Terre Blanche announces new chef and masterclass series

Terre Blanche, a five-star hotel and resort in Provence, has announced Christophe Schmitt as its new Executive Chef. 

Christophe Schmitt joins Terre Blanche having developed his talent in Michelin-starred restaurants across France, achieving his first Michelin-star as Executive Chef of L’Almandin in St Cyprien. 

The chef will oversee the resort’s four restaurants and from April 2021 through to October, he will host a series of culinary masterclasses teaching guests the art of Provençal cuisine.

Masterclasses topics include how to prepare a blue lobster and cook with truffles, the art of Provençal pastry making and macaroons, as well as an overview of the great classics of Provençal cuisine. 

Christophe Schmitt comments: “My inspirations are imbued with the Provençal terroir, in particular the Pays de Fayence where Terre Blanche is located and local producers and craftsmen deliver the best of  their harvests to us every day.” 

Adding: “My cooking is meant to be readable, respectful of the environment and delicious, without distorting the product, only enhancing it through the precision of cuisine.”

Already a haven for gourmands, Terre Blanche’s vibrant Michelin-starred restaurant Le Faventia is inspired by the seasons and serves the best that nature has to offer. This year, the hotel’s Le Gaudina restaurant will join in the spotlight, as its new chef rewrites the entire concept and menu in order to continue this ethos. 

Outside in the grounds, the resort’s on-site herb garden, the Jardin des Senteurs, will evolve to become ‘La Table du Chef au Jardin’: a kitchen garden of herbs and vegetables that will supply the restaurants, and serve as a place for guests to learn how to grow plants and vegetables. 

For visitors who want to further immerse themselves in the region’s gastronomic scene, the resort has its own 3,000 bottle private wine cellar full of local wines and the greatest vintages, and is just 40 minutes from internationally renowned Château d’Esclans, producer of famed Whispering Angel rosé.

Guests also have the option to book an idyllic gastronomic electric bike tour of local food producers, for goats cheese  and olive oil tastings.