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I'm just off the coast of Provence.

And I have a dilemma. I could gaze for hours at this coastline that has

mesmerized visitors for millennia.

I could bask on the most glamorous beaches in the world.

I could stroll through the glorious countryside in a stunning swirl of

Or lose myself in a thrilling ancient city.

Yeah, I could do all that.

But you know me.

First, I gotta eat.

I'm Eva Longoria, and I'm a serious Francophile.

Over the past 20 years, my career as an actor has brought me to France time and

again. It's my home away from home.

But those trips were more about work than joie de vivre.

Now I want something deeper. This is going to be an adventure!

So I'm setting out to really experience France.

That's my baby!

To savor its world -celebrated cuisine.

And explore the country's rich history.

There's a reason why when we dream of a perfect place, it looks a lot like

Provence. This is like lavender heaven.

The sun -kissed landscape of this corner of the south of France is world famous.

And the glamour of the French Riviera is on another planet.

And cue the sailboat.

The beauty of Provence is timeless.

But this place never stands still.

There's a wild wind racing through this region, and it drives people here to

creative heights.

Yeah. Oh, it's roaring.

For centuries, they've drawn on all this beauty. It's like the French Riviera on

a plate.

Lightened up French food and changed the way the world eats.

Again. Oh, my God, that's so good. And again.

It's very good with rosé. Everything is good with rosé. And again.

Paris had their time.

Now it's our time.

And we're going to make the best out of it.

I'm in the oldest city in France, and I know this is called Searching for

France, not Italy, but bear with me.

Bonjour. Bonjour.

Half and half.

I was told that's how I order it.

Perched on the hot Mediterranean coast and closer to Italy, Spain, and even

North Africa than Paris, is France's second largest city, the ancient and

Marseille.

Now, I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling nervous. This is extreme pizza. One half

pure melted cheese, but the other, a crazy amount of anchovies, which is

intense. And somehow, this half and half is the city's favorite food.

The half and half is made for sharing, and I'm meeting Valentin Raffali.

He's one of the new wave of young chefs making Marseille world famous for its

food.

Val! Eva!

I came to your favorite spot.

Yeah, let's go with the moitié -moitié, start the day right.

So that's the cheesy part?

Oh yeah, perfect.

Oh, that's lovely.

Emmental is such an affordable cheese.

It's not too strong. It's very subtle.

Yeah, soft, cheesy, what we like. Everybody loves that one.

Now I'm trying the anchovy side, which is not my favorite.

Yeah, yeah.

Nope. No.

Oh,

that's intense.

Super intense, yeah. Maybe really early for an anchovy. This is the Marseille

contrast in a pizza. The tenderness is your side.

And that one is the deepness. The strong character. The strong character, the

loud people.

La moitié -moitié. La moitié -moitié.

If Marseille folk feel like big characters, it's not without reason. In

wealthier parts of France, you sometimes hear that Marseille is a bit of an

embarrassment, seen as a city full of crime and immigrants and chaos.

While nobody denies there are problems, they also know that their city has

thrived for two and a half thousand years by embracing the flavors and

of the entire Mediterranean, mixing things up and following its own star.

Look at this.

There you go.

Oh, my gosh. We've come to the highest point in the city, the Church of Notre

Dame de la Garde, with views that stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to

mountains that wrap around Marseille.

It's a bit like the mountains protect us from the rest of France, you know? And

this is the rest of the world. You guys have your arms wide open. Yes, exactly.

This is my first time in Marseille. Yeah, cool.

And I don't know what to expect.

It's a welcoming city, but it's also wild. The electricity is definitely

We act like Italians. We act like Corsicans.

We act like Northern Africans. And here you better not be late at the green

light. Otherwise, someone is like, bam, bam.

You were born here. Yes, I was born here. And my dad is Moroccan. My mom is

French. So I'm the classic Marseille product.

Is Marseille closer to French cuisine or closer to a global cuisine?

You can feel the influence about countries. Here we love it. We love

love, like, fishes.

Olive oil.

Olive oil, the best. Goat cheese, lamb, you know, everything is strong here, you

know? We're not the richest city in France, right? But culture and people,

the richest here.

