Provence Se Prononce

Last week I had the privilege to sit down in my own restaurant and be treated to a wonderful meal created by my husband and his talented team to showcase the wines of "Paul Jaboulet Aîné." I also had the honour to meet Mr. Nicolas Jaboulet who was on a promotion tour and came to the restaurant for the dinner to talk to the group about the winery and the wines we had matched with each course.
With about 15 people in attendance we all got to sit at one big "en famille" table to share the food and wine together. I had an especially good seat right across from our dear friend Thierry Damilano. Some of you may be familiar with Thierry from when he had his famed French bistro called "Chez Thierry" on Robson back in '80's and early '90's.
I had to miss the first course to go and pick up my son from diving class (job of a mother never stops) so I cannot comment on the Duck Confit with arugula salad, but I heard it was delicious. Actually my son got my plate and he devoured it, so it must have been good! By this time I was ready for the second course of "Wild Mushroom Vol-au-vent" with a hint of Tomme de Savoie cheese. The accompanying wine was the Crozes Hermitage 'Les Jalets' 2006. A light wine with soft tannins brought out the earthiness of the mushrooms. Next was the Grilled Pork Medallion with parsnip puree, kale & bacon apple foie gras demi glace paired with the Vacqueyras 2005. Yum! On to the final main of Daube de Bison with baby carrots, new potatoes & brussel sprouts paired with the Crozes Hermitage 'DomAîné de Thalabert' 2005. My favourite wine of the evening. Nicolas Jaboulet mentioned that it was his first time trying Bison and loved it! After a deep breath we finished off the night with Rose Water Poached Pear with mascarpone cream, blueberry orange syrup, almond tuille Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise 2006. It sounds like a lot of food but it was just right. The Muscat is a dessert wine that has been a huge favourite in the restaurant since we opened 11 years ago. It has the flavour of orange peel and wild flowers which complimented the hint of rosewater in the poached pear.
If you are reading this and feel disappointed you missed this fantastic event, fret not. We have 4 more dinners coming up on every Wednesday in November highlighting the wines of BC. Go back to the events page to see all the info on the upcoming dinners. What a perfect way learn about the wines in our own backyard. Bon Appetit!

I have a request. First allow me to explain where this request comes from. We recently had a customer come in for dinner with his family. And according to the letter I received two weeks after the fact their dinner was a big disappointment or as he put it "this was a disaster. It was not even an alright experience on any account." However the first paragraph of the letter praised Provence and he said he has been a long time customer with many pleasant experiences in the past. But this one time was "sub par."
I'm the first to say that we are not perfect. We are only human. We all have off days. But that is no excuse for you the customer to come in and be victim to this and PAY for it. No one should have to pay for something that is broken. You would not go into a clothing store and buy a shirt with a rip in it. But somehow in a restaurant one becomes too embarrassed to stand up and say this is unacceptable. We are here to please you. If something goes wrong we are here to make it better so you leave happy and satisfied with what you paid for!! It is beyond disappointment for me, the restaurant owner, to know that one of my customers have left our establishment unsatisfied. And I understand that it's impossible to please everyone. For some, we just don't meet their criteria for a the kind of restaurant they like. That's ok. But please, do not pay for a meal that was too salty or overcooked or just plain not to your liking. However let me mention that you shouldn't eat the whole thing and then say you didn't like it!! At that point it's too late for us to make you something else to your liking. We are probably one of the few restaurants in the city that cater to most or all requests for meal changes or adjustments. WE ARE HERE TO PLEASE YOU! And if you don't want to make a fuss during the dinner because you think it will ruin the evening with friends just give us a call the very next day to let us know what went wrong for you. I welcome your feedback so we can make the necessary changes to ensure a better experience for you next time. Of course if there is a next time. It's so typical that people will just write us off after a bad experience. Thankfully we have only received a few of these letters over the past 11 years so I guess we must be doing something right! But it's still a stab in the heart because the bottom line is we LOVE what we do and want to share our love for good flavourful food in a warm and friendly atmosphere. But if we've made a mistake we need to know. Again, we welcome your comments and wish you a Bon Appetit! aq

