Culinary Road Trip

Julie is focusing on a new type of farmers, or rather, those who have returned to traditional values of their profession. She heads to Burgundy, a few kilometers from Beaune, to meet Frédéric Ménager. After being a chef for a long time, he decided to change his life. He then became a poultry farmer of ancient breeds, working to preserve our plates and high quality products.

Let's follow Julie in a new adventure, exploring the life and delicacies of the painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. She discovers the Malromé Castle, bought by the painter's mother. In the nearby cemetery, both him and his mother are buried. Julie meets first Amélie and Mélanie Huyn, then Charles Estager, who takes care of the castle's vineyards, and Valérie Doussin, a beekeeper.

Julie's taking us to the biggest natural reserve of France, The Vercors Regional Nature Park. There, we're meeting Angélique Doucet, who decided to leave her urban life to become a farmer. She created a polyculture, where men, animals and nature work ans live in perfect harmony. The knowledge of the locals and their solidarity allowed her to realize her dream.

Following the road of the Bourgueillois vineyards, Julie is taking us to Vincent Simon's domain, in Touraine. This country cook and his family daily prepare simple and all-natural food. Above all, Vincent preaches a local agriculture. However, he does not wish to live in self-sufficiency and underlines the importance of local links with producers, farmers and neighbors.

This week, let's meet the Bourdier family in the Doubs, between Pontarlier and Besançon. Laure Bourdier and her three brothers, Florent, Aurélien and Nathanaël, are the heirs of the Rondeau Farm, run by their parents Bernard and Gisèle and founded in 1961. The family ambition was to make an ethical farm, where everything is produced in a environmentally friendly way.

This time, let's visit the Basque Country, and meet Christian Aguerre's little world. In 1998, Christian settled on his grandmother's farm. He is now involved in several productions: chickens, eggs, Kintoa pork, Espelette pepper, Arto Gorria corn and apple juice. He initiated a collective project, bringing together four neighboring farms, whose products can be found in his locavore inn.

To celebrate the New Year' s Eve, Julie goes to Flanders, in the North. She meets Florent Ladeyn in Boeschèpe. This is where the chef's family inn, Vert Mont, is located. Driven by the search for a more locavore cuisine, he creates a four-handed recipe with Julie.

Julie is going to Burgundy, in the village of Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, to discover the passion of the writer Colette for gastronomy, the art of living and entertaining. On the menu: "The Building Pottery". "Colette's favorite recipes".

This week, it is the universe of Marcel Proust that we discover. In Eure-et-Loire, Julie offers a trip through the life, the works and the favorite recipes of this famous author. On the menu: beef in jelly, "bouchées à la reine", chocolate pots, pineapple and truffle salad, and inevitably the famous Proustian madeleine recipe...

Julie makes us discover the culinary and festive traditions of the Provencal Christmas. It is in Nice that she meets up with her friend and chef Dominique Le Stanc. Hosted by his friends, they prepare a delicious menu: bass fillets with citrus sauce, squash ravioli and walnut sauce among others, not to mention the traditional 13 Provencal desserts.

It is in the very center of Berry that we find Julie. And more precisely in Nohant, a small village of this deeply Gallic and rooted region where George Sand spent her life. There is a gastronome facet, manual, deeply rural of George Sand that Julie's going to make us discover in the program.

Julie invites us to the Yvelines, on the banks of the Seine, to dive into the literary and culinary world of Emile Zola. With his friends, he shared reputedly orgiastic meals that Zola recounts with greed in his letters. It is through his work, his epistolary exchanges and his wife's recipe book that Julie will make you discover a gourmet artist.

Discovering a gourmet artist that Julie is particularly fond of, Paul Cézanne, we will explore this character, his workshop, but especially the recipes that marked his life in Provence. We will see that Paul Cézanne loved simple and tasty dishes such as aigo boulido soup, beef cheek stew or the famous "casse-dents", these almond croquets... dishes that smell of Provence.

Today Julie invites us to the table of the prince of poets, in Milly-la-Forêt, Jean Cocteau. Writer, poet, draughtsman and filmmaker, was he a gourmet? The artist was passionate about refined dishes such as Guénolé, a fish and mussel consommé, as well as simple and regressive dishes, such as the ham and cheese soufflé with mushroom sauce from his cook Juliette.

A journey in the heart of the Touraine Renaissance that leads her first to the Fournil du Château to discover the famous fouace de Rabelais, a tradition perpetuated by Laurent and Sylvie Charbonnier. Then we head to Seuilly, the birthplace of Rabelais, for a recipe for Touraine gelatin with Dominique.

Nicolas Pagnol, Marcel Pagnol's grandson, invites Julie to the place where the Provençal writer shot many of his films: "Angèle" in 1934, "La fille du puisatier" in 1940, or the inevitable "Manon des Sources" in 1952. Barded thrushes, octopus stew, Marseilles shuttles and egg flans, Marcel Pagnol's favorite recipes, are prepared by Julie, Nicolas Pagnol and Nicolas Dromard.

In Grignan Julie begins a journey in the heart of the Drôme, to discover the world of Madame de Sévigné. This small Provencal town welcomed the marquise three times between 1672 and 1696. Marlène Truchet and Béatrice Roux make her favorite recipes: egg pie and rabbit with olives.

In the Vendée region, in the heart of the Mervent forest, Julie follows the footsteps of the author Georges Simenon. On the menu 3 recipes: Rice pie, made by John Simenon. Chicken Bonne femme, made by Sylvie and her friends. Fricandeau with sorrel, made by Didier Gallot.

Let's meet Lionel Monnier from the Ferme des Aresquiers in Vic-la-Gardiole, in the Hérault. Lionel is at the same time a vine, wolf and shellfish breeder.

Let's meet the farmers and producers of Ile de France. Amandine Chaignot will be our guide. She has at heart to promote the products of this region and those who compose it.

Heading to the Brest harbor to meet Bastien Moysan, fisherman & farmer at the Guerniec Farm. In 2004, this former restaurant owner settled on land that belonged to his family.

It is in the small perched village of Utelle, at the gateway to the Mercantour, that Nadine and René have taken the gamble of setting up their family business: the Merinos farm. For their part, the Faraut family produces farmhouse charcuterie, terrines, rillettes, olive oil, jams, jellies, organic wine-based aperitifs, and combinations of wine and fruit, wine and leaves.

Julie takes us to the Drôme Provençale, to discover the Baronnies region where the Dagobert farm is located.

Julie invites us to Saint-Julien-en-Born, in the Landes region of France, where Mathilde Froustey and Pierre Blanco's La Ferme Fantastique is located.