Mostly I crave a goodjambon beurre.
One afternoon last June, my sense of that quintessentially French simplicity was redefined.
Id gone to meet the propertys farmer at hispotager,or vegetable garden.
Domaine des Etangs, a hotel in a restored castle in Nouvelle- Aquitaine, in central France.Credit:Alex Crétey Systermans
I selected placesdestination restaurants and hotels with restaurantsthat emphasize terroir, as the French call it.
One summer, a French colleague invited us for a weekend at his familys house in Provence.
On the first morning, his father took us shopping at a local market.
From left: Fleur de Loire’s main dining room; summer squash with fresh garden herbs at Le Barn’s restaurant, La Serre.Alex Crétey Systermans
(The father said this was pretty much the case.)
This was locavorism not just as a concept, but as a way of life.
Even there, was locavorism still undeniably part of the culture?
A seafood tower at La Yole de Chris, Christopher Coutanceau’s waterfront bistro.Alex Crétey Systermans
If so, how was it evolving?
There were horses grazing on grassy fields fringed by dense woods.
From my terrace, all I could hear was birdsong: goldfinches, wagtails, Eurasian blackbirds.
From left: The pool at La Villa Grand Voile, a hotel in La Rochelle; La Rochelle’s Plage de la Concurrence, as seen from Restaurant Coutanceau.Alex Crétey Systermans
The airport felt light-years away.
Le Barns guests are mostly Parisian families looking for a countryside retreat, plus a smattering of international visitors.
Afterward, I sought out the man whose honey Id spread on my toast.
Art-filled walls at Domaine des Etangs; a wicker napping pod on the hotel grounds.Alex Crétey Systermans
Anton Shapovaltattooed, shaved head, big smileraises bees on an organic farm a five-minute drive away.
We sat in the shade while he gave me a 90-minute lesson in apian biology.
That didnt make a difference when we tasted honeys made with pollen from surrounding flowers.
Jean-Sebastien Marionnet in his vineyard, where he cultivates the oldest vine stock in France.Alex Crétey Systermans
My favorite had an herbal taste, almost like anise and it couldnt have come from anywhere else.
For her, the wordlocavoremeant relationships, and sharing those relationships with guests.
The countryside is where our grandmothers used to cook chickens from the yard.
A view of the Loire River from the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire sculpture park.Alex Crétey Systermans
Literally, the backyard.
The next days drive was the longest of the trip, about four hours.
It went by fast azure sky, yellow sun, and green hills flashing by my window.
The laid-back lobby of Le Barn.Alex Crétey Systermans
At first glance, all the countryside opulence was almost too much to absorb.
Guests can stay in the castles suites or book one of six cottages scattered across the grounds.
My rooms, suffused with light, occupied a turret.
The outdoor market in La Rochelle.Alex Crétey Systermans
For two nights, I felt like Rapunzel, even if I dont quite have the hair for it.
How much was terroir a part of his cooking?
He glared at me as if Id insulted his mother.
From left: Rebecca and Frédéric Bourgoin, owners of Bourgoin Cognac; the cellar door at Bourgoin Cognac.Alex Crétey Systermans
Locavore has always existed in France, he said sternly.
My assignment is: locale, locale, locale.
He named his nearby beef and pork suppliers as if rattling off the names of his cousins.
From left: Chef Coutanceau in his namesake restaurant; an eggplant growing at Le Barn, a resort in the Rambouillet Forest.Alex Crétey Systermans
But the garden is the foundation of everything.
When you see the garden, youll understand.
This was the vegetable garden I mentioned earlier.
Elise Jarreau, the master gardener at Le Barn.Alex Crétey Systermans
Villesange planted the garden himself 12 years earlier, he explained, and still tills the rows by hand.
The work is very physical.
It keeps you in shape.
From left: Guillaume Foucault, chef at Le Bois des Chambres’ Grand Chaume restaurant, with the day’s fresh catch; the restaurant, beside a bucolic pond.Alex Crétey Systermans
You know Victor Hugo?
Hugo once said there are no bad weeds, just bad gardeners.
Villesange was no bad gardener.
From left: The hotel and restaurant Fleur de Loire, which overlooks the Loire River; squash blossom, chickpeas, and nasturtium vinaigrette at Fleur de Loire.Alex Crétey Systermans
Grilled baby zucchini with a basil mayonnaise.
A cup ofsoupe au pistou,a cream sorrel soup.
