Secrets of St-Rémy #3: Favorite Wineries

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

Val and I live part of the year in St-Rèmy-de-Provence, a charming town between Marseille and Avignon. I’ve written a guidebook about the area, An Insider’s Guide to Provence, where I share some of our favorite things to see and do. Now I’ve put together a series of articles I call Secrets of St-Rémy, based on that book

Provence is a wine lover’s paradise, and wine has been made here for thousands of years. You can get any color you’d like—red, white, or pink—because what’s a French meal without wine?

I love Provence’s wines, especially those from around St-Rémy. After some (ahem) deep research, I’ve made a list of my favorite wineries, all of which have friendly tasting rooms with English-speaking staff. Be sure to drop by one the next time you are in the area!

Read all about them in My French Life!

Did Italy Teach France to Cook?

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

If you visit Italy and compliment the food, someone will invariably tell you, “Well, we taught the French to cook, you know. They ate like savages before we rescued them.”

The story goes like this:

Catherine de Medici was the daughter of the Duke of Urbino, of the powerful de Medici family of Florence, and in 1533 she was married off to the future king of France.

Florence was then the home of the Renaissance, the beating heart of European culture. The sophisticated Catherine brought with her an entourage which included her talented Italian chefs. Over the course of her long reign as queen, Catherine’s court developed the first haute cuisine in France.

Is it true? I looked into the question and you might enjoy finding out what I learned.

Read all about it in Frenchly!

Secrets of St-Rémy #2: Favorite Places to Eat

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

St-Rémy is full of excellent restaurants and cafés, and Val and I love enjoying their meals, lingering over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. I’ve made a list of our seven top favorites, places we’ve been to many times, from simple cafés to special-occasion restaurants.

Read all about them in My French Life!

L’Oustalet Maianen Restaurant for Delicious Food

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

Just a few miles north of St-Rémy-de-Provence, in the quiet town of Maillane, sits a restaurant that is well worth the trip. Consider it if you want to enjoy a delicious meal in a comfortable dining room—or on a shady terrace in warm weather. Val and I love L’Oustalet Maianen; it’s one of our favorite restaurants.

It’s also a family affair, with current owner Christian Garino having taken over from his parents some years ago. What started as a snack bar with five tables has grown and evolved to the point that today the Michelin Guide lauds it for “exceptionally good food at reasonable prices.”

Read all about it in Perfectly Provence!

Delicious Fish and Seafood in France

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

I didn’t grow up eating seafood. My family ate fish sticks once in a while and the occasional shrimp cocktail, but that was about it.

Then I married someone who loves seafood, and now we live part of the year in France, where the seafood is amazing and I eat a lot of it. At first I found French menus confusing because there are so many different words for seafood. Sometimes I didn’t know if I was reading about a fish or a fowl!

Now I can navigate the menus, so let me share what I’ve learned.

The French distinguish between poisson (fish) and fruits de mer (seafood, like shrimp and crabs), so I’ve written two different articles. One article is about fish and the other about seafood. In each, I list 10 that you are likely to run across in France. Most will be familiar, but if there is something new to you, consider trying it—you may find it delicious!

Read all about fish in France Today!

Read all about seafood in Frenchly!

Going Gluten-Free in France? Plan Ahead!

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

Six years ago, just after arriving in Provence for the spring, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. This is a total intolerance of gluten, which meant I could never again have a crunchy baguette or a buttery croissant. Horrors!

It took some getting used to, but I’ve learned how to live a gluten-free (and delicious!) life in France. For those like me who are intolerant to gluten, or who know someone who is, I’ve written some guidance for how to go gluten-free in la belle France.

Read all about it in Frenchly!

A Conversation with Cheese Expert Emily Monaco

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

Cheese is one of the glories of French cuisine, but choosing among hundreds of French cheeses can be intimidating. If you have ever been to a French restaurant where they wheel out a big “chariot” covered with dozens of cheeses, and ask you to pick what you’d like, you know what I mean.

To learn more about French cheese and cheese etiquette, I spoke to expert Emily Monaco, an American who has lived in Paris since 2007. Her obsession with all things delicious – but especially cheese – has led her to build a career giving food tours of Paris’s Marais district with Paris by Mouth. She also writes about food and drink for publications including The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and EatingWell.

Learn more about cheese in this fascinating interview in France Today!

Asparagus Season in France

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

With spring comes the sound of birds singing, daffodils in bloom, and trees beginning to leaf. These are all lovely, but for me the real start of spring is when asparagus arrives in our local French market.

In France, fruits and vegetables are mostly seasonal, so winter is not my favorite time of year. Potatoes and parsnips, anyone? Sure, you might find blueberries in Paris, but only if you frequent the specialty shops. For most people, like where I live in Provence, what you eat is what’s in season.

That’s what makes the arrival of the first asparagus so exciting. It’s finally springtime! Asparagus not only heralds the start of spring, but also the beginning of a long series of new arrivals in the market. Next come strawberries, then a whole flood of goodies – cherries, melons, stone fruits, and on and on.

Read more about asparagus season, including a great recipe, in The Good Life France!

The Star of the Show: Gougères French Cheese Puffs

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

Want to impress the guests at your next party? Then serve them gougères.

Gougères (pronounced goo-zhair) are French cheese puffs, crispy on the outside and bursting with delicious cheesy flavour. The first time you bite into one, it is a definite “wow” moment.

They are not hard to make and–even better–you can make them ahead of time and just warm them up when your guests arrive.

Read all about this French specialty in France Today!

Meet Master Chocolate-Maker Joël Durand

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Keith Van Sickle

“As a young boy in Brittany,” says Joël Durand, “I had three dreams—to be a chef, a pastry-maker, or a race car driver.” A smile crosses his face. “My parents made it clear that driving race cars was not in the cards, so I started cooking when I was six.”

Durand quit school at 14 and apprenticed as a pastry maker. His talent quickly became apparent because within three years he had professional certifications not only as a pastry maker, but also as a confectioner, chocolatier, and ice-cream maker. And that was just the beginning.

At the age of 17, Durand was hired by not one but two restaurants simultaneously, managing dozens of makers. And these were not just any restaurants, but top destinations—one had a Michelin star!

Durand eventually moved to Provence, where today he focuses on chocolates, infusing them with dozens of flavors. His reputation has expanded across France and he is considered the best chocolate maker in the region. A visit to his chocolaterie is a highlight of any visit to St-Rémy.

Learn more about this master chocolate maker in Perfectly Provence!

Life in Provence

Keith Van Sickle

Tag Archives: Food and Wine