Gourmet Grannies

Jean-Baptiste Reboul is to Provençal cuisine what Julia Child is to French cooking. Every French person has heard of him the same way every American interested in French food knows about Julia Child.

Although Reboul doesn’t have an Oscar nominated movie to help perpetuate the art of Provençal cooking he does have a granddaughter, Madame Caulet (now in her 80s), who is giving cooking classes in Reboul’s hometown of La Roquebrussanne located in the Var.

Les Amis de la Cuisine Provençale or the Gourmet Grannies, as they were nicknamed by The European Magazine in 1990, are a group of ladies led by Reboul's granddaughter that have been offering classes for over 30 years to anyone wanting to learn more about their culinary traditions.This time last year Mme. Caulet was awarded the National Merit of Honor for her on-going contribution to the culinary arts. If you think you might like to take a class bring along someone who is proficient in French - it will help. http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/cuisine-provencale/page3.html

First published in 1897 the book “La Cuisinière Provencale” is reprinted regularly. The 24th edition is currently available. The book was an immediate success and remains so today. Nobel Prize winning Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral asked Reboul to add the name of each recipe in Provençal (the local language) which would keep both the culinary traditions alive as well as the linguistic one. 

Bon Appétit with La Cousiniéro Provençalo.