The Gastronomic Valley of France: A Guide for Food Lovers

A taste of Marseille, and how its culinary heritage is shaped by the sea, there are few places like Le Petit Nice Passedat. Since opening on the waterfront in 1917, this restaurant has offered refined versions of local specialties like bouillabaisse. But in the hands of Gérald Passedat, the current chef and grandson of the original founder, it has taken seafood to new gastronomic heights—and earned its third Michelin star in 2008.

The setting was stunning when I arrived to have lunch in the sun on an autumnal day. A white dining room, built over a rocky shoreline and with a curving wall of glass, gave the place a feeling of being on a luxury cruise ship sailing along the Mediterranean. After taking my seat by the window, I ordered the eight-course “Passedat” tasting menu.

Each dish tells a tale. The amuse bouche had a seafood soup that was as turquoise as the waters outside. The chef’s signature was steamed fish with cucumber and zucchini ribbons on top, served atop a flavorful base made of wild fennel and tomatoes. A touch of truffle rounded out the dish. Passedat named his dish Lucie in honor of his grandmother Lucie who grew up near Quercy which is known for its truffle hunting. 

Passedat said to me at the conclusion of lunch that it was about a lifestyle that embraces the local products and goes back in time. He added that he sources 70 types of seafood for his menus, including monkfish, scorpion fish, and lobster caught off Marseille’s rugged coast. “I have worked with the local fisherman for many years.” 

All this may explain why his restaurant is highlighted by the Vallée de la Gastronomie, or the Valley of Gastronomy, a food-and-wine trail created in 2022 to promote the storied culinary heritage of three regions of France. The 385 mile trail follows an ancient trade route dating back to a thousand years that connects Marseille with Dijon. It passes through Lyon, which is arguably the French capital of gastronomy. Foodies and wine lovers can choose their own adventure, with some 500 stops to pick from, including restaurants, wineries, inns, farms, markets, bakeries, chocolatiers, creameries, museums, castles—even a snail breeder. The trail highlights family-owned businesses and small batch artisans that visitors may not have otherwise encountered. 

Only having three days left, I concentrated on the lower part of the trail. My gastronomic journey began in Marseille where I walked through the narrow streets to reach the Old Port. This is the historic heart of the city. The boats swayed from mast to mast and the fishermen sold their catch at the fish market. The action mostly takes place around 8 a.m., when the market opens; I arrived later in the morning, but despite the hour, crates piled high with sardines, red mullet, and sole still lined the stone-paved waterfront, a few feet from where the fishermen had moored their vessels. 

The following day, I drove north for an hour, on winding roads flanked by yellow fields of late-fall grapevines, until I arrived at Château La Coste, just outside Aix-en-Provence. The 500-acre estate features a sculpture gallery, organic winery and luxury 28-suite hotels. Villa La Coste. 

Lunch was served at the restaurant. Hélène Darroze à Villa La Coste, The estate has six restaurants. The glass pavilion overlooks organic vineyards and olive groves as well as patches of woodland and art installations by artists such Louise Bourgeois Frank Gehry and Yoko ono.

Darroze is a Michelin-starred chef in Paris and London who has created a menu that features the vegetables of the region. I ordered a six course menu called “A Walk into the Gardens of Provence” that featured a mousseline of fresh carrots topped off with carrot crisps and served with tandoori spiced shrimp in a sauce of cubeb pepper. Another dish featured a medley of tomatoes from the château’s garden—as a jelly and a compote, as well as candied, dried, and sliced raw—alongside a goat-milk cheese garnished with fish roe from Martigues, a town near Marseille. 

After lunch, I drove past the Luberon Mountains to the north. Domaine de Montine, The family-run vineyard is located in the middle of Grignan, a medieval village. The estate includes a truffle orchard, a farmhouse and a hotel where I stayed for a relaxing night after tasting some of the wines paired with local cheeses. In the morning I visited Richerenches, a nearby truffle market with a 100-year history. The market, which is held every Saturday between November-March, is divided into 2 sections: the public section, which occupies the main street and the wholesale area, located on a side road. 

I was accompanied by Jean-Luc and Rémi Monteillet, whose family own Domaine de Montine. They showed me the world of secret “black gold” trades, showing me how negotiations were taking place in car trunks. Before we left the market, I stopped by a food cart. I ordered a corn velouté soup, which was hearty, warm, and perfumed with truffles.

Back at the estate, Rémi and I went truffle hunting with Sydney, a boisterous Australian shepherd that bounded ahead of us, sniffing under neat rows of oak trees. When she began digging, we caught her up and gently unearthed it with a small trowel. We stopped when she found four pieces of the size a walnut. The estate is famous for its truffles. So, I had a delicious lunch of chestnut and cheese ravioli topped with shavings of truffles. 

I drove another hour north for my final stop. Domaine Michelas St. Jemms, a small but prestigious wine estate in Mercurol-Veaunes, a commune in the northern Rhône Valley. When I arrived, a tasting led by Sébastien Michelas, who runs the winery with his three sisters, was under way in the cavernous cellar. Michelas moved barrel-to-barrel, drawing wine while passionately describing each stop.

His stories were filled with passion, evoking rugged hills, generations of winemakers and the soil itself. As I stood among stacks of dusty barrels and bottles, I enjoyed the Viognier. Their complex layers lingered on my palate, a final tribute to the many flavors of Provence and the Rhône. 

Plan your own culinary adventure

The Vallée de la Gastronomie lets food lovers plot their own culinary journey between Marseille and Dijon. Here are our other four picks. 

Escargot des Restanques: Learn all about heliciculture, or snail breeding, at this family-run farm in St. Remèze. You can now purchase jars of Burgundy Snails. 

Ferme du BrégalonThis small goat farm near Rognes produces its own animal feed, and cheeses are made using traditional methods.

Les Ateliers Weiss: Craft your own candy bars and nibble to your heart’s content at this venerable chocolate factory, founded in 1882 in St.-Étienne.

Moulin Saint Michel: This ancient mill in Mouriès has been making olive oil the same way since 1744. It also sells tapenade, jams, and other local products.

The original version of this article appeared in December 2024’s issue of Travel + Leisure Under the heading “Of Land​ and Sea.”