Truffles & Truffles: Paris to Provence
Dates for 2021 TBD
A selection of gânache-filled chocolates from Avignon chocolatier Aline Géhant.
Do you share our love of chocolate?
Decadence, flavor, mastery… Visit some of the best chocolatiers in France. Sample their wares, meet the artists behind the creations, discover their exquisite boutiques.
Late February is a magical moment of transition: the last weeks of black truffles season - delicious to shave on omelets and pasta - and the appearance of the first goat cheeses at market. Winter is departing, spring is making its appearance.
Join me, your interpreter & guide to French culture and award-winning, Michigan chocolatier Jody Hayden, owner of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates in Empire, Michigan as we tour chocolate filled cities.
Eight Days of Chocolate, Truffles, Feasting, Wine and so much more!
Day 1 - Welcome dinner at our rental home in Provence
Day 2 - Visit Avignon chocolatier Aline Géant, tour of her chocolate shop, explore Avignon, free lunch, chocolate class with Jody, dinner prepared together at the house.
Day 3 - Provençale Artisan visits: baker, olive oil mill and St Rémy de Provence chocolatier Joël Durand, explore the village nestled at the base of the Alpilles hills; dinner in the countryside with goat cheese maker Claudine
Day 4 - Visit Les Halles in Avignon - lunch free - Afternoon Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine tasting with chef-sommelier Guy Brémond of Cave St. Charles, collaborative dinner in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Day 5 - Head to Paris by the morning train; visit the famous Valrhona Chocolate Factory on the way; dinner in Paris together. Accommodations in a lovely hotel.
Day 6 - A day to explore Paris sites, free lunch, museums, & shop.
Day 7– Multiple chocolatier visits and tastings. Lunch together at a local bistrot. Goodbye dinner in Paris restaurant.
Day 8 - Take the bus to the airport. Travel safe!
Price per person TBD.
______________________________________________________________________
Optional add-on Pre-Tour:
Bordeaux : Three Days of Wine & Chocolate
Day 1 Meet-up at the Bordeaux Train Station - Stay in beautiful in-town 3 star hotel. Dinner together.
Day 2 Bordeaux – winery visits in the beautiful village of St. Emillion. Lunch together in the village, free dinner.
Day 3 Bordeaux – Visit the shop of the award winning woman chocolatier Hasnaâ, named the top chocolatier of 2016 by the Club Coqueurs de Chocolat, then head to the Cité du Vin to learn about wine and the Grands Crus of Bordeaux. Lunch together, free dinner.
Day 4 Depart Bordeaux by train to Avignon - picnic lunch on the train; dinner together with the rest of our group joining us at this point in the tour.
Add-on fee TBD
Sea salt topped chocolate tart in toasted hazelnut crust.
Payment can be made by credit card (in full) or by check (half with your reservation and the remaining balance one month before departure). For the address to send the second option please email me by clicking on the envelope icon at the bottom of this page.
The closest international airport is Marseille Marignane - an hour by taxi (expect to pay about 120E for the taxi ride, though Uber has arrived in France and is now an option).
Alternatively, you can fly into Paris and take the TGV to Avignon (the train station is located inside Charles de Gaulle airport). Be sure to opt for a train ticket with an extended window and/or insurance so that should your plane be delayed (winter travel), you do not forfeit your train ticket.
You might also consider a longer trip to France/Europe and spend a couple days in Paris or up north before taking the train to Avignon.
The tour begins with a welcome dinner on the first evening and concludes after breakfast on the last day.