If you’ve been to France, you’ve probably had a luscious pain au chocolat for breakfast (they are irresistible!) Or maybe some croûtons in your salad. And if you were feeling adventurous, perhaps a few escargot drenched in butter.

I was surprised to learn that not all French people use the terms pain au chocolat, croûton, and escargot! There are regional variations in France, as in a lot of countries, and a French professor has written a fun book about them. Now I know that if I’m in Toulouse, I’d better order a chocolatine if I want that breakfast treat.

Read about some of these interesting regional terms in My French Life!

Jane Satow is an American who has lived in France for 20 years. She has built a sterling reputation as a private chef (TV personality Stephen Colbert is a client) and runs cooking classes for small groups. These are held in a charming old building with a professional kitchen, in the center of St-Rémy.

Jane recently invited Val and me to join one of her cooking classes and it was a real treat. We started by shopping in St-Rémy’s weekly market, then moved to Jane’s kitchen where she put us to work. It was a lot of fun–learning recipes and cooking tips from Jane, chatting with our classmates, and enjoying an apéro on her sunny terrace before digging into our meal. Highly recommended!

Read all about our cooking adventure at Perfectly Provence!

One of the glories of France is its cuisine, and each region has its own delicious specialties. Along the country’s Mediterranean coast, you’ll find three culinary cousins to tantalize your tastebuds. They are made from the same ingredients, but in very different ways.

Panisse, cade, and socca are found from Marseille to the Italian border, and they share a common ancestor: Italy’s farinata. Centuries ago, Italian workers from Liguria brought this poor man’s dish with them as they labored in France.

The key ingredient is chickpea flour, which is common in the area because it thrives in dry climates and poor soil. Popular among the poor because it was cheap, today chickpea flour has gained new popularity because it is not only delicious and nutritious, but also gluten-free. And easy to make!

Learn about these three French specialties at The Good Life France!

I’m sometimes asked about my favorite wines, and there are a lot of them, but I always come back to France’s Rhône Valley. It’s long and skinny, going from Lyon almost to the Mediterranean Sea, and it has wonderful wines at all price points.

I’ve written a couple of guides to these wines, nothing too complicated or wine geeky, just some basic information that might be helpful to someone interested in learning more. This first guide is to the northern Rhône, because the wines are different in the northern and southern parts of this long region.

Read about some of my favorite wines in The Wine Scribes!