Everybody has their time in life, you know? Lyon had their time 50 years ago.

Paris had their time. Now it's our time, and we're going to make the best out of

it, you know?

Young chefs like Val have united those feisty Mediterranean flavors and found

themselves leading a new era in French cooking right here in Marseille.

The epicenter is just behind the city's Arabic quarter and the old port in the

neighborhood of Courjouliang. This is where you're from?

Yes. I mean, here's the artistic soul. That's where everything crossed.

Music, cinema, and now a lot of restaurants.

And now I want to bring you to one of my friend's place. That's my friend

Andrea. She's my neighbor.

Andrea Piraluga opened her restaurant La Ola in 2023.

Hello. This is Andrea.

Welcome.

She brings in a rotating list of resident chefs for a month or two.

In the kitchen today is Houloud Benteir. She has Tunisian heritage and is a huge

favorite here.

So nice to meet you. I already smelled the unique spices in this kitchen. So

what are we making today? We're going to make that now.

Of lamb. Lamb tatin. Yes. We're going to make it with rosemary pastry.

Rosemary is in the actual crust.

Exactly. Yeah.

Khouloud's savory lamb tatin is laced with gorgeous Tunisian spices she grew

with. It's cooked with the crust on top and then flipped over and is a twist on

the classic French dessert of apple tart tatin.

In Tunisia, we eat a lot of spicy.

We put harissa everywhere. You know what is harissa?

Yeah, I love harissa, but harissa is not hot. It's supposed to be hot. Are you

going to give me harissa now? Yeah. Just to prove a point?

Yeah. And do I taste it like this? Yeah.

Oh. Oh, my God, that's so good.

You see?

It's coming after. It's coming now.

A lot of garlic in this region, or is it also in Tunisia? Yeah, we use a lot. We

love garlic. We love onion.

Hulu thrives on the freedom that chef residencies give her, moving around the

city and the world, sharing and discovering food.

When you put also like your sari and you mix everything, the combination is

amazing. And this was also like new generation want to show where we're from

what we are.

And what's this? Ginger. Ginger. You can put everything.

This is Herbes de Provence?

Yes. There's such a mix of Marseillaise.

Ingredients and Tunisia.

Exactly. And seven hours. You don't have to touch it. This is amazing, no? Yeah.

I'm stealing this recipe.

Voilà. Do you normally cook with wine? I mean, drinking wine. Yeah, let's drink

wine.

Why am I asking a French person?

Santé. Santé. So this one has been cooking seven hours. Oh, it's so tender.

That's going to be so good.

The last step is to add the rosemary pastry.

Un, deux, trois.

Is it good?

As the crust crisps up, we head out to rejoin Val and Andrea for a feast of

bold Mediterranean flavors.

Oh, my gosh. That's nice. I have to taste this right away. Sorry. Yeah,

go. And what is the cream in here? I mix the meat juice with mustard and

fermented milk. Wow.

Really, really good.

Oh my gosh. I love that I can taste your Tunisian heritage in this dish.

It's front and center, but at the same time in a tartan in the French way.

Wow. It is so full of love and history.

I think that both of you, you don't cook with that much ego. You're kind of

artists for me. You guys are so young to be an entrepreneur, to have this level

of talent at your age.

Thrilling to be cooking and eating with these amazing young chefs, all still in

their 20s, who are changing the face of French food.

We work hard, and at the end of the day, it's always a good day. Yeah, because

we are free.

Wow. Oh, yeah.

Cheers.

We'll need a code name for you.

Why not the Jackal?

Fresh helmet's on, brace for impact.

It's dead!

That's right!

I like it!

It's often said that Marseille is like a wide -open mouth, just gobbling

everything that comes into it from the sea.

And it's been like that ever since the ancient Greeks landed their boats here,

bringing olive oil and a recipe for a simple fish broth cooked in seawater.

Good things take time, and after two and a half thousand years of fishing,

boiling, arguing, and refining, the result is a superstar of French cooking,

Marseille's famous bouillabaisse.

fascinated by this legendary dish for years, but I've never actually eaten the

real thing.

So I've arranged to meet local chef, poet, and bouillabaisse master, Emmanuel

Perraudin, down at Marseille's old port.

Bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse. It's very linked with the city.

All along the centuries, it evolved with the different ingredients that first

arrived here in this port. Because, you know, Marseille has a very special place

in the French cuisine.

Because everything entered here.

Yeah, first here. It evolves, but you have to stick with the spirit of this

dish. You have to create a kind of harmony from a mix, from the chaos of

sea. From chaos, you create harmony. Exactly.

Many of us Americans first learned of this epic dish through our own queen of

French cuisine, Julia Child.

Today, we're going to do fish soup.

And bouillabaisse.

While Julia isn't here to boil one up, Emmanuel is on a quest to cook it for me

and some friends.

We need a huge range of the Mediterranean's strangest sea creatures.

Is this the poisonous one?

No, this one is the poisonous one.

It's called the veal.

Some here say bouillabaisse is now just a restaurant moneymaker. But for

Emmanuel, the ritual around this dish still matters.

Eating a bouillabaisse is still, you know, a very unique habit. I prepare it

once a year for my family. We are going to buy two of these.

This guy.

And this guy as well. My God.

Merci, Jean.

Bonne journée.

Marseille's ancient port has seen the world and its ingredients flow in for

two and a half thousand years.

And the tastiest things go into the bouillabaisse pot.

along with an entire aquarium's worth of flavorful tiny fish.

We are going to cook just like a little stock.

Together, they'll form the support act for the big guys we got down at the

market. Oh, and there's a crab.

Here we call it a savouille.

I see we have chili.

Is that peak? No, it's very delicate.

Is that sea salt? Yeah, it's sea salt from Camargue. And then saffron.

It smells amazing!

Does everybody know this recipe, if you're from Marseille?

So actually, I think that there are so many different recipes of the

bouillabaisse. Everything I'm going to say, you know, will be a disgrace to

others. And that's the good point with this recipe, because you cannot grab it.

Yeah, it's always evolving.

Exactly. And orange?

Just a little bit of the skin. Okay.

While the stock bubbles, it's time for the main event, those famous fish of

Marseille. There's one guy I'm most intrigued by. He apparently brings a

beautiful flavor to the whole broth, but is also legendarily ugly.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Red Wisconsin.

And this is the big one. I think that there's no beer that exists without it.

looks like a merman.

Yeah, it is the ugly one.

What do you mean this is the ugly one? He's so cute.

I love him. I think he's handsome.

Which one is the poisonous one? This one. Why are we eating it?

Because it's so delicate.

But are we going to die or am I going to go to the hospital? No. This fish hides

itself in the sand.

Oh, in the sand.

And then you could step on it. Exactly. Oh, my gosh. So that would have venom in

it and this part as well.

Yeah, let's get rid of those things.

I used to do this when I was little with my dad.

Really? Yeah.

That's right there.

All right.

What other fish is in this?

party. This is the John Dory. We call it St. Pierre. Uh -huh, St. Peter. Touch,

you know, the skin of the fish.

That's why it's called St. Pierre? Yeah. This mark is St. Peter's fingerprint?

Exactly. It's a holy fish.

It's a holy fish.

All right, what fish is next?

Oh, gosh.

This is another treasure.

C 'est pas beau.

Yeah.

At all.

Hi. There's no guillemets and no stock without this. Okay.

What flavor does this give?

Yep. I love that smell.

Good for you. I love it. You truly are from the South.

Was all this fish from here? Yep. You guys have a variety. Yeah, we all feel

lucky. Yeah. And that's all of our fish. Yeah.

I think it's ready. Yeah.

That stock Emmanuel made with all the tiny fish, that now needs to be smooshed

down into an intense broth, ready to play an important role.

A lot of work for a fish soup.

Okay, now this is the second stage?

Yeah. Oh, and now the stars of the show. Another star. Oh, my goodness.

We put the fish that will take the longest at the bottom.

That's so exciting.

Then our poisonous friend. Exactly.

Now the broth of all those tiny fish is poured onto the bigger fish.

Look at the color. It almost looks like a lobster bisque. And Emmanuel turns up

the heat. Au maximum.

Bouillie is boiling and Beth is lowering the heat. Exactly. And that's the name.

