Sometimes, you have to wonder why great chefs don’t cut corners. I suppose that is why I am a cook and not a chef; occasionally, it just makes sense to skip a step for the same taste result. The recipe for this Fig and Buttermilk Custard Tart is a great …

Guest Post by Aimee Laurence: French is a difficult language to learn and it’s normal to make mistakes. English speakers especially struggle with certain parts of the French language when it comes down to speech patterns. By knowing what some common French mistakes are, you can save time and confusion …

This really is a Côte d’Azur heartache. When their fig tree produced fruit in huge quantities the whole family indulged in the bounty. Sadly, Jemma found out the hard way that too many figs, fig jam, fig tarts are not a good thing, in her case. The summer Philippe decided …

Yoga in Provence La Belle Vie yoga retreat was in my calendar, but when the weekend finally arrived I was rushed, juggling life. As Pradeep Teotia began his class with his signature “Welcome Home,” all thoughts of my to-do list fell away. The warmth in the room embraced my soul, …

The following is a chapter on the stone Bories of Provence is adapted from Mary-Lou Weisman’s book, Playing House in Provence: How Two Americans Became a Little Bit French. The Weismans arrived in Provence in September 2003 for the first of many visits to the South of France. The couple …

Memoirs Inspired by Provence For many, Peter Mayle’s best-selling novel A Year in Provence was their introduction to the Provencal countryside. Images of the Côte d’Azur have long covered the pages of travel magazines. Still, Mayle’s descriptions of bumbling through a home renovation in the arrière-pays (translation: backcountry or hinterland) shifted …

My wife Val and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence, a town just south of Avignon. There are lots of fun things to do in St-Rémy and one of our favorites is to go to the Wednesday morning market. What’s it like to go to one of the …

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 …

Dining in St Remy de Provence It’s difficult to become certified as a Master Restaurateur in France. Not only do you have to be able to cook at a high level, but everything must be homemade, not thawed or reheated.  When you find a restaurant with a Maître Restauranteur in …