As we know, all good things come to an end. Like our vacation for example! Yes, we're back in Vancouver missing the sweet smell of lavender fields in Provence. But there really is no place like home. And "home" for us is Vancouver. And while one good thing comes to an end another good thing is just around the corner. We had a week to recuperate as well as organize the first "Farm fresh Picnic" at UBC farm. This past Monday August 18th we hosted 22 people to a picnic Provence style. As the weather was not entirely cooperating (big surprise) we still made it work in one of the greenhouses on site at the farm. All of the produce had just been harvested. Goodies such as french filet beens, beets, orange, white and purple carrots and summer squash. We started out with a Fairburn Farm Buffalo Mozzarella with Heirloom Cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs and mixed greens that were an explosion of flavours unlike any mixed greens on the market. Then we moved on to the main course of Seared Wild Sea Bass with rhubarb & orange vinaigrette, French beans & garlic confit and Oven Roasted Duck Breast beet & balsamic jus summer squash baby carrots. The meal ended off with a Wild Flower Honey Panna Cotta Tartlette drizzled with blackberries marinated in port and balsamic vinegar. Truly devine! I didn't actually get to sit down and enjoy the meal but everyone commented how they felt they were actually in Provence eating "en famille" style. If your mouth is watering as is mine you may want to join us for the next UBC picnic. We're hoping to organize another one before the season is over so please check www.provencevanvouver.com for dates and details. à bientôt, les bon vivants!

We've now moved on to Marrakesh, Morroco. Many of our friends warned us of the heat in July and August and yes I will confirm that it is very hot. But really not unbearable. We are staying at tranquil oasis called Villa Vanille, outside of the Medina. Our first evening we went to the Medina not really knowing what to expect other than whatever we buy we must bargain with the vendor. We arrived early and within minutes we were whisked away by a friendly Morrocan gentleman who charmingly offered to take us to the "Riad Des Epices" How did he know this might interest us??? He guided us down some narrow pathways until we got to the entrance of the Riad. Immediately the aromas of the spices illuminated our senses. He then took us into a room where another gentleman dressed in a white doctors coat was ready to give us the history of Morrocan herbs and spices. At this point we knew we had been sucked in! But interesting never the less. We ended up spending a few Dirhams on some spices and creams. Next was a quick tour of the Souk where all the vendors are waiting (and begging) to take your money. It was an endless maze of shops with everything from belts, dresses and crafts to les babouches (morrocan shoes) carpets, purses and much much more. We asked one of the vendors where we should eat and he recommended at restaurant that overlooks the Place Jamaa El Fna. We were lucky enough to snatch up a table with an incredible view on all the action below. I had a Tagine with Chicken, sweet onions, raisons and almonds. JF had the Tagine with Chicken and vegetables. The boys had Brochettes of Lamb with rice and real Morrocan olives!

As the night progressed the "Place" became more and more wild. With dancers and hypnotized cobras as well as monkey entertainers who only entertain when given enough dirhams! After 11 pm the Morrocan men start to get a little frisky so I had to keep my husband close by! And we considered ourselves lucky that we didn't get hit by the criscrossing mopeds by the hundreds! Salam!

Two days in Nice was certainly not enough but so much appreciated either way. We were spoiled by our friends Dominique et Danielle Le Stanc. The first night we had the pleasure of eating at an old friends' restaurant called Rendezvous chez des amis. The owner Isabelle is a chef JF and I worked with her at the hotel Negresco 18 years ago! Most restaurants have set menus, as did hers. For 25 Euros you get an appetizer, main course and dessert. Danielle and I had the Loup de Mer with a fresh mediterranean salsa. JF had a delicious Chicken stew with Saffron and Pastis flambee. To accompany all the main courses they served the most delicious creamy polenta I have ever tasted. Very low cal I'm sure!
More to come about Nice......

