The 2021 weather disadvantaged winegrowers in France and Provence. Frost, fire, hail and even turtles made it worse. So how will the wine vintage 2021 be after all these worries? 2021 Provence Vintage After a tough 2020, the new year began in the same way. The Covid-19 restrictions continued, as …

One of the Christmas traditions in Provence is called Cacho-Fio or Light the Fire. In Provence, Christmas evening begins with this ancient pagan custom. Cacho-fio is a ritual for lighting the Yule log (calendau, in Provencal) on the evening of December 24th. Together the youngest and the oldest of the …

Who doesn’t love a good family mystery? My father Daniel Augsburger was born in Switzerland. His mother was French and at a young age, the family moved to the South of France. He came to the United States in 1939, just prior to World War II for college and to …

In France, the school calendar follows a rhythm of intense periods of study followed by well-deserved breaks. As a result, the vacances scolaire (school holidays) occur on roughly the same dates year-to-year, which allows families to plan their holidays well in advance. There are three school zones (A, B and …

Pretty Eygalières Located on the northeastern edge of the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles, the hamlet of Eygalières has an official population of about 1,900 residents. However, when second homeowners and short-stay visitors descend upon the village in the summertime, the population swells well beyond the formal count. The setting …

What’s for dinner? It is a question I have asked myself daily for the past 400 days. Yes, I have cooked every meal since mid-March 2020 at home. No restaurants, no take-out, nothing. But, if you know me, I enjoyed it, especially these cumin-roasted pork chops. In the spirit of …

The Stunning Alpilles The landscape of the Alpilles is not exactly the land of milk and honey but rather a harsh alpine climate that supports the growth of grapes and olives. Known as the Alpilles (small Alps), this 30km band of jagged limestone cliffs and scrub brush is a protected …

This chocolate and pear tart is a perfect dessert for autumn. Chocolate and pears are a magnificent marriage of flavour and texture. For this dessert, I also created a leaf design with raspberry coulis and caramel on a white plate (using squeeze bottles) and blended the colours with a synthetic …

Beautiful Alpilles Established in 2007, the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles covers the mountain range and its flanks. As a protected natural area, there are restrictions on construction and park usage. However, the artifacts from human settlements discovered in these hills date back to the Neolithic era, and the range …

One of my favourite desserts is seasonal fruit tarts (tartes aux fruits). These tarts also make nice afternoon treats. So, I make them all year with local, in-season produce. In California, you find puff pastry sheets at most grocery stores (Ralphs, Gelson’s) and at French supermarkets like Carrefour or Intermarché. …