Daniel Gritzer

Our last night at La Mothe was a special one. After two solid weeks of entertaining, all guests had departed and we three wwoofers (me, Vanessa, and Jeanine) were able to sit down to dinner with Didier and Evelyne alone. Even though Evelyne had cared for guests without rest, she prepared a dinner that went [...]

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Musseron, from which the English word “mushroom” is derived
There is a cassette recording of me when I am very young, not more than four years old, where my father, in an attempt to entertain me during a car ride, tells me of a drink called “cheese juice.” For the remainder of the recording all you [...]

I grew up being dragged to flea markets and antique shops by my mom. When she and her sister Sue were together it was even more certain we would spend hours riffling through dusty old artifacts, and I learned how to pass the time without too much discomfort. I almost never find anything I want, [...]

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Boeuf Bourguignon with tagliatelle and a slice of polenta.
Having a background as a professional chef comes with some distinct advantages. For one, people who generally like to do the cooking in their kitchens are more likely to invite me in to lend a hand. Evelyne opened her kitchen to me from day one here at [...]

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The tartiflette before baking.
Bruno and Rachel, two of Evelyne and Didier’s good friends, have been staying the week at La Mothe in tents with their two children. Both came to help with the party, and Bruno has spent many days helping with some major house renovations. They are extremely friendly with great senses of humor, [...]

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Every year at La Mothe Didier gathers and ferments plums, mirabelles, and pears for his eau-de-vie, or brandy as it is also known. In summer he fills large vats, keeping each type of fruit separate, and leaves them to ferment until it is time to distill the juice in midwinter. Mirabelles, although a subspecies of [...]

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With the party winding down and most guests departing, we are returning to some of La Mothe’s more typical chores. The property is scattered with fruit trees–apples, pears, figs, and plums. The plums are at their peak, their branches weighed down with fruit, and every morning a fresh carpeting of purple has dropped to the [...]

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Didier, Evelyne, Francois, and Jean at La Mothe
If you are interested in staying at La Mothe’s Bed & Breakfast:
Moreau Didier et Evelyne
8, Chemin de Bel Air – La Mothe
89410 Beon
Tel. 03.86.73.47.44
email: aubelair@wanadoo.fr
Languages: French, English, German
We arrived three days ago at La Mothe in Burgundy, France, the first of a number of farms we will visit [...]

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Paris, being what it is, offers an infinite array of eating possibilities. The choices are overwhelming, and for the uninitiated it can be hard to know where to start or finish. At times my preference is to walk for hours until something appealing turns up. The rest of the time I like to have a [...]

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I have a few rules as far as my gut is concerned and one of them is this: if you ever see every person around you eating the same thing, try it no matter what it is. This rule is invaluable. Years ago at the Mercato Centrale in Florence it introduced me to the greatest [...]