You bouillie it and then you... Is it bouilligne? Yeah.

Oh, it's roaring.

So we are going to low and going to forget it for just like 30 or 40

Okay.

If you're this special moment, I'm catching up with my old Marseille friend

Virginie and her husband Ben.

Just as we cook the bouillabaisse in two stages, it's also traditionally served

in two stages.

First, the broth from the tiny fish.

So have you guys ever had bouillabaisse? Last time I've been eating

bouillabaisse was with my grandma.

The broth is served with slices of baguette slathered in an intense

saffron sauce called rouille.

Oh, you put it in the soup? Yeah. Okay.

You're not from Marseille. How do you know this? It's my first time.

This has so many different fish, but it all kind of comes together.

Yeah, exactly.

You would say it's un bordel organisé.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay,

so this is the first part.

What's the second part?

The fish. The fish.

Those extraordinary fish have been buoyed up and based down in this dock

now served with vegetables and potatoes.

I love that the two stages are served this way as well. We eat the broth and

then we eat the fish. It doesn't feel formal, but it does feel ritual.

I'm going to taste the ugly fish.

Oh, I like him.

And he's not ugly.

Now that I've experienced the bouillabaisse, I get it.

Somehow, in all the chaos, something magical happens.

It may have been two and a half thousand years in the making, but it's

definitely worth the wait.

We have 14 feet to the money pit. All right, here we go.

What is this? That mirror brush of an ex -girlfriend.

Golly, golly, golly. Something's making her angry.

Nothing can go wrong, right?

There are few places on earth as heavenly as the Provence countryside.

It's inspired travelers, artists, and chefs for centuries.

I'm leaving Marseille and heading inland to Chateau Lacoste. The colors and

perfumed scents swirling in the air carry it on the magical Mistral wind.

And I feel doubly lucky because today I get to meet one of the world's most

famous chefs.

And she is known for using this unique landscape and making beautiful

food. And this is her herb garden. It all starts here.

Bonjour, Elle. Bonjour, Eva.

Enchantée, finalement.

Enchantée.

Hélène Darroze is one of the greats of modern French cooking.

She currently holds a total of six Michelin stars and runs two of the top

restaurants in Paris and London.

But I'm meeting her here in the Provence countryside she loves.

Oh, I love this garden.

Yeah, this is the garden where we have all the herbs. And you can smell. I

everything. What is this one? This one is chives. I smell it.

I love that you are one of the few chefs in the world that lead with scent in

your cooking. You always start with, how does it smell? For sure, smell is one

of the scents that is very, very important. When I smell something, I

the dish is a success or not. Really?

Oh, rosemary.

Rosemary, yeah, exactly.

Young one, huh?

So rosemary is one of the main...

Herbes de Provence. Exactly.

There are four. You have rosemary, you have thyme, you have oregano, and you

have the marjolaine. You know why? Because in the United States, I just buy

bottle that says Herbes de Provence. I don't know what's in it, but it's really

good, and I put it on chicken. Yeah, and they are dry.

And they're dry. Yeah.

How did you enter this profession?

I'm born in a kitchen. I'm the fourth generation of the family to cook.

Four generations. You're one of two women in France that has three Michelin

stars. Yes. Is it harder for women in France or in general in the world?

On the contrary, I say I'm lucky enough to live my passion through my job.

If you haven't heard of Hélène's fabled reputation in the kitchen, if your

family is anything like mine, you will definitely know her from the movies.

Hélène was the inspiration for the talented chef Colette in the hit

film Ratatouille.

One day, we had a phone call from Pixar.

And at the beginning, I said, well, okay, no, I don't know.

Yeah, I see.

And after, my God.

They followed you in the kitchen? Yeah, they followed me in the kitchen, looking

at me, how I worked, etc.

Now it's my turn to watch the master at work.

And she's making her Provençal classic just for me.

We'll prepare a ratatouille. A ratatouille. Yes, for sure. What is a

ratatouille? Because I have a different opinion about it. I don't think I've

ever eaten a good ratatouille. It's confit vegetables, I would say. Yeah.

together. Vegetables mixed together. Yeah. We have to be very careful not to

too much oil because all these vegetables, they can keep the oil

then it's just mushy. Yeah. Yeah.

