Bonjour! Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I moved to Provence around 1998, after five years in Chicago and ten years in New York.
In New York I was a founding editor — and the executive editor for ten years — of Food Arts, a monthly magazine read by top chefs and other food-and-wine pros worldwide.
The first time I came to Provence was on vacation, to take a photography course. I think it was on Day #3, after the jet lag had started to ease, that I realized that two weeks wasn’t going to be anywhere near enough. I returned again, about a year later, and that’s when reality hit: my marriage to New York was pretty much over and my love affair with Provence was in full bloom.
I remember sitting my Manhattan apartment one day–completely stressed out by work and city life–floating my crazy idea on the phone to my mom, who’s always the voice of good reason.
“Mom what do you think would happen,” I asked, “if I took some time off and went to live in Provence for a while?”
And God bless her for her amazing reply: “Only good things I’d imagine!”
So I quit the job I loved, said bye to the boyfriend I still sort of loved, sublet my NYC apartment and rented a cute little house in St. Remy. My thinking was I’d stay three months and then go back to “real life”…whatever that would turn out to be.
Once the house was set up and I figured out how to get internet, I started to write…for magazines and websites such as NYTimes.com, Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveller UK, Food & Wine, Saveur, Gourmet, Wine Spectator, Travel & Leisure, Elle Decor and many others. And soon I realized it might, just might, be possible to stay here and support myself as a freelance journalist.
I also had (and still have) a great but very occasional gig consulting on food and marketing to a couple luxury cruise lines.
And somewhere along the way, the escapade became real life…a fantastic, much-improved version of it!
I started publishing my blog ProvencePost.com in 2008. It’s designed to celebrate all that’s special about the South of France, for people who live here full or part-time, travel here for pleasure or business or are still just dreaming of “someday.” On Provence Post I write about the things I’m most passionate about…because my readers seem to share the same passions. These include food, restaurants, French cooking, wine, photography, art, design, architecture, decor, gardening, books, inviting places, interesting people and fantastic experiences.
In 2010, I wrote my first book…a cookbook published by Random House/Clarkson Potter filled with recipes and stories from 75 of the top chefs in the world.
And then, after writing extensively about food, chefs, restaurants, hotels and the hospitality industry for 25 years, it was time for a change.
So after years of helping friends and readers plan their trips to Provence, I decided to make it official in 2011 and I hung out my ”travel planner” sign. Today my company, Provence Post Travel, helps solo travelers, couples, families and groups arrange amazing vacations here in the South of France. Sometimes I plan the whole trip (including lodging, tour guides, transport, activities, restaurants, etc.) and other times I’m asked for help with just one or two things. You can learn more about what I do on ProvencePostTravel.com and see all the fun activities I can arrange on my other site, WhatToDoinProvence.com.
Running off to Provence 20 years ago was definitely the smartest stupid thing I’ve ever done!
Connect with JulieWebsites: ProvencePostTravel.com and WhatToDoinProvence.com
Blog: ProvencePost.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.mautner.1
Instagram: @theprovencepost
Email: juliemautner@aol.com
Hey, I am Audrey Archambault and we recently moved to Provence after 12 years in London & South East Asia. I met my partner in London and we have quite an international family so it was important for us to be in an expat friendly area too.