. . . the colours and flavours of the Cote d' Azur

The fresh, lively scent of a Menton lemon. The melting texture of long-cooked onions. The bracing chill of that first sip of rosé. Les Petits Farcis is not just about flavours - it is about all the pleasures of a day spent shopping at the Cours Saleya market and preparing an authentic Niçois meal in France’s most Italian city.

Food writer, Cordon Bleu trained cook and longtime French resident Rosa Jackson invites you to join her for hands-on classes in her beautifully renovated Seventeenth century apartment, steps from the vibrant Cours Saleya food market in Nice.

Nice
The best way to discover Nice is to wander at random through the narrow streets of the Old Town and then stroll along the famous 'Promenade' before entering into the heart of the city with its rich architectural and cultural heritage and its parks and gardens. With nineteen museums and galleries, thirty-two classified historical monuments and three hundred hectares of parks and gardens, woodland and green areas in addition to one hundred and fifty ornamental lakes and fountains there is plenty to see or do – unless you prefer to stretch out on the famed beaches and relax!

One of the great pleasures when visiting Nice is to take time to stroll around the outdoor market along the Cours Saleya. This famous market area runs parallel to the Quai des Etats-Unis in the Old Town. Every day of the week except Monday you can marvel at the colourful displays of fresh produce, olives, candied fruit and spices.

One day Market Tours and Cooking Classes
The day begins at 9.30 am at the Cours Saleya market, while there is still a fresh morning breeze. The narrow maze of centuries old streets that is the Vieux Nice opens up onto this splendid space lined with bars, cafés and fish restaurants on either side and market stalls down the centre. 'Le tout Nice' converges on the terraces at lunch, but early in the day it is time for that famous Niçois street food, la socca (a chickpea flour pancake), as you stroll through the market and admire the vivid displays of flowers, candied fruit and seasonal produce.

Though the main aisle is the most dazzling thanks to its array of colours, what really interests us is the collection of small producers’ stalls in Place Pierre Gautier. The fruit and vegetables are not as uniformly shaped and the variety not as great, but every ingredient we will find here is firmly rooted in the region and much of it is organic. Depending on the season you might see:

• untreated oranges, including bitter oranges for jam
• real wild asparagus
• strawberries from Carros
• red, yellow and orange tomatoes ripened on the vine
• figs bursting with juice
• the mix of salad leaves known as mesclun (no Niçois meal would be complete without it)
• and much more

Gourmet cooking classes in Nice are a highlight of the experience of Les Petits Farcis.

Depending on your menu choice, we will visit the best butcher in the Old Town or prepare fish from Poissonnerie Deloye just outside the Vieux Nice. Because traditional Niçois cooking relies more on vegetables than meat or fish, we can also plan an entirely vegetarian menu. No matter what the main ingredient of our meal, we will not forget the wine. Then we will make our way past the fresh pasta shop to my four hundred year old building in Rue du Jésus, where if pissaladière is on the menu we can get started on the yeast dough. A couple of hours later we will sit down to an authentic Niçois meal and toast our efforts with a glass of rosé (or, if you prefer, an intriguing local red or white wine).

After lunch, if you wish, I will lead you on a gourmet tour through the zig-zaggy streets of the Vieux Nice, where you will taste Niçois olive oils (the region has two thousand producers), see fresh pasta being made, learn more about Provençal wines and discover local sweets. You will find out how the Italian influence has shaped Niçois cooking and marvel at the local obsession with eating - this is the only city in France where street food is an institution. Our day will finish with a well-deserved glass of wine in a shop specializing in natural and organic wines.

Delve deeper into the local cuisine with a five-day course

Each season on the French Riviera brings an abundance of local ingredients and recipes. For students who want to explore the sun-drenched cooking of this region for more than a day, Les Petits Farcis offers five-day intensive courses a few times a year for a maximum of six students. This affordable program covers the basics of Provencal and Nicois cooking, providing students with a full repertoire of recipes to take home.

Each two-hour class starts at 10.30am and is followed by a leisurely lunch. Afternoons are free to relax on the beach or visit the area. Renting a car isn't necessary, as there is a convenient system of buses and trains that will take you to places such as Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Eze, St-Paul-de-Vence and Villefranche sur Mer.

The friendly hands-on classes take place in my beautifully renovated Seventeenth century apartment just off the world famous Cours Saleya market. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday we'll prepare a full menu of fresh, seasonal dishes before sitting down to lunch and toasting our efforts with delicious wines from the region. On Wednesday we'll tour the food market before tasting Provencal olive oils and enjoying a Mediterranean lunch that someone else has prepared!

You will leave with a complete recipe book, my list of recommended restaurants in Nice, and a Petits Farcis apron to take home.

A Taste of the Sun
September 21st - 25th 2009

Make the most of the season's bounty, cooking such typical Nicois dishes as petits farcis (stuffed vegetables), ratatouille and soupe au pistou (the local version of minestrone). Desserts will draw on the last strawberries and the first local apples and pears.