It didn't take long before the flavours of Provence that can really only be found in Provence were upon us. Mamie Suzanne had a simple dinner ready for us when we arrived on Friday night. It was a quiet dinner juste "en famille" so we could get re-aquatinted. She served a very blue Roast Beef studded with garlic and some hand made raviolis aux cèpes (porcini mushroom sauce). As well as my favourite saucisson de l'Ardeche (dry salami) with an abundance of Rosé to wash it all down.

Saturday night was a "soiree entre amis" We enjoyed a delicious White Wine Daube de Boeuf over some Linguini that again Mamie Suzanne prepared however she was unable to join us because she was at work. Yes, she's come out of retirement and starting cooking in a restaurant again.

Sunday night was an evening with the extended family and friends. We decided to cut back on the work load and introduce the famous "Potluck" concept to everyone. Apparently the concept exists but it's so new they have not come up with a word for it yet! Of course Mamie Suzanne stole the show with some Marinated Mussels on the half shell and a Prawn and Rice dish with ginger and spices. There was also a delicious Lasagna, Fresh fruit salad, Salad de Museau, Tete de Porc Pate as well as the most expensive mixed olives I ever bought which I couldn't resist at the marche in Aubagne. Again lots of Rosé wine and Pastis to go around. The evening ended off with my son Matisse doing a little tap and hip hop show. Vive la France!!

My vow to only eat insanely delicious and mouthwatering French food while on vacation was quickly broken as soon as we got to YVR. In an effort to clean out the fridge before leaving we were quite famished when we arrived at the airport around 4pm. We decided to stop in and have a bite at KOHO bar on the departures level. All I really wanted was a soup while the boys opted for burgers and wings. As soon as our food arrived it was obvious that just by the looks of the Minestrone I wasn't going to like it. My kids quickly reminded me that "whilst in a BAR just order BAR FOOD!!" Their greasy wings were looking real good to me! So I sent back the soup and ordered a plate of wings of my own. Ok, so we got the airport food out of the way. Thoughts of my mother-in-law's tasty slow cooked delights kept me optimistic that I would survive yet the next culinary disaster--PLANE FOOD!!! "Chicken or Pasta" asked the flight attendant. Oh ya, my favourite, Chicken Piperade with overcooked grey broccoli and white rice! The only consellation to the meal was at one point I looked outside the window to my right, praying for strength to get me through this flight, there before me was an incredible vision of our moon rising!! Then suddenly a few bright rays of light drew my eyes to the window to the left side of the plane where simutaneously there was the brilliance of our sun descending upon the horizon. It was magical. Now, what did I say I was eating?? No matter, see you in Marseille.....aq

Barely made it through June, in a good way! If you haven't seen my husband or I too much around the restaurant its because we had so many events going on in the last few weeks of June. My son Matisse graduated grade 7 so we hosted the "Grad" party, had a staff party for our wonderful employees a couple days later, catered a lunch for all the teachers at our sons' school a couple days after that, then the very next day hosted a birthday for Matisse and his friend Natalia of which they got their picture in Saturdays Sun! Then ended the week with a party for my very dear friend from San Diego who is staying with us for a couple of weeks. So needless to say its been buffet to barbeque and back several times with only joy in our hearts to be able to share our love for food and friendship and celebration!

My girlfriend and I decided to plan a little surprise culinary outing for the men in our lives yesterday. It was a little tricky because I wasn't sure how I was going to get JF and my son Remi (Matisse couldn't come because of a dance rehearsal) up at 6:30am on a cold Sunday morning in order to meet our friends at the Caulfield Safeway in West Van. At which point we would all get into one car and head for the Nanaimo Ferry departing at 8:30am.That was all the info I could give them in order to keep it a surprise. With a few moans and groans the boys pulled themselves together and we made it on time. Upon arriving in Nanaimo there were a few stops to make before going to our final destination. Our first stop was the "True Grain Mill" Bakery in the Cowichan Bay Village.

