Festival de la Gastronomie Provencale

[Sarabeth]

This 2 July will be the 15th annual festival in tiny Chateauneuf-le-Rouge. Has anyone been before? You can see part of last year's program on the town's website, but I can't seem to find this year's program anywhere online. It looks fantastic though and I think we'll definitely try to make it.

[bleudauvergne]

I have never been to that festival, but it really looks like lots of fun.

VisitProvence.comhas a short writeup in their calendar for the event. They set up large tents and have 12 different chefs preparing dishes, starting at 1€ a plate. Wish there were more details. I called the mayor's office and unfortunately they don't have any info other than a paper brochure, which I have asked them to send me.

[Dave Hatfield]

Found a marginal amount of more information at slow food

Not much, but may help a bit.

[Sarabeth]

I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I figured that an hour and a half drive would be more than worth it if it was good, and if it was bad, well, Aix is only about 10 minutes away.

It turned out to be an incredible experience. You could easily miss Chateauneuf-le-Rouge since it is literally a speck on the N7 just east of Aix. You could drive right by while looking at the magnificent cliffs out of the driver’s side window. It would seem, though, that this is no hidden secret as the place was packed with people from all over southern France: Marseille, Montpellier, Arles, etc.

Everything was arranged in a concentric U shape (wow, I hope that makes sense), except for the communal tables which were tented and placed squarely down the main street of the town. The outer U was reserved for the kitchens and booths of the “Maitres Cuisiniers de France” and the inner U was for “Les Proprietaires Récoltants” and “Produits du Terroir”. There was also a space reserved for Slow Food France (they are one of the sponsors), where demonstrations and tastings were held throughout the day.

The restaurateurs were:

Francis Robin, Le Mas Du Soleil, Salon-de-Provence

René Berges, Le Relais Sainte-Victoire, Beaurecueil

Serge Peuzin, L’Auberge Du Luberon, Apt

Alfredo Faiola, La Goccia D’Olio, Cassis

Michel Meissonnier, L’Ermitage Meissonnier, Les Angles

Pierre Paumel, La Sommellerie, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Christian Ernst, Le Charles Livon, Marseille

René Bérard, L’Hostellerie Berard, La Cadière d’Azur (Michelin starred)

Jean Sébastian Gentil, Les Sarments, Puyloubier

Frédéric Lacave, La Flamant Rose, Arles

Florent Saugeron, La Sardine De Marseille, Marseille

And how much did it cost to eat their wonderful offerings? Every dish was between 3 and 4 Euros, and each chef offered at least 4 or 5 choices. It amazed me that here were fabulous chefs (they were all present) cooking real food in portable kitchens, not just serving up cold entrées or “ideas” of what they normally served. The few that I spoke with were genuinely happy to be there… even though it was sweltering outside, so I can’t image it what it was like under their tents.

I ate a cold pressed rabbit terrine with red onion jam from Francis Robin. I have to say that I am not normally a terrine fan because I cannot stand the texture of aspic. This was fantastic, however, as there was more tender, not mushy, meat than aspic and it was a perfect hot weather dish. The onion jam was an excellent accompaniment, just sweet enough to complement the seasoned rabbit.

I also ate what was billed as “Marbre de poireaux a la mousse de canard”. You might see a trend here… I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything hot, since it was around 100F. This was offered from René Bérard. I expected the kitchen with the Michelin star to be more mobbed than the others, but the crowd seemed to appreciate each chef equally. This was a lovely presentation and the contrasting texture of the leeks with the creaminess of the mousse was perfect. The mousse was incredibly smooth and honest. You knew you were eating duck.

I finished my meal with a “candy bar” from Christian Ernst. It was a somewhat ingenious idea: take a thin slice of almond bread and toast it. Spread it with a fig jam. Top that with fresh chevre and roll the entire thing in a mix of nuts. It was, quite literally, finger licking good.

The wineries represented both Cote de Provence Sainte Victoire AOC and Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AOC. There were 20 altogether, all offering tastings and selling bottles to take home or to enjoy with your meal. I tasted some very nice rosés, but knowing that I had to drive back to Avignon (and did I mention that it was hot?!) I went easy on the wine.

In the “Produits du terroir” section, I had a great time. I ate a raspberry mousse tartelette with lime gelée from Sylvain Depuychaffray (Marseille) that was out of this world. From Jean Jaques Malet (Fuveau) I bought ‘Guimauve au miel”, which has to be the best marshmallow I have ever eaten. I bought very earthy and rich olive oil from the Moulin d’Auriol. Ginger flavored chocolates from Joel Durand (St. Remy) actually made it home without melting or being eaten. There was a lovely organic fruit stand (Miramas) selling cold cherry soup in a melon half; a cheese monger from Trets; a calisson maker from Aix; a honey producer with about 30 varieties and a vender of herbs, also from Trets; a biscuiterie from Rognes; a fisherie selling bouillabaisse out of Marseille. The boulanger was local and had a gorgeous display of decorative breads.

It was a fantastic experience. The food was beautiful and delicious. The crowd was quite clearly enjoying themselves and the communal tables led to much wine sharing and conversation. The Festival is annually held the first Sunday of July. I fully expect to return.

I will try to post pictures.

[Sarabeth]

Here are few pictures...

(Amazing how a grown woman, who believes herself to be fairly techno-savvy can feel so accomplished by uploading a few pictures!)

[John Talbott]

Wonderful, thanks so much.

John

[bleudauvergne]

Sarabeth, this looks like it was a wonderful event. Thank you for sharing your photos with us.