quality, price and ambiance. We asked Susana Iwase Hanson the founder of Provence Living Cotignac for her top picks for restaurants in the Haut-Var. Why Visit Haut-Var The Haut-Var is filled with striking scenery, hilltop villages and …

Navigating the streets of Uzès on a market day is not for the faint of heart, add some road construction to the mix, and it gets a bit spicier, but I was determined. On the agenda, was a hands-on cooking class at le Pistou Cookery School, and the promise of …

As summer segues into fall, I cannot help but hope summer will linger on just a bit longer. It’s not the Pacific Northwest’s impending rainy season or even the imminent cold weather that I fear, it’s just that no other season expresses Provence more succinctly. Fall in Provence Summer is …

Where are the vegetables? Do you find yourself grappling with the “myth” of French gastronomy? French Riviera Green Cuisine Expecting to eat mightily well in France, I think the most commonly penned critique among omnivores, is the lack of vegetables. Frustrating of course, and even more so for visitors who are …

French Riviera Jazz Tunes Summer on the French Riviera and in the Alpes-Maritimes (department #06) residents are really spoilt by the choice of low cost, or free, fabulous assaults on the eyes and ears. The Nice Jazz Festival 2018 with its 70th edition, promised a rich programme, which I am …

Mention Provence as a destination to your friends, and most people have either been and want to return or are dreaming of their first visit. Gayle Padgett and her husband “flirted” with Provence for two decades, often travelling during their vacation time from US government jobs in Germany. As their …

From the bright lights of one of the world’s biggest cities to a rural village in the South of France, Susana Iwase Hanson has plenty of experience with relocations. Tri-lingual (English, French and Japanese) and armed with diplomas in linguistics, and international business and marketing, she launched Provence Living in …