Ladies who lunch, Marie-Andrée Boucher, Armelle Tardy-Joubert & Mélanie Paul-Hus of Atout France
Starred chefs, Lionel Levy & Matthieu Charrois
Saint Tropez Tourist Office's Claude Maniscalco with the most famous denizen of Saint-Tropez, Brigit Bardot
Tiny perfect appetizer
At last: a bright blue sky promising that spring will come to Toronto… eventually. A good omen for us, and a nice reflection of the theme of a lovely lunch hosted at the hip Mercer Hotel: the colours of Provence.
We learned from the 11 genial hosts that Provence offers clients 3,000 years of history, landscapes varying in colour from the mountains to the Mediterranean and a sky so pure that it has inspired the greatest artists. Where better to enjoy the art de vivre?
Colour was the perfect theme, from images of endless fields of lavender to the blushing pink of rosé wine, the turquoise of the Med (which can rival the Caribbean) and even the dazzling white snow of ski runs.
As Bruno James, General Manager of the Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur tourist office told us, “Gastronomy is a great way to explore a destination,” and lucky us: our hosts for the luncheon were Lionel Levy and his sous chef Matthieu Charrios from the Michelin-starred Intercontinental in Marseille. The menu included salmon, rack of lamb and pears poached in Provence wine with a crystallized black olive marzipan.
Along the way, we learned that Marseille is a great place for your foodie clients to take a bouillabaisse (classic fish stew) cooking class… and that paddle-boarding – or as the French call it, “stand-up paddle” – is the latest rage there. Wine-loving clients might want to base themselves in the town of Orange, where they can cycle through Châteauneuf du Pap vineyards. There is an extensive Jewish Heritage Route throughout western and southern Provence and anyone with a nose for culture should mark August 14th and 15th in their diary this year: it’s the annual Lavender Fair in the charming medieval town of Sault. Sure to be colourful, bien sûr!
