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Last year, we hosted the Gemma Wade of “You Say Tomato Cooking” (meal planning, recipes, cooking classes and more) here in Cotignac. Gemma is a talented cook, turns fresh, basic ingredients into delicious dishes with ease. She was impressed by our Tuesday morning farmer’s market in Cotignac, one of five …

Alexis Steinman is an American, an explorer and a storyteller who has chosen to live in Marseille. Fully bilingual, Alexis settled in Marseille in September 2017. The city continues to feeds her curiosity and her stomach. For this talented writer, the port city offers endless opportunities to share the stories …

Provence is famous for many things. It’s a hotbed of culture, with many notable painters from the region, or living there for a while. The list includes Vincent van Gogh, who lived in Provence from early 1888 to the Spring of 1890, and Pablo Picasso, who spent each summer on …

What should I take home from Provence? Expect a sensory overload on your first (and every) visit to Provence. In mid-summer, purple-blue lavender rows contour the landscape. Market stalls brim with seasonal produce from blood-red cherries in the spring to the makings for ratatouille in late summer. Then there is …

Fountains and Roman Baths Aix-en-Provence is known as the City of Water. Settled in 122 BC by the Romans who found natural springs, they called the city Aquae Sextiae after one of their important consuls Sextius Calvinus. The “Waters of Sextius” provided the population with water (both hot and cold) …

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 …

Savoury tarts are something that French cooks do just as well as those tempting sweet creations. This Tomato Tart made with homemade confit tomatoes is a breath of summer any time of the year. Of course, we all dream of those summer days when you can pick tomatoes in your …

In recent years, my husband, Alain Poirot, discovered a passion for photography. Although he has travelled extensively, one of the many benefits of living in Provence is that nature is literally outside our door. Nature Nearby Photographic passion is a little more than the iPhone snap. It means making multiple …

Riviera Road Trip Aix-en-Provence can be cold in the winter. To stay warm, we wore our puffy jackets, shopped for sweaters, and walked on the sunny side of the street. When canary-yellow bunches of mimosas appeared in the market, it was a sign that spring was close at hand. Flowering …