I am a retired baby boomer with a Master of Science degree in Information and Cybersecurity. I spent decades working in the high-tech industry, and so did my wife. I am from the East Coast of the USA. Now, we call Honolulu, HI, home, and we travel the world in search of food, wine, and play.
My wife and I arrived in the south of France in August 2024. My wife attended the Institut de Français to learn French, while I traveled around the south of France, from Menton to Saint-Tropez and everywhere in between. I studied French for two weeks and determined that all I need to learn to say is: bonjour, excusez-moi, je veux (and point), je paie par carte, merci, au revoir. But I can read a French menu ; )
In mid-September 2024, we moved to Agde, France, to attend Gastronomicom, an internationally recognized culinary and pastry school officially accredited by the Ministry of Labor and Continuing Education. We studied there for six months and earned a “Certificat de Cours de Cuisine et de Pâtisserie Gastronomique,” or “Certificate of Gastronomic Cooking and Pastry.”
During weekends and breaks, we visited Béziers, Narbonne, Pézenas, Sète, Montpellier, Nîmes, Avignon, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Collioure, and Barcelona, Spain.
Next, we traveled through France for five months, from April through August, visiting cities such as Lyon, Dijon, Strasbourg, Rouen, Honfleur, Le Havre, Étretat, and Saint-Malo.
In late August 2025, we arrived in Bordeaux to attend wine school as full-time students (See my post entitled “Wine School in Bordeaux“).
Next, we will attend Ferrandi, Paris, “Intensive Professional Program in French Cuisine,” a four-month program designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of French culinary techniques, ranging from classic methods to modern innovations. Experienced chefs lead each class.
In addition to practical cooking skills, the program includes lessons on food history, nutrition, and the art of plating, as well as visits to local markets.
Finally, unlike many food, travel, and review sites that gather and centralize opinions from across the Internet without ever visiting the places themselves, my writing is based on our own experiences and perspective, and I take my own pictures. I do ot buy images from iStock.
Here I share my personal choices, provide anonymous citations, and pay for my own bills.
“I ke ola,” which means “here’s to life,”
Bonvivant365