From Caviar to Cooking: a Culinary Tour Goes Behind the Scenes in Paris and Provence

Victoria, Canada, April 15, 2011 --(PR.com)-- They introduced a generation of Canadians to the joys of organic food. Now the founders of Planet Organic Markets carry on their love of food and cooking - this time adding a twist of adventure - with culinary tours of Paris and Provence.

For a dozen years Shaskin and Mark Craft have been exploring the cafes, the markets, and the cooking schools of Paris and Provence. And now they are sharing their knowledge in week-long food tours in the two most famous regions of France.

"Our tours go behind the scenes," Diane said. "We bake baguettes with a Parisian boulanger, take a private cooking class at the Ritz hotel, visit a 100-year-old caviar house for a champagne and caviar pairing, taste our way around the 56 French AOC cheeses, and visit the oldest chocolatier in Paris."

On the culinary tours participants will shop the food markets of Paris and Provence; learn how to make bouillabaisse in Avignon from a chef who is the recipient of Le Charte de la Bouillabaisse Marseillaise; and have a wine-tasting picnic in the vineyards of the Cotes-du-Rhone.

"My aim to capture the gourmet spirit of Paris and Provence: the cafe life, the small epiceries, and the culinary traditions that make France synonymous with la belle vie, the good life," said Diane.

"What I've learned is that the French are still very passionate about their food, how it is made, the traditions and the quality."

Paris to Provence Culinary Adventures, Diane & Mark's company, is offering week-long food tours in Paris and in Provence starting this summer. The website is www.paristoprovence.ca.

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About
Diane Shaskin and Mark Craft are passionate travelers to France, where they've cooked and eaten their way through a small fortune. They bring a lifetime of creative business experience to Paris to Provence Culinary Adventures, having created and managed many successful businesses, among them Canada's leading organic grocer, Planet Organic Markets. Diane is the author of The Planet Organic Market Cookbook.

Their book, How to Cook Bouillabaisse 37 Easy Steps: Culinary Adventure in Paris & Provence (Summer 2011) is a story of traveling, living and cooking in France.