My South of France Tips + Takeaways

I just returned from the dreamiest South of France food research trip. I started in Provence then ended my trip on the Cote d’Azure.

Spending a few weeks at a time in different regions of the world to fully immerse myself in the local culture and cuisine has been a dream of mine since my twenties. I feel grateful I get to do that now as part of my dream job in creating global, nourishing menus for all of you!

I’ve been focusing a lot of my travel during the past few years on the Mediterranean because Mediterranean dishes, along with Americana, are among the most popular on our menus. Plus, as you know, we’re huge believers in the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet, which is why we collaborated with Stanford University to validate the benefits of a Mediterranean diet and why I’ve spent weeks living in Ikaria, Greece, and Sardinia, Italy, two of the world’s Blue Zones that are located in the Mediterranean.

I'd describe Pronvencal cuisine as extremely comforting, hearty, and stew-and casserole-based. There’s ample potato and bread to accompany meals as the main sources of carbohydrates, and the primary vegetables used most often are zucchini, tomato, and eggplant. There's, of course, heavy use of both lavender and herbs de provence seasoning, which includes thyme, oregano, summer savory, and rosemary.

One of the tastiest things I had in Avignon was a duck casserole that reminds me of Shephard’s pie. At the bottom of the casserole dish was a wine-braised duck and vegetable stew. It was topped with mashed potatoes. There was no need to add any butter to the dish because the rich flavor of the duck seeped into the veggies and potatoes. This was served for dinner at a tiny and adorable bed and breakfast in Avignon called Bastide de Bellegarde. Funny enough, the owner is actually from the UK and works alongside a local French chef.

As far as fine dining in the region, one of my favorites is Restaurant Dan B. It has a modern minimalist decor that differs from the French country style seen at most other restaurants. Plus, it sits on top of a hill with a breathtaking view. I loved how the staff all wore matching jumpers and immediately Slacked Stephen requesting that we do this for our team uniforms haha! The meal included a flavor combo that I loved: asparagus and leeks. My favorite course was a mouthwateringly juicy guinea fowl served alongside fresh garlic and preserved lemon. This dish definitely gave me inspo as we design this year’s Thanksgiving menu.

Another hotel in Avignon that I loved was La Divine Comedie Suites. The decor was quirky and artsy, including giant animals in their living rooms. The main downside of this hotel is they don’t serve meals there besides breakfast. It’s not a deal breaker as it’s located in Avignon’s old town where all the best restaurants are. Note that it’s pretty hairy driving to this hotel and parking at it as the roads are very narrow. If you aren’t comfortable driving in narrow streets then park outside of the town and walk to the hotel.

Another thing to note is that a lot of restaurants in Provence are closed on both Saturday and Sunday, so make sure you look up the schedules of the restaurants you’re most excited to eat at before you create your itinerary. I learned this the hard way. Restaurant Pollen is supposed to be the best place to eat in Avignon right now and it’s closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so I wasn’t able to eat there because I was only in the area during the weekend.

In the St. Tropez area, I highly recommend checking out a stunning wellness hotel called Hotel Lily of the Valley located on the opposite side of the peninsula. The hotel has a full gym, workout classes, personal training, and extremely healthy cuisine with plenty of dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan options. It also has one of the best spas I’ve ever been to in my life with all the most cutting edge facial treatments plus sauna and steam rooms. The hotel is a 30-minute drive from the party area of Ramatuelle and a 45 minute drive from the touristy port of St. Tropez, but I didn’t find that to be a hindrance. You can also book lunch or dinner at the hotel even if you aren’t staying there.

Dinner at Hotel Lily of the Valley

St. Tropez beachside lunches are a must! I highly recommend Nikki Beach St. Tropez (book a day bed by the pool if you can), Bagatelle St. Tropez, and Shellona if you’re in the mood to party. Club 55 and Loulou have calmer vibes. Be sure to make reservations or you won’t get a table. These are all great places to dress to impress with your favorite resortwear.

I popped into Cannes for a few days during the film festival and stayed at The Carlton Cannes. The hotel was recently modeled this year. It’s gorgeous and has a massive gym. The only downside is the hotel is so big they won’t bring you an iron and ironing board but only have a steamer in your room. This wasn’t strong enough to get the wrinkles out of my linen clothes and evening dresses, so I had to have the hotel iron my clothes for me, which ended up being pricey.

If you’re thinking of doing Cannes for the film festival for the first time, make sure you hit up your network of friends in the movie and tv industries in advance of your trip and ask them to get you onto lists for the private parties. The only fun stuff to do during the film festival at night is attend the private parties. There’s only one club that’s open to the general public, and it won’t be a great experience because it only includes people who couldn’t figure out how to get into the private parties. As a last resort, one of my friends was able to meet people on Tinder who took him to film festival events, so that’s an option as well if you’re single lol! Whether or not you stay at the Carlton or the Majestic hotels, these are hotels you’ll want to pop into during the film festival just for the people watching because they’ll be packed with celebs and models getting ready for the red carpet. It’s so fun seeing women dressed like absolute queens! If you don’t mind staying a little further out from the festival, then try Eden Roc.

Cuisine in La Cote d'Azure is light and impeccably cooked everywhere you go. No overcooked fish or rubbery octopus here. The meals are largely seafood-based and often accompanied with very garlicky sauces like aioli and pistou (French pesto). There is an abundance of garlic, tomato, peppers, and citrus in most of the meals. One of the best things I had was a decadent Nicoise salad. It inspired me to level up our own Nicoise.