As we drove up and found a spot directly in front of the bakery we were immediately seduced by the emanating odour of fresh baked bread as the front door opened. We all stocked up on bread for home because we knew we had to save our appetites for what was ahead. However, a little nibbling did occur! As I stood in front of the gorgeous display I found myself at a loss of what to buy. Such choices as Hazelnut Loaf or Kamut and Pumpkin Seed or Flax and Rye. Wait, what about the French Couronne, the Ficelle, Focaccia or Cinnamon Raisin Loaf. That's just a few of the many varieties they had. Everything is made with freshly milled flour right on site in small batches. Now, at the same time I kept thinking about how I was going to get into my little French bikini this summer for our trip to Marseille! Did I mention that besides all the wonderful breads there is a variety of cookies and buns just staring at you from behind the glass partition. Time to move on.

Next was a short visit to our friends' newly built hobby farm. The perfect little retirement project. They had a few sheep and a ram for fresh Rack of Lamb, a few chickens and ducks running around blissfully in the pen, some newly planted vines for wine, an apple orchard and a beautiful view down the Cowichan Valley in the backyard. All the ingredients for a perfect meal!

Now on to the real meal! As we headed down the back roads of Cobble Hill we soon arrived to an open field with an old nineteen century home called Fairburn Farm, www.fairburnfarm.bc.ca The beautifully set tables awaited 28 of us hungry diners eagerly anticipating Mara Jernigan's 6 course feast. Accompanied by the wines of Venturi-Shulze, www.venturishulze.com the lunch was prepared in the spirit of the "Slow Food" movement. A few items that really stood out was the fresh asparagus served with Fairburn Farm Water Buffalo Mozzarella and fresh purple basil. As well as the Duck Confit with Herb Gnocchi. We were graced by the presence and humour of Giordano Venturi himself and his step-daughter Michelle who kept us informed of each wine that was served with each course. It was hard to believe that 4 hours passed by before we realized what time it was. Time to head back to Vancouver. A truly memorable meal with wonderful company to go along. We would highly recommend you take a day and discover for yourself the culinary adventures on Vancouver Island. aq

My son Matisse woke up yesterday morning wanting to get together with some friends. My desire to want to teach him the art of entertaining kicked in and I suggested he have a barbeque. He called a few friends to come by at 5:30pm. Being a little bit of an impromptu get together I made sure he was aware that he would have to help me get this organized since we already had some other commitments during the day. My kids are convinced I am their "Personal Chef" which I guess I am, for the most part. However, there are days when I feel they may be taking their Professional Chef Mom for granted and feel they can call upon her at their every whim! Which is my own fault to some extent. He called everyone on the guest list and helped me do the shopping but, yes, once again I did the cooking while he entertained his friends. Don't get me wrong, I was more than happy to cook for the gang, especially since one of them mentioned that this meal was better than most of the meals he's had all year at home!! Ok, so the Rack of Lamb on the bbq was a big hit, but the rest of the meal was simple. Along with the lamb I made some Roasted Potatoes with caramelized garlic and a Butter Lettuce Salad with Cucumber and Matisse's favourite vinaigrette "Shiitake Mushroom and Sesame" by Annie's Naturals. What I'm trying to say is that it's not hard to throw together a tasty and delicious meal for your kids. Keep it simple. Here is my recipe for the Roasted Potatoes which is also very popular with our neighbours!

2 lbs baby New Potatoes
1/4 cup butter melted
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
1 head of garlic (separate cloves, no need to peel)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
ground pepper to taste
fleur de sel (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice Potatoes in half and place into a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss with your hands until the potatoes are evenly coated. Place potatoes onto a roasting pan. Make sure they are evenly spread out and not too crowded. Roast for 30-35 min. Remove pan and turn potatoes. Turn oven down to 375 for another 20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little fleur de sel if you wish. Serves 4-6.

