Jewish Food in France

A couple years ago, my friend Joan Nathan, a Washington, D.C.-based food writer and author, called and said she was coming to France, doing research for a new book. I snapped to attention, not just because I love Joan but also because I loved the topic: Jewish food in France. Joan was looking for cooks, stories, recipes, family lore, historical documents--anything that would help her piece

At Home in Provence

Ten years ago, while on holiday with her husband and three children in Provence, Vicki Archer, an Australian, fell in love with Mas de Berard, a ramshackle 17th-century farmhouse in St. Remy. Yep, you know the rest: Vicki and David bought and then set out to restore the house, transforming it, over three years, into an exquisite showcase of Provencale style, all country-chic elegance and ease...

Did I Mention I Wrote a Book?

If you and I spoke at all in 2009 and I was acting a bit mental, here's why--I was writing a book. And this week the book comes out! It's called the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Cookbook and we celebrated it last night with a big party at the very-chic Barney's in New York. We'll celebrate again at the 10th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival--which everyone just calls SoBe-

St. Tropez, Back in the Day

I thought I had finally had my fill of “expat in Provence” memoirs but last night I snuggled in with A Feast at the Beach and am so glad I did. It takes less than two hours to read…maybe three if you savor all the recipes…and it’s a delight. 
A Feast at the Beach (3L Publishing, Sacramento, CA) is William Widmaier’s loving narrative about the glorious vacations (summer, mostly, but also Christmas

Fanfare for Modern French Food

When famed Parisian patissier Pierre Hermé went looking for someone to write his cookbook, Desserts by Pierre Hermé, he chose Dorie Greenspan. When it came time to do his next book, Chocolate Desserts, he asked Dorie again. 
When top New York chef Daniel Boulud signed his book contract, he called on Dorie to help with the writing. 
And when the legendary Julia Child needed someone to pen the

Provence and the British Imagination

On Nov 19 and 20, the Universite de Provence in Aix will co-host "Provence and the British Imagination," a conference (in English) exploring the role of Provence in the British literary and aesthetic imagination, from the 18th century to the present. Speakers will include artist Julian Merrow-Smith and writer Anthony Penrose, who will discus Provence in the work of his father Roland, the 

Today I Would Go to Provence, France...

"If I had no obligations and a private jet suddenly appeared at my front door...where would I go today? Today I would go to Provence, France, mais oui..."
Donna Mulholland is an artist and watercolor journalist who lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. This drawing, of her dream to fly to Provence, is part of an "in flight"- themed sketchbook that Donna is producing for the Brooklyn Art

Win a Trip for Four to Paris

The women's clothing company Talbots is sponsoring a contest inspired by one-time Paris resident Ernest Hemingway and his bet to colleagues that he could pen a complete story in just six words. The Tales of Denim contest challenges you to tell a tale about your favorite jeans in, you guessed it, just six words. For details and to enter, go to Talbots.com (but hurry because the deadline is Sept.

Provence All Over the Web...

I've seen lots of great Provence and France articles online during the last month or so. And because I live to please you, dear reader, I've collected some of the best.  Here you go...enjoy!


In the New York Times, Eric Asimov rated 20 rosé wines from Provence. Read all about it here.


The Times also featured a great piece about the Luburon.


Have any of you tasted Andrea Calek's wines?

Michelin: Best Meal Deals for 2010

Yesterday Michelin released Bonnes Petites Tables du Guide Michelin 2010, listing all the restaurants in the newest Michelin Guide France 2010 with the Bib Gourmand label.

The Bib Gourmand signifies "the best affordably priced restaurants" chosen by Michelin's inspectors, where diners will find excellent value for money.

The new Michelin Guide France 2010, known as the Guide Rouge, will be

Success and Savoir Faire

Mireille Guiliano, who wrote French Women Don't Get Fat, is one of those women who just do things with more grace and style than most. Lucky for us, her newest book divulges more than a few of her secrets.
The author of the bestselling French Women Don’t Get Fat and French Women for all Seasons, Mireille spent more than 20 years as the CEO of Clicquot Inc., the American division of the

Postcards from Provence

If, like I am, you're a fan of the work of Provence-based artist Julian Merrow-Smith, you can now own a lovely 160-page book containing 140 full-color plates of his paintings.

Merrow-Smith is a British artist based in Bedoin (near Avignon), whose still- life paintings are inspired by objets trouvés, pottery and seasonal produce from local markets. His landscapes, meanwhile, represent scenes

Judging a Book By...

Pia Jane Bijkerk has been a stylist her whole life—it just took her a while to realize it. Or so she says on her charming blog called Enhance the Everyday.
Growing up in Australia, she spent days rearranging her bedroom, shaping tableware sets out of backyard clay and "clicking away at the world" with a secondhand camera. In 1998 she graduated with a degree in photo and film and opened a

Jewish Cooking in Provence

My friend Joan Nathan (www.joannathan.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based author who writes about food for the New York Times. She’s almost done with her 10th book, a history of Jewish food and cooking in France, which will be published next year by Knopf. From May 4th to 8th, Joan will be in the Vaucluse area on her final research trip, and she’s looking for any information on the cooking of the

Provence on Paper

Some years ago, after finishing the book "French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France," I did something I’ve never done: I wrote a fan letter to Richard Goodman, the author. He and I went on to become friends and, because I admire his work so much, I asked him to pen something for The Provence Post, on any subject of his choosing. This is what he sent.

What I miss in most of the