Here are 3 new meals our team is recipe testing right now based on my South of France learnings (there will, as usual, be vegan versions of each!):

Provencal Cognac + Pancetta Braised Grass-fed Beef Shin Stew with Ratatouille Batons, Garlic Fava Cauliflower Mash, Firebird Tomatoes, Herbs de Provence Roasted Almonds

Bouillabaisse Wild Cod, Fava Bean, and Cardoon Soup w/ Preserved Bergamot Pistou and Paprika Almonds

Seared Wild Halibut w/ Espelette Pepper + Garlic Rouille Aioli, Fava Ful Medames Stew, Broccolini, Cauliflower, Hazelnuts, Citrus Lav§ender Infused Olive Oil

We can't wait to get these new meals live on the menu for you and hear what you think. If there are any favorite dishes you’ve tried in the South of France that you’d love to see on our menu, let us know and we’ll see if we can add it.

Julie

The 12 best things I ate in Lebanon

I just got back from a food research trip to Lebanon. It was an interesting time to visit Lebanon. Lebanon has for the past three years experienced what the World Bank describes as the “most devastating, multi-pronged crisis in its modern history.” A result of the 2019 financial collapse that was exacerbated by the pandemic and then the 2020 port of Beirut explosion.

Why travel there now? Because my curiosity pulls me toward interesting stories and delicious food.

For those of you who didn’t follow along with my adventures on Instagram, I’ll recap by sharing a list of my 12 favorite things I ate in Lebanon and exactly where I got them:

Let’s start with breakfast.

• I custom designed my own saj at Saj Stories in Beirut. I made one with peanut butter, pear, and rosemary. What a flavor combo! I think I should add an overnight oat with these flavors to our breakfast menu.

• I had a Zaatar manakish from e baladi in Byblos that had the best texture! It reminded me so much of a light and slighty chewy Neapolitan pizza crust.

• The best hummus I had was actually at a breakfast I had at Beit Kanz in Beirut. It had the best texture and flavor of any hummus I had on my trip. Beit Kanz is also an NGO that employs over 1,000 Lebanese women.

• I know this isn’t a traditional Lebanese breakfast, but I was so impressed with the avocado toast with poached eggs and ikura from Meat the Fish. The owner is a total Japanophile and sells tons of Japanese pantry items as well.

Now for lunch and dinner meals.

• I tried traditional twice fried coriander chicken livers from Gemayel Restaurant, just a 15 minute drive from Byblos in the mountains. This dish was the yummiest version of chicken livers I’ve ever eaten. Crispy edges and so juicy and tender. I could eat it every day! Did you know chicken liver is leaner than chicken breast while also being more nutrient dense? I’m thinking of sneaking it onto the menu either as a side or blended into a chicken meatball. What do you think? Also I really love how a lot of Lebanese meat stews are made with either sour cherry or pomegranate molasses. The sweet and sour flavor using these superfoods is interesting to me and I want to add something to our menu with this flavor profile.

• Also at Gemayel Restaurant, I also loved fwaregh, intestines stuffed with rice, meat, chickpeas, and spices. Incredibly juicy, moist, and comforting.

• Lastly, also at Gemayel Restaurant (can you tell I’m a huge fan?!), I tried tiny fig birds. So juicy and the crunch you experience is from the tiny bird bones.

• I’m still dreaming of the falafel from Falafel M Sayhoun in Beirut, the falafel shop that’s infamous because it started out as one shop run by one family and then one brother broke off to open a competing falafel shop right next door using the same logo in a different color. I tried both and preferred the one on the left with the with gold crown. Their recipe famously doesn’t have onion in it because the original founder didn’t want people to have smelly breath during lunch. Their falafel is very crunchy outside and moist inside. I’ve always wanted to add falafel to our menu, but it’s a tricky thing to get right to make sure it’s crispy after it’s been refrigerated. We’ll try, though, because now that I know how tasty they can be, I’m a huge fan!

I loved a traditional Armenian raw meat dish I had called tchi keufte from the Armenian restaurant Mayrig in Beirut.

• I also loved the Mayrig osso bucco with truffles and would definitely order it again.

Here are my two favorite desserts.

• A chocolate tart I had at Cluster 001 coffee shop in Beirut was dreamy. I told myself I’d only eat half but then devoured the whole thing. They make a different pastry every day from scratch.

• Lastly, I loved the za’atar chocolate cake I had at Tawlet in Beirut. I didn’t think I’d like the combo of za’atar with chocolate, but it was to die for! It kind of reminded me of how lavender tastes good in desserts. It tasted like a rich chocolate cake with very subtle herbal and floral notes. I think our avocado chocolate pudding would taste delicious with a tiny amount of za’atar in it. BTW, this restaurant, Tawlet, has rotating home chefs who prepare the kind of dishes often made at home but not usually found in restaurants. It’s part of a larger group called Souk El Tayeb that sells food from local chefs and home producers (you MUST buy the spiced nuts in their shop!) and that also cooks and donates meals to those in need. It’s a must visit if you’re in Beirut!

I feel so grateful I get to experience food from around the world, share my stories with all of you, and design menu items based on what’s inspired me most. I want all of you to feel like you’re traveling through food as you experience our menus as it’s such a fun way to learn, feel connected to other cultures, expand your palates, and be exposed to more plant variety.

To all the foodies out there, Lebanon should definitely be added to your bucket list! You’ll not only eat well but get to experience the warmth and resilience of the Lebanese people. Come with cash, common sense, and an open mind and you’ll leave feeling inspired and connected.

With gratitude,

Julie

P.S. Special thanks to my friend Marie-Helene, a Lebanese hotelier (founder of Villa Clara hotel in Leros, Greece) living in Beirut, who told me where to eat and stay. She recommended I stay at the NGO hotel Beit Tamanna, where proceeds go toward fulfilling the wishes of children. The location of the hotel was the best, right on the main street called Gouraud Street, where there are tons of coffee shops, restaurants, and bars.