Provence, 1970 by Luke Barr

A sun-soaked account of the simple pleasures of cooking, wine and friendship, as told by the great-nephew of late American food icon MFK Fisher. Largely inspired by Fisher’s personal diary, it reveals a brief and little-known period of 1970 when a corner of Provence hosted the biggest names in American cooking, including Julia Child and James Beard. Capturing their philosophy of the intertwining of food, lifestyle and pleasure, an ethos which originated in Provence itself, this sojourn would shape their own cooking and the future of American cuisine.

Barr’s writing is sensuous, evoking the companionship discovered through their shared love for good food and wine, and chronicling the dynamic group’s interpersonal ups and downs. Drenched in nostalgia yet rooted in the legacy of Fisher, Child and Beard, this is one to linger over.