the day's activities are far from over. You cannot earn your "Passport" without tasting the local wines (La Cadière d'Azur overlooks the Bandol vineyards, among the finest in Provence), not to mention a visit to an olive oil mill and an exception, basket in hand, through the garden where the Bérards grow most of the herbs and vegetables they serve in their restaurant. Thyme, basil, and greens of every description grow alongside rose bushes (which are perhaps of more interest to the amateur artists who come to the Hostellerie Bérard for watercolor courses), providing pleasures for all the senses - pleasures that will echo in the mind for a long time to come.
Lessons in the good life
The Hostellerie Bérard in Provence offers advanced studies in the art of living well.
The "Passport to Provence" four-day culinary program offered by René Béarrd at his hotel-restaurant in the Southern French town of La Cadière d'Azur is only for guests who are truly devoted to the pleasures of the table - and readyto renounce any pretense of dieting for the duration of their stay. A native of this tiny village where his family has run the butcher shop for generations, Bérard is eager to share the best of what his beloved Provence has to offer. No sooner do you finish polishing off breakfast while admiring the spectacular view from the Hostellerie Bérard dining room than it's time to hit the market in the nearby town of Sanary. Amid a maze of stalls offering a bewildering variety of fresh fish and vegetables, Bérard gives a lesson in the science of selecting a superb tomato or just the right fish for a heavenly bourride (poached fish with vegetables in mustard sauce). After this pedagogical shopping spree in Technicolor (and Odorama), it's time for a little hands-on experience. Back in the cozy kitchen of the Bastide, the recently-renovated medieval building next to the hotel, Bérard reveals to his apprentices the secrets of Provençal cuisine. An exacting but amiable teacher, he guides the students through each step so that when they go home they will be able to recreate a fragrant aioli, a luscious tapenade (olive spread) or a mouthwatering salt cod brandade.Every task has its reward. After a taste of tapenade on a hefty chunk of freshly-baked bread, it's time to sit down for lunch and sample the dishes from the morning's cooking lesson. Even those who couldn't resist checking, rechecking and rerechecking the balance of seasonings in their aioli are expected to finish their plates, right down to the home-made peach sorbet.
It's no wonder that many guests repair to the quiet garden afterwards to help their digestion with a little nap, lulled by the chirping of the cicadas. Those who have the privilege of staying in the Bastide itself (four rooms decorated with trompe-l'oeil frescoes and tasteful furnishings chosen from the Bérard family heirlooms and the local antique shops) will especially appreciate this little pause in the middle of the day, although a simple deck chair parked between two cypress trees also does the job nicely. But