Devon Fredericks on Provence, and Eli Zabar’s Excellent Gift Baskets

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Devon Fredericks on Provence

How would you describe yourself professionally?

“When I married Eli Zabar I knew I was marrying someone who worked all the time and that I would work alongside him if I ever wanted to see him. I imagined our children dying of boredom as we endlessly discussed ”the business.” Never did I imagine that 30 years later, the four of us (add twin boys) would be endlessly discussing “the business.” It’s our life.

Thirty years ago we bought a house in the Vaucluse. The village is Ménerbes. It is my favorite place on earth. Arriving after months in New York I need only to breathe deeply, push a few pieces of furniture into place and I am home.”

Breakfast or coffee spot

“Home in bed, always.”

On favorite restaurants

“This is a region that suffers from a lack of simple, easy, good restaurants. Home is the place to eat. That said, Café du Progrès in Ménerbes is nice for coffee or lunch with a killer view.”

What To See

“La Louve, the garden of Nicole de Vésian [who designed for Hermès in the 1950s and ’60s] and the Louise Bourgeois Chapel, 20 steps from each other, both in Bonnieux, both by appointment.”

Market Days

“On Saturday mornings, you have to choose between the huge vibrant market in Apt, continuous since Roman times or the small, easy and has everything-you-really-need market in Petit Palais, where you are likely to bump into a friend and have a coffee.

Apt also has the wonderful wine store V Comme Vin and there are stores that offer poterie d’Apt, one selling marvelous antique pieces (treat it like a tiny museum) and one with new services made to order. I’ve had my plates for 30 years, made by M. Faucon. I always tried to convince him to lend me one of his donkeys for the summer, but he said they were badly behaved.”

Where To Shop For Clothing

“Do not be tempted to invest in Provençal-style clothing. It only looks good in Provence.”

Where To Shop For a Special Gift

“Edith Mézard and Petits Points de Provence are two shops that specialize in embroidery. A gift from either gives a good sense of place.”

Where To Shop For Food

“The markets are everything, but we love Poissonnerie LO in Coustellet for fish (ask them to order tellines) and the tiny cheese store they have added next door. Last summer we got kind of addicted to the pissaladière from Boucherie Malavard in Apt, an old store rediscovered.

A new store we love is La Croûte Céleste in Robion for excellent sourdough loaves and fantastical bread sticks. Get in line at 3:00 p.m., if you want a loaf.”

For First-Time Visitors

“I like reading about the place I am while I am there. Two books about Provence that I love and force on anyone who shows interest are: A Village in the Vaucluse by Harvard sociologist Lawrence Wiley and The Road from the Past: Traveling Through History by Ina Caro.

This is not the easiest region to be a tourist in, especially in summer when it can be very hot. It’s a place for living, breathing, admiring the light and just being (maybe that’s called relaxing)

Life is labor-intensive, and for us market-driven. If you are in a hotel, you miss the opportunity to treat shopping as an activity, followed by cooking and eating. Is there anything else? The rhythm of the region is up early for walks, food shopping, whatever activities you’ve chosen, then lunch and a long nap in the shade. Life resumes at the end of the afternoon as people emerge and prepare for l’apéro, pétanque and ultimately, dinner, although it’s often after 9:oo p.m. before anyone feels like sitting down and eating. Sadly my old favorite activity, buying the Herald Tribune [which ceased publication in 2013 and changed to the International New York Times] and whiling the morning away over coffee in a village cafe is no longer a thing.

Watching the sun set is a major activity, with color coordinated rosé of course!

It is an area with good bike routes made better by the use of electric bikes. A market can then become a source for your picnic along the way.

PRO TIP: “If jet lag and the heat get you, there is a wonderful evening market in Velleron at 6:00 sharp every night but Sunday. People are only selling what they grow, proudly displaying farm to market in the very truest sense.”

Contact your Trip Designer or Indagare, if you are not yet a member, to start planning a trip. Our team can match you with the accommodations, reservations and activities that are right for you.