Cost: 695 euros per person

Includes four hands-on cooking classes followed by three-course lunches, a market tour followed by an olive oil tasting and lunch, a two-hour wine and cheese tasting with a local wine expert, a complete recipe booklet, my list of recommended restaurants, and a Petits Farcis apron to take home.

A Taste of the Riviera three-day program
April 16-18, 2009*
May 15-17, 2009
June 11-13, 2009
July 9-11, 2009

If you're fascinated by the colourful food markets in Provence and want to learn more about the local cuisine without feeling the least bit stressed about your cooking skills, this program is tailor-made for you.

• Day 1 - "A Taste of Nice" food tour followed by a typically Nicois lunch
  9.30am - 2.30pm
  Location: the Old Town in Nice
  
  Nice is the only city in France that is famed for its street food, a reminder of the days when the county of Nice belonged to the Italian-ruled Kingdom of Savoy.� On a fascinating three-hour tour, you will learn about the history of Nice and its food and taste such unexpected delicacies as pissaladiere (caramelized onion tart), socca (chick pea pancake), fougasse (Provencal flatbread) and tourte de blettes (a sweet pie with a surprise ingredient). You will also sample a selection of Provencal olive oils, taste vinegars flavored with passion fruit or piment d'Espelette, discover the secrets of French cheese and visit an artisanal pork butcher. After the tour, I will lead you to a typically Nicois bistro for a delicious lunch with local wine.

• Day 2 - A relaxed cooking class with Rosa
  11.00am - 2.30pm
  Location: the Old Town in Nice
  
  Whether or not you're an experienced cook, I will make you feel at home in my kitchen as you prepare a three-course meal of light Provencal dishes that are easy to recreate at home. I am happy to cater to your tastes and adapt the menu to any food allergies or intolerances.

  Sample menu:
  
  Tomato-tapenade tart on a parmesan sablé
  Sea bass fillets with sauce vierge
  Poached pears with vanilla ice cream

• Day 3 - A tasting under the olive trees
  2.00pm - 6.00pm
  Location: the Nice back country, departing from the Old Town in Nice (transport provided)
  
  My charming French husband Philippe, who you will have met during the cooking class, will drive you up to an olive farm in the stunning countryside near the Italian border. After touring the farm with the owners, you will taste its organic olive oil and delicious olive paste, tapenade and jams - all in an idyllic setting under the olive trees.

Price for the three-day program in May, June and July: €450
Includes lunch with wines on Day 1 and 2, transport on Day 3 and all tastings.

* The April 16th - 18th program will involve two days of cooking, including a market tour, and a full day Meet the Producers tour (9.30am - 6.00pm). Cost: 595 euros including two cooking classes, three lunches, transport for the Meet the Producers tour and tastings.

And for those who don’t wish to cook . . .

Les Petits Farcis also offers a selection of inspiring programs

• A taste of Nice
  
  Nice is the only city in France that is famed for its street food, a reminder of the days when the county of Nice belonged to the Italian-ruled Kingdom of Savoy. Many of the snacks sold at the market and in the Old Town's street food stands are the types of things farmers would have eaten in the fields to calm mid-morning hunger pangs: a tradition known as la merenda. On a fascinating three-hour tour, you will learn about the history of Nice and its food and taste such unexpected delicacies as pissaladiere (caramelized onion tart), socca (chick pea pancake), fougasse (Provencal flatbread) and tourte de blettes (a sweet pie with a surprise ingredient). You will also sample a selection of Provencal olive oils, taste vinegars flavored with passion fruit or piment d'Espelette, discover the secrets of French cheese and visit an artisanal pork butcher.

• Market tour, food walk, olive oil tasting and tapas-style lunch
  
  Spend the morning tasting delicacies in the Old Town, learn all about Provencal olive oils and have a light Mediterranean meal prepared with only the freshest ingredients from the market.

• Meet the producers
  
  The producers at the Cours Saleya were understandably suspicious at first of a foreigner who dares to teach Nicois cooking. But my constant presence at the market, enthusiasm for the local produce and loyalty to the small producers has convinced them over time that I am a true Nicois at heart. Many of the producers have invited me to their farms, which is what gave me the idea for the Meet the Producers tours. Just beyond Nice the land becomes rugged and mountainous, making the producers' task a challenging one. The scenery is some of the most breathtaking on the Cote d'Azur, yet this is not an area that most tourists would explore on their own as the villages are so remote and tiny. Depending on your interests, we can visit an olive farm to taste organic oil made from the local Nicois olives, see dozens of varieties of citrus fruits at a garden run by a former Formula One race car driver in Menton, gape at the 80 organic tomato varieties grown in the hills of Bellet, and sample the little-known wine from that same region. The price of the tour includes transport in a comfortable vehicle and a gourmet lunch in a small village. Weekdays are preferable, as most of the producers come to the market on weekends. A maximum of seven people can be accommodated on this tour.

• Wine tours in the Nice back country
  
  There is more to wine on the Riviera than rosé! Wine lovers can spend half a day discovering the unique whites, reds and rosés of the Nice back country. As with the food producers, we visit only winemakers who are passionate about what they do and work with few or no chemicals.
  
