Foodies Retreats
Locavore, J'Adore!
Everything consumed on this retreat is sourced within a 150 km radius. Passion for food begins at home.
Gastronomic Experiences in Regional France
Cooking classes
Eat & drink like a French local
Cognac, local wine tours & tastings
Visit oyster/salt farms & Île de Ré
Meet farmers and producers
Harvesting & coastal foraging
2022 dates:
June 20 - June 30
August 29 - September 8
October 10 - October 20
Locavore J'Adore Retreat
Led by Isabelle Dekein
(7 – 11 people)
In France, the locavore movement supports growers and producers within a 100 – 250 km radius—our Foodies Retreat is aaaall over that.
If you’re a locavore who loves to travel off the beaten path, explore the quiet French countryside, and discover the people keeping culture and traditions alive, then travel on over here. Your guide is Isabelle Dekein, who owns HMC—the biggest event catering business in the area—with her husband, Chef Mathieu. HMC is a strategic client for all of the leading local producers and growers.
Chef Mathieu's creations come from pure instinct. When he cooks at Mill on the Rock, he brings the best of the day's harvests and catches with him; ingredients that all the best local producers delivered straight to him that day. Mathieu is genius at building a whole new context around what's produced locally—his talent is 21st century.
HISTORICALLY FASCINATING
When Mathieu doesn't cook for you, a few other hand-picked local chefs will. Our Foodies Retreat includes eating on the chic island of Île de Ré and La Rochelle—a seaport famous for its French gastronomy and beautiful Renaissance architecture.
Visit Cognac, tour & lunch.
Visit salt and oyster farms.
Meet local producers.
Harvesting and coastal foraging.
Wine tasting.
Time for relaxing at Mill on the Rock.
Cooking demos.
Dining "Best of Local."
All food provided on this retreat by Mill on the Rock is locally made and sourced. If you have particular allergies or concerns about your diet, please let us know upon booking your stay so we may accommodate you properly.
Your host and guide, Tara Kolla, was a well-established urban farmer in the U.S. who started up one of the first successful CSA's in L.A., so our "Locavore, J'Adore" retreat for foodies is an experience that's close to her heart. But it's curated for you.
This gastronomic retreat in France includes time for you to hang out with fellow foodie travelers and spend time in quiet reflection. Enjoy the peaceful tranquility of Mill on the Rock meditating at one of our numerous "Be" spots dotted around the property. Enjoy quiet French countryside.
Discover the locavore movement in France.
The Details
+ Your Teacher
Watch out for more information coming soon.
+ MEALS
All meals served at Mill on the Rock use locally sourced, nutritious and organic ingredients. Everything is freshly prepared on-site by our local chef. Salads come from our kitchen garden!
We’re conscious of different dietary needs, just let us know what they are when booking so we can properly accommodate you.
You'll eat out a few times at local restaurants. All meals - including those enjoyed on and off-site during this 10-day retreat - are included in the cost.
+ DAY TRIPS
- île de Ré + La Rochelle
Taste the freshest oysters farmed as part of a thriving “ostréiculture” on the chic island of île de Ré where you'll uncover white gold: coarse sea salt. Learn about sea salt harvesting techniques dating back to the Middle ages by "sauniers" from the salt marshes. Then, stop for dinner at La Rochelle, the seaport famous for its gourmet cuisine, medieval houses, and Renaissance architecture.
- Cognac
Visit Cognac to meet, among others, the makers of Jay-Z's D'Ussé.
+ SIDE TRIPS
- Local Farms
– Visit local farms, including an orchard and cheese-makers to meet their beloved goats.
– Learn about the Mill's ancient bread oven and meet Tara's neighbor, Thierry, who mills certified organic stone-ground flour and supplies all the best local bakeries (and Mill on the Rock, of course!)
- Nieul sur l'Autize
Stroll to the nearby village, Nieul sur l'Autize, a beautiful place with its creamy limestone structures, where Eleanor of Aquitaine - once Queen of France - was born in 1122. Journey back in time discovering the Abbey built in 1068. Amazingly, parts of it are still intact!
- Niort Market
Soak in the lively atmosphere of Niort's indoor/outdoor food market, designed by Victor Baltard, who's famous for Les Halles in Paris.
- Dinner at Alexandra Palace
Rounding out the fun, we'll go for cocktails and dinner at glitzy Alexandra Palace, a chateaux renovated by a Los Angeles businessman.
+ OTHER ACTIVITIES
- Yoga Practice
Morning practices start the day with our local professional yoga instructor.
- Wine Tasting
Your 10-day stay includes a wine tasting event led by a “caviste” wine professional specialized in local, independent, organic, and biodynamic labels.
- *Hot Air Balloon Ride
Weather permitting, we can help you coordinate a ride in a hot air balloon. Such a breathtaking way to see the countryside at sunset; the Vendée plains and big blue skies, and Marais Poitevin marshlands. Hot air balloon rides must be booked well in advance, paid for separately, and are subject to weather conditions.
- Massage Treatments/Hammam
We can arrange for on-site massages at the Mill. And we can also arrange for a visit to a nearby Hammam, but it must be booked well in advance.
*Not included in the retreat cost.