Provençal Dream

We thought the hospitality and the location where just wonderful. Brigette, cooked some amazing meals for us and it was great to tour the area with a tour guide. The rooms where really nice and very well kept. The view was spectacular. I really enjoyed being in the kitchen with Brigette. i had only hoped to cook something a little more complicated and more interesting. As much as we enjoyed it, it was a bit basic. Unfortuantely, our trip was cut short by one day, so perhaps that would have helped in the cooking classes. Teresa S., Canada

Well, I don't even know where to start. The Hostellerie Grangette was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It looked so pretty on your website, but in person, it was even more magnificent! The owners, Brigette and Jean, were so sweet and made us feel so welcome. Brigette was our chef/hostess. She made our cooking classes really fun and taught us how to prepare native Provencal dishes. She was a genius in the art of presentation and every meal we had was a surprise of flavors and colors. Her kitchen was immaculate, as were the rooms- all beautifully decorated in French antiques and crisp cotton linens. The rest of the staff at La Grangette was just as warm and worked as pros at each of their various jobs. The food was absolutely delicious and the wines varied and were top notch. As much as we enjoyed the cooking classes, 6-course "5*" dinners, rooms and staff, I have to say that our tours with Catherine were just as enjoyable. From the time we first met her at the Marseille airport, we felt like we were with a friend. Catherine would pick us up afer lunch everyday for 5 days in a row and take us on the most wonderful tours. We saw mountains, one beautiful village after another, fountains, vineyards, museums, art exhibits, markets, wineries, chocolate factories, olive groves and we even shared two meals with her family which was fun because we were really able to experience the Provencal culture first hand. All along the way, Catherine would tutor us in the history of each destination. We will NEVER forget this dream come true! Everyone [at The International Kitchen] was so nice and took care of all the questions we had. We haven't had time to do anything with our pictures yet, but when we do, we will send some to you. Thank you again for everything! Lee P., NC

Provence is a beautiful place, worthwile to visit and spend a vacation. The place where we stayed was wonderful, and our hosts were great. The food was excellent, the weather was great, the siteseeing worthwhile. I would shorten the sighseeing; even delete the trip to the top of the mountain. Jose V., AK

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at La Grangette with John and Bridgette. The cooking class was the highlight of our entire trip to Provence. Bridgette was very patient with us and a very good instructor. We now have some new recipes that we will be sharing with our friends the next time we cook. John took time from his busy schedule to make sure everything was in order and shared a bottle of wine with us before dinner. We also enjoyed our trip to the local market with him to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Also, our day away visiting several towns around Velleron, particularly St Remy and Chateauneuf du Pape were the most fun. Needless to say, we went to bed each night after a wonderful dinner and after a busy day. We will look forward to another trip to La Grangette. Harris S.