Chef David's Culinary Tour: Day Two

This morning after having a basket of bread and pastries for breakfast at our hotel, we ventured off into the square across the street. There we found a beautiful market with tons of fresh seasonal product from local producers. We were happy to buy some fruit, but wished we had a kitchen to prepare some of the vegetables we saw.

After we took a brisk walk to see the Chapelle Du Rosaire, where famous artist Henri Matisse designed the decor and layout of the building. Many of his sketches and works were on display, including huge murals inside the chapel.

 

The highlight of our day was spending time with Jean-Claude Bayle, Manager of R&D at IFF's Laboratory Monique REMY (LMR) in Grasse. It was difficult navigating our way from Vence to Grasse, but after a few lucky guesses and we found our way. Once there, we met up with Jean-Claude who gave us an overview of what is manufactured from his facility, and how IFF partners with growers to secure the highest quality materials, and even has farms of their own. Many ingredients need to be extracted right at the farm, due to the short life of the precious volatiles, explained Jean-Claude. At LMR much of the work there is to purify the materials due to unwanted allergens or other compounds that are not friendly to people.