Twenty years on the French Riviera. Five careers. One restaurant opened during a pandemic. Zero regrets. These are the stories they don't put in the guidebooks — the insider tips, the honest opinions, and the occasional confession about making poutine in Provence.
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Author & Canadian expat, former HR director, Cannes Film Festival insider, restaurant owner, and your very opinionated guide to the South of France.
My full story →I have lived on the Côte d'Azur for over twenty years — and I am still not done talking about it. I have worked inside the Cannes Film Festival, sold real estate in medieval hilltop villages, opened a restaurant during a global pandemic, walked dogs on cliffs above Monaco, and made poutine in Provence without a single apology. None of this was planned. All of it is worth reading about.
These are my stories — honest, personal, occasionally ridiculous, and written by someone who genuinely, unreservedly loves this corner of the world. You will find insider guides, frank opinions, unexpected detours, and the kind of advice you only get from someone who actually lives here. Welcome to the blog. Pull up a chair. There is always more.
Riviera Reality
You researched. You planned. You packed light. The Côte d'Azur has a different agenda entirely — and it will not be negotiating.
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My Story
I came to France for a summer. I stayed for twenty years. I let destiny decide — destiny picked Cannes. Obviously.
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Food & Life
A Canadian in the South of France, making gravy from scratch because nobody here knows what it is. Homeland on a plate. Zero regrets.
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Village Life
Eight hundred metres above the Gorges du Loup, eleven permanent residents, and a view so unreasonable it feels like a personal insult to every other landscape.
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Village Life
Medieval ramparts, cobblestones that stop you mid-sentence, one legendary restaurant I still haven't managed to eat at — and why none of that matters.
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Cannes Life
Champagne with George Lucas, Karl Lagerfeld at dawn, Pete Doherty in a state, ten festivals a year — and the restaurant that told Hollywood to wait.
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Life on the Riviera
Vicky is an English Setter of considerable beauty and absolutely zero courage. Lilou has never met a stranger. Every outing is an event.
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