Michelin list of Restaurants in the Department of the Vaucluse (84)

Here is Michelin’s list of restaurants in my old stomping grounds of the Vaucluse a department that includes the town of Avignon and other cities of gastronomic interest .  Click on the link below to see the PDF with all the listings.  It was shocking to see that la Mirande lost its one Star status. [...]

The new Michelin Guide of France

Click this link to get a look at the lay of the French restaurant landscape according to Michelin in 2010. CP 2010_GM france 2010_EN Every year all of France eagerly awaits the release of the Michelin guide.  Some restaurants will have cause for celebration and others will be crying in their café au lait. This [...]

SOBE Wine and Food: All you need is love and a wristband

Today we decide to brave the Whole Foods grand tasting tent.  Six years ago when I went to this event, I was blown away at how many people were waiting to get into the grand tasting tent and how many people were waiting in line to get signatures from the famous chefs.   This food celebrity [...]

Joyeux Saint Valentin

I just wrote a brief post for my good friend and fellow blogger Julie Mautner.   Since Valentine’s day is right around the corner, you must all be thinking chocolate and maybe wine (or Champagne).  Go check out the Provence Post and let yourself be transported to a chocolate factory in the middle of the vines [...]

Soupe au Pistou

Being at home non stop changes my whole routine, but shouldn’t limit what I can do in the kitchen.  My kitchen at home is well equipped and I can still make a lot of nice food without the vast easy availability of food at my former workplace.  I will continue to submit entries to the [...]

France Food and Wine Experience is open for business

France Food and Wine Experience is the name of my LLC which has been somewhat dormant during my tenure at Cook Street.  It is time to bring it back to life during this transitional phase of my career. I am multi talented and multi lingual which translates into versatility and creativity when it comes to [...]

Summary of 2009

2009 was actually an amazing year for me, even if it was not for the rest of the United States and the rest of the world.  It was a year of extreme growth and I entered uncharted territory on numerous occasions.  I had a lot of successes and faced many challenges.  It was also a [...]

Waverly Root

I just finished reading Waverly Root’s “The Food of France”  and it was a delightful read on a country whose food I love and respect.  I also realized upon reading this book that it is the basis for all the regional French lectures we present at Cook Street.  So if any of you are planning [...]

Platter of cheese brought over from France

We have the daughter of a good friend of ours visiting us from France.  Her mother is my good friend Robert Brunel’s girlfriend and owns a chocolate factory outside of Chateau Neuf du Pape: Chocolaterie Castelain. She brought all kinds of chocolate and other delectables from Provence.  More importantly she brought us a selection of [...]

Sad but true. The French are changing their eating habits

An interesting article about the trend in France towards fast and inexpensive lunch alternatives. Le Sandwich Takes a Bite Out of French Tradition By Edward Cody Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, June 26, 2009 PARIS, June 25 — Ah, France, bastion of the three-hour lunch. First comes the appetizer, followed by the main course, then [...]