  
• The Bellet vineyards: Experience France's smallest AOC wine region, which the winemakers here believe is also the oldest wine-producing area in France. We'll visit two small producers who put all their knowledge, skill and passion into growing obscure grape varieties such as braquet and folle noire, which have notoriously unpredictable yields. You'll taste whites, reds and rosés, see the spectacular terraced vineyards just 20 minutes from the center of Nice and have an opportunity to buy wines to take home or enjoy during your stay.
• St-Jeannet: This town near St-Paul de Vence does not have an AOC, but that doesn't stop its winemakers from producing some of the area's most exceptional wine. We'll visit a winemaker who uses Roman methods to produce red, white and rosé which are prized by local sommeliers, and enjoy a two-hour tasting in the vineyard.

"When we visited Provence last fall, we were fortunate to have found Rosa Jackson's cooking class, via the internet. Our time with Rosa was one of the highlights of our two weeks in France. The trip to the market, and her knowledge of the fresh food and wine we used to prepare our menu made this an incredible experience that will not be forgotten. We only wish we lived closer, so that we could do it again. This experience was definitely worth the investment!" ~ Lynn Langeliers - Montana, USA

"I want to thank you SO much for the lovely cookery course. It was so enjoyable while at the same time being highly informative. I shall never be able to return to my slovenly ways….from now on it is nothing but the very best of ingredients AND replacing ‘the knife’ with a proper assortment of sharp ones! You have really whetted my appetite and I will be keeping an eye on your website with the view to returning to your kitchen in the near future." ~ Síghle Bhreathnach-Lynch, Dublin

"Just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful week of cooking. It was truly the highlight of my visit on the Cote d'Azur!! I wanted you to know that I have made several of the recipes here in Australia; the Beet Orange salad at least 4 times and it has been such a hit, the apple tart twice - very VERY impressive and so yummy, the lentil soup at least twice with ordinary Aussie sausages - still nice and the couscous salad at least twice. Will try lots more recipes when I get back to the USA." ~ Eleanor Therese Coyne, Australia

"Just want to say thank you again for the wonderful day we spent with you and your sharing your knowledge with us. Our dinner that evening was wonderful and we have enjoyed the wines we purchased when we were with you and most of all we are still enjoying that fabulous olive oil!! Please give our compliments and thanks to the owners of the shops and let them know how much we are enjoying our purchases." ~ Forrest and Adella Greek, USA

About Rosa Jackson

Food critic and cookbook author Rosa Jackson is fascinated with Nice and its unique culinary tradition, a result of its history and climate. She wrote about food for a daily newspaper in Canada before moving to France in 1995 to work as an interpreter at the Cordon Bleu cooking school and run Paris Market Tours.

She has edited six editions of the Time Out Paris Eating and Drinking Guide (published by Penguin), a guide to more than eight hundred and fifty restaurants, bars and cafés; updated several chapters of the 2006 Time Out South of France and Fodor's Provence and the Côte D'Azur guides; and written about food for a number of magazines and newspapers, including Food & Wine, Fine Cooking and Eating Well in the United States, Food and Travel magazine and The Evening Standard newspaper in Britain, and Eat magazine in Japan. She is the Paris correspondent for Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine and writes a monthly restaurant column for the subscription-only newsletter Paris Notes www.parisnotes.com.

She divides her time between Nice and Paris, where she runs the custom designed itinerary service www.edible-paris.com. Her first cookbook, Petites recettes pour grandir, was published by Marabout (a division of Hachette) in March 2004, and her second cookbook, La cuisine des paresseuses, came out in February 2005. She is married to a Frenchman and has a five-year-old son.

Old Town Apartment Rental for your Vacation in Nice, France

Looking for accommodation for your trip to Nice? Les Petits Farcis can recommend several newly renovated apartments in the Old Town, available for a few days to a month and sleeping two to five people. Renting an apartment allows you to live like a Niçois, making the most of the fabulous ingredients available at the Cours Saleya market - the beach is only a minute away, too! Prices start at about €500 (Euros) per week.

Prices for Cooking Classes and Market Tours in Nice

Les Petits Farcis market classes are small and friendly, with no more than six participants. Classes are available year-round, every day of the week except Monday.

As of summer 2007, enjoy cooking in my air-conditioned kitchen! My Seventeenth century apartment has entered the Twenty-first century, making it possible to cook year-round in comfort.

Market tour, cooking class and four-course lunch
9.30 am - 3.p0 pm
200 euros per person

Market tour, cooking class, four-course lunch and afternoon gourmet food walk
9.30 am - 6.00 pm
290 euros per person

Market tour, gourmet food walk and olive oil tasting with lunch
10.00 am - 2.00 pm
150 euros per person

Afternoon gourmet food walk
3.00 pm - 6.00 pm
100 euros per person

Saturday or Sunday early morning market tour with tasting breakfast
8-11am
120 euros per person

Meet the producers tour
9am-5pm
290 euros per person (includes transport by car and lunch)

• Discounts are available for groups of four or more and families.
  
  
• A minimum of two people is required for a class or tour to take place.
  
  
• Private class: 100 euro supplement per person.

For further details please contact Rosa <click here> or visit Les Petits Farcis web site. <click here>