come get some dirt under your nails in the Luberon : April 26 - May 2, 2014

Do you love Provence?
Do you love wandering in nature, admiring flowers and wild herbs?
Would you like to learn a bit of wildcrafting? 
Learn to forage for wild edibles and how to turn all their earthy goodness into amazing meals?
 
Then "come get some dirt under your nails" in the Luberon 
— from Saturday, April 26 - Friday, May 2, 2014 —
 
Five days of learning, cooking, eating, sipping, and much more with

 Giuseppina of Venice in Provence Cooking School in Goult

and Terresa of la Cucina di TerrESa in Paris.

 

For more information and bookings please contact Giuseppina or Terresa.

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What we'll be cooking :

Cooking classes will be centered around wildcrafting,

featuring dishes that "celebrate the vegetable kingdom” both wild and cultivated, but not strictly vegetarian.

Upon request a simple meat or fish dish can be included

in mealtime menus, but will not be part of the cooking classes.

All dishes taught will be inspired by Provençal and regional Italian cuisine, as well as our own creative additions.

 

  Program : April 26 - May 2, 2014

Saturday, April 26
Arrival day. We’ll welcome you with a scrumptious dinner and an assortment natural wines from the region to compliment our meal.

Sunday, April 27
We’ll head off in the morning to the Coustellet farmer’s market, one of the best in the region, where you’ll meet local producers and learn how to choose the choicest fruits and vegetables from their seasonal offerings. We’ll return to the school and cook up a light lunch. You’ll have time for a short rest before heading out for our first wildcratfing trip.
Giuseppina will introduce you to her “secret gardens.” We’ll fill our baskets with wild vegetables and herbs. Then back for a late afternoon cooking class where you’ll learn how to transform the wild plants we’ve gleaned into a savory dinner.

Monday, April 28
The day will be dedicated to discovering and learning about natural wines. TerrESa will initiate you into the world of natural wine and share with you her knowledge of this fascinating, poetic world.
We’ll have lunch at La Tour Cassée, a typical bistro de pays, with great artisan fare. Then on to visit a couple natural winemakers to taste and procure our wines for the week. We’ll also visit an artisan cheesemaker and bring home an array of cheeses for dinner.
The evening cooking class will focus on how to improvise a savory dinner with “what’s at hand.” We’ll sip on some of the wines from our morning excursion and TerrESa will talk about paring natural wines with vegetable dishes.

Tuesday, April 29
We’ll start the day with a tour of the farmer’s market in the nearby town of Apt, visit a small farm or artisan goat’s milk cheese producer. Then a late morning cooking class and afternoon picnic (weather permitting).
The evening you’ll be free to get some rest, take a stroll around the village, and have dinner in one of the local restaurants.

Wednesday, April 30
We’ll start the day with a cooking class, preparing pasta, bread, pizza dough for Thursday’s gala dinner. After lunch we’ll spend the afternoon foraging then return to the kitchen for the 2nd portion of our cooking class and dinner.

Thursday, May 1
It’s market day in Goult! We’ll meet at 9 am at Café de la Poste, in the heart of the village, for a typical café-croissant breakfast then on to the marketplace to buy victuals for the day. We’ll take a tour of the village before heading back to the school to cook lunch.
You’ll have time for an afternoon rest before the evening cooking class where we’ll prepare an amazing “Italian Fiesta” for our last night together: antipasti of all sorts, delicious home-made pizzas, Italian sweets and more.

Friday, May 2
Five days have quickly come and gone. We’ve met people, made friends, learned many a culinary secret to add to our treasure of kitchen knowledge. It’s now time to bid each other farewell…
But beforehand we’ll have a last café-croissant at Café de la Poste then say arrivederci !

The school :

Located in the village of Goult, the school sits perched on the top of the hill, offering a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains and villages. It comes complete with an authentic Provençal garden and meandering olive grove. Goult is a charming village situated between Gordes, Menerbes and Bonnieux, in the centre of what is known as the “Golden Triangle.”