So there you go. Your kids should be having more than one good meal a year, they deserve it. And even if you think they won't appreciate it one day they will, right Matisse & Remi! aq

It's about time the weather starts to warm up! In the hopes that it lasts Provence on 10th is planning a mid-summer's nights picnic at the UBC Farm. Details are still being worked out but please check back soon to find out exactly when. 25 lucky people will be getting a private tour of the farm and then get served a delicious picnic basket, true French style with baguettes and cheese, some of your favourite antipasti and of course a little wine. Tickets will be sold at the restaurant. All the delicious details will be posted on the website very soon. But other than our picnic, check out what's going on at the UBC farm. Here is their website; www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/index.php. However, as you may know the farm is in jeopardy. There have been talks of redeveloping the land for, you guessed it, condos! What a shame this would be. UBC farm is the last working farmland in the city of Vancouver. If you want to get directly involved you can also visit www.ams.ubc.ca/clubs/friendsubcfarm/Site/Home.html to sign up on their petition.

On a more personal note, I just wanted everyone to know that the Quaglia clan will be heading to France this summer. This will be the first time in 17 years that we take our family vacation during the summer months! I'll keep you updated once we are there on all the wonderful meals and family gatherings. And perhaps a few new recipes! aq

Well, we are a quarter of the way to our sales goal. I'm having the same feeling I got while climbing the Grouse Grind. You see the quarter mark and you almost want to hyperventilate but you're on your way up and there is no turning back. I just keep focussing and telling myself I'll make it to the top, sooner or later! Let's just hope it's sooner! Selling a book is such another world than what we are used to. We thrive on pleasing our customers and watching them be satisfied right before our eyes. Many of our clientele being regular customers come back to Provence for their favourite dish and know for the most part their cravings will be met. It's hard work, but it's immediate gratification. But a book. What's good about "OUR" book? Now sharing shelf space with thousands of other cookbooks. After numerous appearances at local bookstores we realized that the majority of people (thankfully not all) are quick to just walk right by. Perhaps they are not interested in cooking or food for that matter. Or maybe "French Cooking" scares some people. And who are we anyways?? If you've never had any connection with our restaurant why would you buy our book? Of course we didn't write this cookbook to make millions. First and foremost it will be a legacy to leave our children. But how do we spread the joy of what we love to do beyond Vancouver? Sell it nationally. Globally!! At this point we'll just keep pushing and climbing that steep mountain. aq

Where do the weeks go! Life of a restauranteur is a crazy one and there are days we just don't see go by. Last weekend we celebrated a new season of BC Spot Prawns. Chefs from many of Vancouver's great restaurants gathered at Granville Island and Fishermans Wharf to put their creative hands at work to show off one of BC's incredible locally caught and sustainable delights from the sea. A reminder that farmer's markets don't end at water's edge! Jean-Francis and his team of cooks sauteed the afternoon away with our popular "Prawns Provencal." He had the hungry crowd salivating at the odors of the roasted garlic, butter and flambeed brandy and of course the star ingredient, Spot Prawns. The sun came out just in time to allow everyone to mingle and munch on all the different plates from Aurora Bistro, the Pear Tree, Wild Rice, Diva at the Met, Boneta, Hawksworth at the Georgia Hotel, Vij's, Chambar, Cru, C Restaurant, Northwest Culinary Academy, the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, Jericho Tennis Club, Provence, Elixir Bistro Moderne and the Moustache Café. If you missed the big debut don't worry the festival continues for 6-8 weeks. Head down to False Creeks Fisherman's Wharf (just beside Go Fish) after 2pm most days and pick up some live prawns to cook up at home. Need a recipe? Check out page 131 in our cookbook, New World Provence. Now don't be like most of the people I overheard in the crowd last weekend who kept saying they didn't want the heads. The head is the best part!! My kids love the heads, "that's where all the flavour is" says my son Matisse! Live on the "wild" side and try a prawn head. Of course I would only encourage it if the Prawns are super fresh. Happy Prawn Fest! aq