Traditionally, it seems that the ratatouille, you cook all the vegetables

separately. Me, I cook them all together. But you have to go step by

Is it the herbs of Provence? Yeah.

This is that smell. So you have courgette, you have aubergine, you have

and you have tomato. I call them the vegetables of the sun. And garlic.

And garlic. Everything in Provence has garlic.

Yeah, for sure.

Ratatouille was done with the vegetables from the home garden, you know, so very

humble dish.

Smells like herbs de Provence with garlic.

But I love how you've given each vegetable its own time to join the

Exactly. That's the key. The good balance, huh? Yeah, the balance. It's a

question of balance.

The balance.

Hélène may be keen to cook me a simple Provençal country dish, but she could

never just throw this into a bowl with a hunk of bread.

Oh, my. Look at that.

This is gorgeous. Look at these.

They are so beautiful.

Hélène's using fresh zucchini flowers. Voilà. All the way to the top. And then

you close.

That's it. And we will cut them a little bit in the oven and that's done.

Sometimes it's better to cook with instinct than with technique.

Why do you think there's so much technique in French cuisine?

I mean, it's associated with technique. Because they are done by men.

It means they always want to demonstrate something.

Okay.

Wow. Yes.

Gorgeous.

This is one of the most beautiful dining rooms. It feels like we're floating

with Provence in the background.

Exactly. Yeah, you don't need a designer to design the room because you have the

nature. Yeah, kind of like your philosophy of cooking is like when you

a good product, why do too much to it? Exactly. Let's be humble in front of

that, you know.

These are the howling mistral winds, huh?

It's incredible, huh?

Can you hear that? Do you hear the sound?

Yeah, I love those winds.

Oh, wow.

How are they?

This is so beautiful.

And what is this?

It's a zucchini cream with olive oil inside with herbes de Provence and a

bit of basil.

Okay. Let's start inside with the ratatouille. It's never been presented

beautiful as this.

Mmm, wow.

Taste also now with the olives. Oh, that goes so well with the ratatouille.

Wow. And you know what? It's perfectly mixed.

It doesn't taste like one mushy thing. I can taste every vegetable.

Yeah. And Len has perfected exactly how to let Provence shine through her food.

Wow. The result is utterly exquisite.

And inside this flour, the perfect ratatouille.

That is Provence.

So, you got Stack TV.

But do you realize the huge collection of amazing shows you can now stream?

What? Obviously, I'm in. We're talking a multitude of genres. From reality.

What? Drama.

And the heart.

Comedy. Give me a holler when this goes south. True crime. And culinary hits. To

name a few.

The standards go up.

The hit shows you love. And the hidden gems you have yet to discover.

I like to win.

So stream on. Because we add new shows every single day on Stack TV.

This gorgeous coastline defines the glamour and style of France just as much

the catwalks in Paris.

The French Riviera.

Every summer, millions of people, including me during the Cannes Film

flock here for the sunshine and glitz that the coast of Provence has made its

own. I'm headed to the place where it all began.

Along the shoreline from Saint -Tropez, Cannes, and Nice sits the Hotel du Cap,

one of the most famous hotels on Earth.

I've been fortunate enough to visit a few times, and I'm thrilled to be back,

mainly for one iconic salad.

I'm meeting writer and Riviera resident Lainey Goodman to find out why the world

keeps falling in love with Provence's coast and its food.

Lainey's ordered us the perfect Riviera lunch.

Wow.

Well, look, there's a sailboat right there. Oh, my God. And cue the sailboat.

It's hard to believe, but when the hotel opened over 150 years ago, the Riviera

was a sedate winter spot for visiting British aristocrats who fled as soon as

the hot summer rolled around.

Before that, nobody would be in the south of France in the summer? No. The

season was winter?

Yes, because it was not fashionable to be tan.

In 1923, everything turned upside down when a young American couple convinced

the hotel to stay open for the summer and invited all their friends.

And when your friends happened to be F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coco Chanel, and

Picasso, you're sure to start a theme.

By 29, it was full of Americans here. It did actually become what Scott

Fitzgerald called a celebrity circus. It had become the place to be. The women

were wearing silk pajamas.

