Classes
The What...
A week spent in the countryside of southwestern France with daily visits to farmers markets and small farms, hands on cooking lessons and stops at the various local spots of interest.
When the itch is strong to explore, we'll set out to taste cognac at one of the neighboring producers, head to the coast to open oysters and devour bowls of mussels or simply dive into the nearby Charente River to refresh.
It's a chance to unplug, to immerse in the calm rhythm of country life for unhurried meals, long walks and even the occasional sieste.
The Where...
A little over two hours south of Paris, the Poitou-Charente sits snugly between the Loire Valley and the Dordogne. It's a quiet rural setting, dotted by small villages, easy flowing rivers and soft low hills of vines, wheat, corn and of course sunflowers.
This is the region where cognac is produced, but also of brilliant goat cheese, duck and wild boar along with the oyster fields and fruits de mer on the coast.
While the cities of Poitier, Angoulême and La Rochelle will provide a vibrance, there are also churches of Roman origin, cemetaries with Knights of the Templars returned from crusade and even the mystical dolmens, ancient pagan alters said to pre-date the pyramids.
But the real bright lights of the region are simply the kind and thoughtful people who live there, who shaped a life appealing and uncomplicated.
The When...
As we live in an unusual time, so to is the uncertainty of the present schedule. Please stay in touch, better yet sign up in the "Contact" section to hear when we'll be starting back up.
What is certain, this time will pass and the meals will be served, the wine poured and the laughter will flow.