A small, airy cake dotted with tiny strawberries and raspberries and vanilla cream.
From left: Auberge des Lacs, a restaurant in the village of Massignac; Maritime décor in a guest room at La Villa Grand Voile.Alex Crétey Systermans
Each bite was simple, deep, redolent of the French countryside.
Maybe profundity is where you find it.
Needless to say, locavorism isnt exclusive to high-end resorts.
From left: astries and coffee at Fleur a bucolic pond. de Loire; chef Christophe Haye.Alex Crétey Systermans
For lunch, I tried a tiny bistro, Auberge des Lacs, in nearby Massignac.
The restaurant was full of electricians, plumbers, and the local mail-woman.
(I knew from their trucks parked outside.)
Amuse-bouches of blueberries, zucchini flower, apple, and carrot at Domaine des Etangs.Alex Crétey Systermans
When people left, they shouted into the tiny kitchen Bonne journee!orMerci.
and the chefs responded in kind.
Driving west from Massignac the next day, I pulled over at a rest stop for a coffee.
Line-caught tuna served at Restaurant Christopher Coutanceau, in La Rochelle.Alex Crétey Systermans
(I texted a photo to a Parisian friend.
She wrote back: This is very French.)
Inspired, I pulled off the road an hour later and stopped near a field of grapevines.
Whole pigeon at Le Grand Chaume.Alex Crétey Systermans
I sat in the grass, drank a Perrier, and read a book.
Suddenly the day felt so much richer.
The Bourgoins now collaborate with more than 150 chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants.
(Their cognacs recently became available in the United States.)
For decades, people have been leaving their villages for urban living.
Its naturally the way things work.
Even butters from different places taste distinct.
For my next leg, I wanted to experience the countrys coastal food culture.
La Rochelle, a small fortified city known for seafood, is located on the Bay of Biscay.
At the weekly market, I passed booth after booth selling fresh oysters and spiny langoustines.
(Order the oysters for breakfasttrust me.)
Dinner was a multicourse tribute to the same waters.
In France, like everywhere, when people saylocavore,its not always the case.
To eat anything at any time, that doesnt mean anything.
Were here to create a memory for clients thats like a tattoo.
I told him about my own memory, my lobster reverie, and he nodded.
People sometimes finish their meal in tears.
Afterward, I took a long walk by the sea.
The squall was done.
Wet cobblestones were bathed in crooked light.
I thought about what Coutanceau had said.
The River
My final destination was theLoire Valley, home to the longest river in France.
I stopped at the diminutive Domaine de la Charmoise, home to a family of winemakers.
Why were these vines not harmed?
We were lucky, he said, then smiled.
Im persuaded they dont want to die.
The castle once belonged to Catherine de Medicis.
Whats vital is to be part of the community.
The word for it in French isholistique.
Pure and simple, its marketing.
Im not a locavore chef.
Im a terroir-ist chef.
He only serves fish from the Loire River and local mushrooms that are in season.
At the same time, he loves to travel.
Im a little bit the Christopher Columbus of cuisine.
Two hours later, through the window, I heard the revelers walking home, singing.
The next morning I returned my rental car in Tours and took a high-speed train to Paris.
There was only one thing left to do: eat a goodjambon beurre.
Kids will love the vast game room in the castles attic.
The courtyard contains a small but inviting swimming pool.
Auberge des Lacs
Auberge des Lacsis a hidden gem in the center of tiny Massignac.
Sit outside at lunchtime and order the three-course menu du jour.
Dyades
Dyades, the restaurant at Domaine des Etangs, serves traditional dishes with modern presentation.
Book a tour of the restaurants organic garden before your meal.
Even humble sardines get the star treatment.
Bourgoin Cognac
Bourgoin Cognacis a family-run operation making unique cognacs.
Inquire ahead of time for a tour and a picnic in the vineyards.
The hotel lacks air-conditioning, but night breezes are cool.
Fleur de Loire
Fleur de Loire is a Michelin two-starred restaurant overlooking the Loire River.
Chef Christophe Hay oversees an open kitchen that deploys elegant dishes that dont feel fussy.
Le Grand Chaume
Under a rounded thatched roof is a playfully modern interior.
The contemporary French cuisine atLe Grand Chaumeis inspired by the Loire Valley.
Domaine de la Charmoise
Domaine de la Charmoiseis a family-run winery with a small tasting room.
Their vines are said to be the oldest in France.
