Les Vergers Boiron 80th Anniversary book
In 2021, Tasha entered an international contest for Les vergers Boiron and was one of eight winning chefs for her Deconstructed Pavlova with Passionfruit cream recipe decorated with edible gold and edible flowers and served with passion fruit sorbet and a crumble.
In 2021, Tasha entered an international contest for Les vergers Boiron and was one of eight winning chefs for her Deconstructed Pavlova with Passionfruit cream recipe decorated with edible gold and edible flowers and served with passion fruit sorbet and a crumble.
For the 80th Anniversary of Les vergers Boiron, I wanted to use my favorite ingredients to "paint" a dessert - which has color, texture, crunch and bold flavors.
Foodie Tasha Powell Shares Her Perfectly Provence
Tasha Powell says she reinvented herself after a corporate career in product development for sporting goods. That might not be entirely accurate. It could be that Tasha is finally allowing her Francophile foodie to rule the day. From Allentown, Pennsylvania and Penn State University to living in Provence while she finished her Cordon Bleu certification, the gap somehow did not seem that wide once Tasha explained.
Tasha Powell says she reinvented herself after a corporate career in product development for sporting goods. That might not be entirely accurate.
It could be that Tasha is finally allowing her Francophile foodie to rule the day. From Allentown, Pennsylvania and Penn State University to living in Provence while she finished her Cordon Bleu certification, the gap somehow did not seem that wide once Tasha explained.
“I have had a love of the French language, culture and people ever since I was a little girl.”
Tasha’s first trip to France was as a junior in college to study at the Université de Strasbourg. Work for clients at the Cannes Film Festival brought to her to Provence for the first time in 1982. Tasha discovered that the region infatuated her, a smoldering fire fueled further by Peter Mayle’s book A Year in Provence (1989).
Tasha lives in the US, but Provence is in her blood, when she had a chance to work in France to hone her Cordon Bleu skills (2012) there was not much to stop her. This is what Tasha had to say about her experience:
“I did a stage under Reine Sammut at L’Auberge la Fenière in Cadenet, next to Lourmarin. L’Auberge La Feniere is a Michelin starred restaurant. For those of you who have seen the film, 50 Foot Journey, this film about the restaurant world in Provence describes my experience in Cadenet. I also staged at Quai 70, a hip restaurant in Puyricard, just 10 minutes north of Aix-en-Provence, in the evenings. The Luberon region north of Aix-en-Provence is magical and beautiful and is surrounded by vineyards, sunflower fields and lavender fields. Since the stage in 2012, I returned in 2013 and 2014 for 2-3 months each year to experience life in Provence. “
Reinvention complete, Tasha is now combining her cooking skills and marketing background to focus on food photography and styling. You can read more about Tasha’s bio here and the workshop in April 2016 — Food Styling and Photography in the South of France here.
Recipes Published by Perfectly Provence
I remember the first time I experienced a Pan Bagnat – I was a student in France and had taken my first trip to Nice. My first bite stayed with me from that moment –
I remember the first time I experienced a Pan Bagnat – I was a student in France and had taken my first trip to Nice. My first bite stayed with me from that moment– partly because I love all the fresh spring-summer ingredients which paired perfectly with tuna and the magnificent French round crusty loaf that it was served on. I have been making them at home ever since and still enjoy them when I am travelling on the Côte d’Azur.
The secret to success with this recipe is using the freshest ingredients and a good quality olive oil. If you love Salade Niçoise, a fresh tuna salad from Nice, you will love the Pan Bagnat.
Click dishes below for full recipes.
French Onion Soup
Marseille Culinary Tour
Tarte Tropezienne Recipe
Apple Tarte Tartin
Winter Dinner Menu
Roasted Pears served with Crème Anglaise
Warm Salad Roasted Leeks, Edamame and Cheese
Picnic (Pique-Nique, French Style)
Grilled Octopus Salad
Slow-Cooked Lamb Shank (Souris d’Agneau)
Spring Menu
Brandade de Morue
Tomates Farcis / Stuffed Tomatoes à la Provençale
Panisse/ Chickpea Fritters
Moroccan Recipes:
Moroccan Cucumber Salad
Luberon Diary: Pickers find peace at Les Pastras
As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” For us, that “thing” was getting people to pay us to pick our olives. They said it couldn’t be done. They unkindly said, “What you’re doing is a scam.”
Extending the olive branch
November 1, 2013
As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” For us, that “thing” was getting people to pay us to pick our olives. They said it couldn’t be done. They unkindly said, “What you’re doing is a scam.” But “they” were Provence natives who had never worked in a drab, featureless building or gone months without seeing a bird that wasn’t a pigeon. They didn’t ride a loud, cold train to work with the other corporate drones, who wished they were anywhere else but there.
If you had stopped by the Chicago office on the 50th floor where I worked ten years ago, and told me that for just €50 I could spend the day picking olives on an organic farm in Provence, plus enjoy a traditional French countryside lunch of beefdaube, saffron potatoes au gratin, ratatouille, cheese and dessert plus all the wine I cared to drink … well, I would have signed up twice. And probably kissed you, to boot.
Photo: Walter Pfeiffer
And as it turned out, the opportunity was indeed attractive to other city dwellers. A businessman from Ireland, a lawyer from LA and even a recent graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in California – all among the folks who willingly paid to pick olives and have lunch with us. We picked 75 kilos of olives that day. And, as is often the case with our tours, people who came to us as paying clients left as friends. For that alone, we consider the endeavour a success.
November 15, 2013
People often ask how we got started hunting truffles. It began with our British neighbours, who heard that the former owners of their house used to find truffles on the property. They asked my husband, Johann, if he knew of any truffle hunters who could come to the house to see if the story was true. And as it happened, one of his childhood friends, Jean-Marc, is a third-generation truffle hunter with two trained dogs.