So we left the cold but warm at heart city of Montreal and headed to Toronto for the next phase of our book tour/spring break holiday with the boys. We got news of an opportunity to be on Breakfast Television late Friday before leaving Montreal. We were scheduled to appear on Monday March 24th and our call time was 6:45 am. We were asked to prepare a few dishes from our book which meant bringing all the food with us to the studio ready to do the demo. We hurried around TO to find the ingredients we needed the day before. When we arrived it was mayhem! Within a few minutes of arriving we were informed that we had just a few moments to set up our station to do a "promo" for our segment. Jean-Francis and I quickly got everything ready, and with people and camera's flying everywhere I grabbed some garlic and pretended to be chopping as a camera swept by me while the host announced our appearance would be on later in the show. After that was done we could "breathe" for a moment or so. Unfortunately my husband and I could not be on together so I had to go solo. I only had six minutes of air time and I can tell you it felt like 30 seconds. I cooked a little Goatcheese Salad, some Prawns Provencal and finished off with the Chocolate Espresso Pot de Creme. Dina Pugliese was away that day so Kevin Frankish did the cooking segment. Just my luck I find out two minutes before I'm on that Kevin does not like Prawns! But he did a great job of helping me flambee!

Next was a demo at George Brown School of Hospitality. http://www.georgebrown.ca/alumni/e-connect/e-connect-mar-08.html. This link will take you to more info on that. But it was great to be back at the school and see the energy from the young students. George Brown is expanding to accommodate more students and is one of the premier colleges for studying the culinary arts. I highly recommend it to any budding chefs out there.

Thursday we were at Great Cooks for a cooking class located at the Bay downtown. Check out www.greatcooks.ca if you are ever in the Toronto area. They do small demo classes to large hands on classes. It was a pleasure to meet Esther, Maggie and their team who run an incredible operation.

We hoped to do a signing at Indigo Books but they cancelled at the last minute. Our mission is still going strong with a goal to sell 20,000 books by the end of 2008. We want to keep spreading our joy of good food and good friends. Happy Cooking! aq

Spring is in the air. Although I cannot say as much for Toronto or Montreal! JF and I and the boys just came back from 2 weeks promoting our cookbook in both cities and I can report that winter is alive and well. We did a cooking demo at Bon Appetit Cookbooks. Jonathan and Michelle were wonderful hosts and I highly recommend anyone going to Montreal to check out their store on Victoria and Sherbrooke. We had the opportunity to catch up with friends at some wonderful restaurants such as L'Express, an institution in Montreal. I had the best sweetbreads in a long time! Next was Joe Beef. A little pricey but very tasty wholesome food. I had a Seafood Ceasar, yes a cocktail, absolutely delicious! Our friends' kids had grill cheese sandwiches while our kids had to have the Cote de Boeuf and Lobster Pasta!! Serves me right for teaching our kids to have educated palettes!! We ended that evening with the most incredible milkshakes at M burger. New exciting club like restaurant that serves amazing burgers in a fun and funky atmosphere.

Although we never stopped eating long enough to regain our appetites we still managed to squeeze in Montreal smoked meat at Schwartz's. And yes, we sent back the medium fat for extra fatty meat. Far superior!! After our cooking class at Bon Appetit, Jonathan and Michelle took us to Leméac in Outremont. Also very delicious and great for a late night snack with a two course menu of $22 after 22h00. We ended the week off at Ferreira. Portugese delight. The food and service was impeccable. And a beautiful room.

Next was Toronto. Lots to talk about. But lets continue this a little later....à toute suite! aq