A bit off the beaten path, it has managed to preserve its authentic village life. The Café de la Poste, just off the town square, is where locals and visitors alike meet. English newsprint is on sale inside. The main street, Rue de la Republique, is lined with small boutiques: a brocante, wine shop, corner food store, butcher, baker…

The teachers :

Giuseppina Mabilia :  I was born near Venice: my roots, my culture, everything I am comes from there. I stumbled on Provence some years ago, fell in love with the land and I decided to stay. That brought on a real change to my life.
My greatest passion has always been cooking. One day someone asked if I could cook for them during their holidays. That’s how my story began. Today I'm a well-known personal chef in the Luberon and I’d love to share with you everything I’ve learned and experimented through these years: cooking delicious, elegant and tasteful recipes that highlight the gorgeous ingredients of the region with a touch of Italian lifestyle. I’m also very engaged in using local ingredients. My primary sources for food are local farmers, les marchés paysans, and what I call “my supernatural market:” wildcrafting in nature.

Terresa Murphy : I'm on a mission to undress vegetables, which I've been doing since 2008 during my la cucina di terrESa cooking classes in my cozy kitchen in Paris, where wanderlust brought me many a year ago.
It's all about coaxing the sublime flavors from the local produce I procure from marketplaces across the city and mingling them with other artisan ingredients—as close to their pristine selves as possible—to create delightful dishes of layered textures, savors and colors that will sing on the plate and palate. Nothing too fancy, as “down-to-earth” is my touchstone, reflected in the inspiration I draw from the inventive flare of Italy's rustic regional cuisine and its many medieval recipes that I've gleaned over the years. 

Price and payment :

— Tuition is 1850 euros per person. A 40% non-refundable deposit is required at the time of reservation. Classes are limited to 8 students.
— Paypal is our preferred method of payment, as it is both safe, easy to use, and allows for payment in your local currency. A request for payment will be sent to you through Paypal at the time of your registration.
— If we must cancel the program for any reason, we will refund all fees and deposits in full. Related travel costs will not be reimbursed.

What's included :

— 1 to 2 cooking classes each day.
— Outings each day (wildcrafting, farmers’ markets, artisan cheese producers, natural wine vineyards). We will have a mini-bus at our disposal for these excursions so that we can all travel together.
— All lunches and dinners except for Tuesday evening, which will be a free night for participants to do as they wish.
— Café-croissant breakfasts on Thursday and Friday
— Beverages (mineral water, coffee, tea, herbal tea) during the classes. Natural wine from the Luberon and Ardéche regions with all meals, specifically chosen for each menu.
— Recipes from the classes in PDF form, list of the wines and related links, as well as any information gleaned throughout the week to be sent in a follow-up email to the class.
— Pick up and drop off at the Avignon TGV train station if coming by train from Paris. There will be one pick up and drop off scheduled (train information sent upon reservation).
— For those arriving on an earlier or later train, there is bus service from the TGV station to Goult. Tickets are 2 euros (bus information and schedule sent upon request), with pick up at the bus stop in Goult.
— For those preferring to rent a car, there are rental agencies at the TGV train station, as well (driving directions to the cooking school sent upon request).

What’s not included :

— Train tickets to the Avignon TGV train station.
— Lodging for the week. Upon reservation, a list of accommodations in the village (BBs, hotels, small apartments) will be sent to you, as well as any further information needed to help make booking as simple as possible.

Legal liability :

— Students must sign a legal waiver (standard to the industry) upon arrival freeing Giuseppina, Terresa and their staff from any legal liability. We assume no liability for injury, delay, inconvenience, irregularity, loss or damage to person or property or additional cost resulting directly or indirectly from the following causes: fire, acts of government, thefts, delays, cancellations or for any other events over which we have no control.
— No refunds will be given for any excursions or meals a participant misses or decides not to take.

Travel Insurance :

We recommend that you purchase separate travel insurance in the event you must cancel your trip, as well as accident and health insurance, baggage and personal effects loss or damage.