Welcome to Le Chat Gourmet’s 2022 Vacation in Provence!
Right on cue, the cicadas began singing as the guests arrived, announcing the official start to summer in Provence!
Our sunshine, blue sky filled days were filled with visits to quaint nearby French villages…Châteauneuf-du-Pape for private wine tastings, Roussillon an artist’s delight, St. Remy where we stepped back to the time of Van Gogh and Nostradamus and the weekly market day in Gordes. In addition, we traversed through the Luberon forest hunting the elusive truffle (we found 8!), walked across the ancient (50 A.D.) Pont du Gard aqueduct, cooked classic Provençal dishes and invented new recipes too, learned to play Pentanque, hosted two dinner parties and celebrated the joy of summer in Provence as we strolled through rolling fields of lavender!
Enjoy your stroll through the photos below!
The 2022 ‘Welcome to Provence’ celebration begins with Aperó Time!
Cheers from Provence, Sante!
Let’s get cooking!
We cooked some classic Provençal dishes like Beef Daube…
…and some new creations like this dessert with grilled pineapple marinated
in a homemade fresh lavender & rosemary syrup, served with cassis sorbet
And YES!, French chocolate really IS that good!!
The majestic Pond du Gard!
We enjoyed an old school picnic lunch amongst the vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Private Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine tastings,
at Domaine la Barroche and underground within a vaulted 13th century cellar
And we had guests over for dinner, our French neighbors, Phillipe, Anca and Timo, joined us for a barbecue! We created a special dessert to celebrate our friendship, a decadent chocolate brownie cake decorated with the USA and French flags!
After dinner, Timo taught us how to play Pétanque!
No summertime visit to the south of France would be complete
without strolling through the fields of lavender!
Deep in a ‘secret’ Luberon location, truffle hunting with Robert & Perle
Robert invited us to his home for truffle bruschetta and rosé wine!
Roussillon is an artist’s paradise!
Moody skies in Les Baux-de-Provence
We walked in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh…
…at Saint Paul de Mausole Monastery in St. Remy…
…where Van Gogh painted two of his most famous works, Starry Night…
…and Vincent’s Room in Arles
Merci Beaucoup from Le Chat Gourmet in Provence!