Wednesday, May 23, 2007
A Week in Provence
Email to a friendPrint this article
The Ciclismo Classico company has found the ultimate guides for a bicycle tour of Provence, the French food paradise described in sun-splashed, shimmering detail by author Peter Mayle: two professional chefs from Boston. The eight-day jaunt on June 9 for “athletic beginners” loops through the countryside near Avignon with Andy Husbands of Tremont 647 and restaurant consultant Ed Doyle riding in the pack. They also lead forays into roadside markets and restaurants, and team up to cook a few meals for the group of 19.
Arlington-based Ciclismo Classico first invited a chef to join one of its bike tours in 2004. Customers liked the concept so much that the company now offers five specialty tours in France and Italy – three led by chefs, one by a sommelier, and one by a gelato maker. “This area of the business is definitely growing,” says tour operations manager Erika Gustafson, especially for customers who like to keep up with food trends and celebrity chefs.
Ciclismo also offers hiking, multi-sport, and family trips throughout Europe and New England. Dante de Magistris, chef-owner of Restaurant Dante in Cambridge, will be leading a hiking and biking trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast in October.
Part of the Provence tour’s appeal to Husbands and Doyle is the opportunity to improvise meals using local ingredients. “I already like to look at markets and farms, and figure out how to use what’s available,” says Husbands, who also owns Sister Sorel in the South End, and is author of “The Fearless Chef” cookbook.
Doyle, who helps chefs around New England open new restaurants and effectively run their businesses through Real Food Consulting, also likes to plan meals that use local ingredients. Of the two chefs, he is the more avid cyclist. He used to race and regularly rides five days a week, 20-40 miles at a time. This super-fit chef also finds time to run, take yoga classes, and lift weights at the gym. Husbands once rode his motorcycle cross-country, but jokes, “This time, I have to pedal. Ed is making me go out there and train.”
As they ride through French scenery made famous in Van Gogh paintings, both chefs look forward to chatting informally with group members, who will range in age from 30 to 68, and come from around the U.S. as well as Australia. The amount of riding in Provence – about 40 miles per day – has the added benefit of burning off all those calories from the local olive oils, wines, cheeses, and specialties including bouillabaisse. “When you’re stopping for a big lunch and dinner every day, you have to offset it with something!” says Doyle.
Comments