Join Lisa and chef Francois on a culinary adventure to the south if France next June 18-22. I’ll hopefully be meeting you for a Bouillabaisse lunch when you’re here. See below for the special Curious discount.

Provence Culinary Adventure with Pistou and Pastis

Your Guides Lisa and Francois are enthusiastic francophiles and incredibly passionate and French cuisine. All you have to do is check out their Pistou and Pastis Facebook page recipes to see that they know what they’re talking about.

François de Mélogue grew up in a very French household in Chicago. His earliest attempts at cookery began with the filleting of his sister’s goldfish at age two and a braised rabbit dish made with his pet rabbits by age seven. He eventually stopped cooking his pets and went to the highly esteemed New England Culinary Institute where he graduated top of his class in 1985.

Chef François de Mélogue has over 30 years of cross-cultural culinary experience and brings an impressive culinary history and a unique Mediterranean cooking style. After graduating top of his class from the notable New England Culinary Institute, Chef François began his career in a number of highly acclaimed kitchens across the country, including Chef Louis Szathmary’s restaurant The Bakery in Chicago, Old Drovers Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property in New York and Joel Robuchon Gastronomie restaurant in Paris, before opening award-winning restaurant Pili Pili in his hometown of Chicago, rated in the Top Ten new restaurants in the World by Food and Wine magazine in 2003.

Lisa de Mélogue is obsessed with creating organization and weaving fun and education into everything she encounters.  She has over 15 years of hospitality experience doing everything from managing restaurants and tasting rooms (including world-renowned Duckhorn Wine Company and Roederer Estate), conducting educational wine classes to hosting wine and food events of all sizes.  Lisa is a Francophile who loves all things French and is thrilled to share her passion and love with the group.

Explore Marseille and the French Riviera with your eyes, but most importantly, your tastebuds. 

“This extraordinary jam-packed Provencal adventure starts with artisanal pastis and bowls of golden sunshine, bouillabaisse, slathered in aioli and rouille in Marseille, France’s oldest city and considered the ‘front door’ of Provence, then winds through the narrow streets of Vieux Nice sampling the best street food (think porchetta sandwiches, socca and pissaladière) and finishes atop Haut Cagnes Sur Mer, a 13^th century medieval town overlooking the heart of the French Riviera with several glasses of rosé and hands-on cooking classes. Along the way, there will be pétanque lessons, a truffle hunt and plenty more!”

Sense of humour mandatory! If you lose in a game of pétanque with no points, you’ll have to kiss Fanny! See my article about The Art of Kissing Fanny.

The Culinary Adventure Itinerary:

1. If you’d like to Pay in full – choose pay in full and use coupon code curious25 to get 25% off.
2. Pay deposit now; remainder later – choose pay deposit to secure your spot.  Pay remainder by Nov 30 and use coupon code curious25 to get 25% off.

Quick Questions:

Dates: June 18-22, 2019

How many people on the trip?: 10

Where: Marseille, Luberon, Cagnes sur Mer, Nice and more.
How Much?: $2,499.00 (USD)

CuriousProvence Discount?: 25% off

What is Included?: All activities, food, libations & transport as detailed in the itinerary are included.

Not Included?: Airfare & Lodging

Requirements?: Love of food and wine!

See all details on the Pistou & Pastis site.

The trip is limited to just 10 spots, so act quickly if you’re interested!