Culinary Vacations

The Week in Uzès – French Culinary holiday package is an opportunity for food lovers of all levels to partake in a 6-day French Culinary and food & wine touring experience, in the beautiful Gard Provencal. You are on the doorstep to Provence and you can feel it and taste it in all aspects of this program! Our focus will be on Mediterranean and Provençal cuisines but will also include classic and modern regional French cuisines.

Your 7 nights in Uzès will be spent at a beautiful guesthouse with your fellow classmates. Group size is limited to 6 people maximum and you are more than welcome to come either alone or accompanied by a loved one.

You will spend the 6 days of classes & tours (including both half-day and full-day activities), together not only cooking but also visiting local farms, tasting wine, cheese & olive oil, & visiting local markets. Activities vary by season.

All classes are taught in English by experienced French chef-instructors & wine specialists.

Schedule: Our program weeks run from Saturday to Saturday

Week in Uzès Sample Program

The following is a sample program for our Week in Uzès – French cooking vacation in the South of France. The program is subject to change due to weather or availability of our partners. A more definitive program will be given to you on the day of your arrival. Barring any changes in weather and the desires of the group, this final program will be what you can expect for the week. We ask that you try to be understanding about any slight modifications that will not affect your overall enjoyment of the program.

Sample program for our 2019 sessions. This is an example to help you create an image of the week we have in store for you and is subject to change based on season and availability.

Saturday arrival

DAY 1:

Arrival at the house/Welcome dinner cocktail

Arrival at the guest house after 4 PM. If you do you not wish to have your own transportation, group pick up at Avignon TGV at 3 PM.

To get you excited about the week ahead, we have arranged a “cocktail dinatoire” at the guesthouse. A chance to meet your chef instructor and the team who will be part of making your French cooking vacation spectacular. Meal included.

DAY 2:

Start the day off with a light breakfast of delicious French pastries, bread, & jams

1/2 day winery tour and tasting with local wine specialist. Enjoy a fabulous morning tour with our wine specialist as your guide and discover one of the family run wineries of the region. Light lunch will be provided.

Free evening

DAY 3:

1st day of class

The morning will start with a French continental breakfast at the guesthouse. You will be picked up and taken to the school to start your first day of cooking including preparation of the lunch that we will enjoy together. After lunch, we will take a tour of a local cheese producer, a chance to stretch our legs and take in the countryside.

Evening wine and food pairing course with our sommelier. Because sometimes you have the wine before you’ve planned the meal. No further dinner plans required.

DAY 4:

Morning in Nîmes

Start the day with a French continental breakfast at the guesthouse. Out of the kitchen and into the market. Tuesday is a day to explore the covered market of Nîmes to select not only what we will eat for our picnic lunch but also get a crash course into delectable French produce. We’ll also have an opportunity to take in a bit of the history of this UNESCO world heritage site contendor.

After our exploration and shopping at the market, we will head back to the school to prepare our lunch for the day. We’ll also work on prepping some bread and other recipes that we will complete throughout the week.

Evening free. We would be happy to offer suggestions for any dinner reservations if you’re still hungry.

DAY 5:

Wednesday Market day in Uzès

The morning will start with a French continental breakfast at the guesthouse. You will be picked up and taken to the Uzès “marché des producteurs” taking place on the Place aux Herbes. Take in this beautiful medieval city and shop like a local with chef Eric for seasonal produce to take back to the school and prepare together for a 4-course luncheon. After our lunch break, we will resume cooking.

Early evening Apéritif at the Pont du Gard

Evening free post apéro.

DAY 6:

Déjeuner sur l’herbe

DAY 7:

Final cooking day
The morning will start with a French continental breakfast at the guesthouse. Off to class to prepare our lunch for the day. You will head back to the house after lunch to relax and perhaps take a dip in the pool.

For our final evening together, we will take you out for a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

DAY 8:

Departure Day.

A French continental breakfast will be served at the guesthouse before check out and pick up for the return to Avignon TGV at 10 am.

(Please note that this is a sample itinerary to give you an idea of what to expect during your week in Provence).

• Bouillabaisse
• Aioli (sauce and dish)
• Brandade de Nîmes Octopus salad
• Mussels and saffron soup, Mouclade
• Breads: Country breads, baguettes, Brioche
• Croissant
• Bull stew Camarguais (Daube de Boeuf Provençal)
• Stuffed lamb shoulder
• Rabbit or pork terrine de campagne or pâté en croûte
• Ratatouille
• Stuffed Zucchini blossom
• Tarte aux fruits
• Poached fruits
• Soufflés
• Flan and clafoutis
• Chocolate cakes and ganache
• Ice-cream
• Cookies (madeleine, financier, diamants)
• Gougère (pate a chou fromage) Tapenades
• Anchoiade
• Preserved lemon
• Pissaladière

** This is a hands-on class where you will get to participate in the preparation of numerous French specialities. Some recipes will require working collectively both for their realization as well as to limit unnecessary food waste but don’t worry you will have plenty of opportunity to get your hands dirty. We will plan on baking or prepping bread everyday of class.

The examples of dishes we may do in class together is not fixed. All recipes are based on seasonal availability as well as time constraints.

The program week is modifiable under the same conditions.