I personally haven't brought silk pajamas, but I have come with a craving

one simple but perfect meal here.

Head chef Sébastien Broda knows how to bring the sunshine.

There's the regular Niçoise salad ingredients like fresh tomatoes,

olives and tuna, but some things you might expect are missing.

Dans la vraie salade niçoise, il n 'y a zéro salade. It's so beautiful.

This salad is now a classic across the world, though its roots on this

are sometimes forgotten.

I don't think people know that it's called a niçoise salad because niçoise

meaning from Nice. And there have been so many different variations of this

salad. Americans put potatoes in it, they put all kinds of things, and

not one lettuce leaf. And all vegetables must be raw. Yes.

Mmm.

They have a taste here that nowhere else. Oh, my God.

Magnifique.

Why do you think this salad has become so

popular throughout the world?

Well, it's like...

The French Riviera on a plate. And people instantly feel that they've come

long way and they can kind of fantasize about that. So we feel closer to the

French Riviera if I order this in Texas.

Exactly.

I have to tear myself away from lunch with Lainey as I have an invite

along the coast.

Recently, the world has enthusiastically embraced another delicious way to be

transported to the French Riviera.

I'm heading away from the holidaymakers to Bandol, a tiny region that's home to

some of the very best rosé on earth.

In the ancient vineyards, I'm meeting winemaker Claire Brunon, whose family

arrived here from Algeria in the early 1960s. When did you end up here?

They come in 1962.

Okay. My father, Pierre, and my uncle, Paul.

And why did they leave Algeria? Because of independence war. And that was a very

violent war.

Yeah, they have to move quickly.

When Algeria fought for independence against French colonial rule, families

connected to the French administration, like Claire's, fled in fear across the

Mediterranean.

Claire's father and his brother were teenagers when they got here and needed

decide where to start their new life.

And were they winemakers in Algeria? Yes, they make the wine in Algeria, but

they come here because my uncle loves Marlon Brando. Marlon Brando? Yes, and

read in the newspaper he was here. What was Marlon Brando doing in Bandol?

That's so random.

Yes, in Bandol, he was dating the fisherman's daughter, and he said, OK,

Marlon Brando loves Bandol, I can live there.

So you guys relocated here not because of the soil or the weather for

winemaking, but because Marlon Brando lived here. First, Marlon Brando, and

second, because of the soil.

Rosé is made in the same way as red wine, but the dark grape skins and juice

soak together for a much shorter time, giving the lighter pink color.

Oh, it smells so good already.

What do you guys do different than most rosés? Because I feel like you can go to

a wine shop and it's just like an aisle of pink and people probably pick based

on color.

Yeah, we're organic. We can't take by machine. We harvest with...

And we can't put water on the vines. Nothing can be added to it. And we put a

little bit of Morved grape, and it's our specialty in Bandol. Okay, Morved.

Morved. That's why the color is more dark. I'm excited to see the color.

Oh, yeah, that is dark.

Sunrise type.

Oh, it's sunrise. That is definitely one of the darkest rosés I've ever seen.

Oh, it's lovely. It's like peaches.

Peaches, yes.

I love when I get the note right.

I had it backwards. I was always picking the lightest rosé on the shelf.

Yeah, but now you can... Now I know.

This is what I'm after.

Four generations of the Boulogne family have gathered to enjoy the food and wine

of the land they've nurtured since they first arrived over 60 years ago.

This looks amazing.

With us is Uncle Paul, one of the original brothers.

Sitting regally at the head of the table, he reminds me of the godfather

himself. I have a question.

What do you want?

All of this started with you.

Yes. I want to try the onion.

And it's very good with rosé. It tastes rosé. Everything is good with rosé.

Wherever we are in the world, a simple salade niçoise or a glass of rosé

instantly connects us to the sunshine and splendor of this place.

It's almost as good as being here.

Now you're from the south of France. Now I'm from Provence.

Some say Canadians are apologetic.

Sure, we're sorry for being so nice. Sorry we have so much talent that it

overflows our borders.

Sorry for making gripping drama and great music.

Sorry for having the passion to build and rebuild.

Sorry for being dreamers and connoisseurs.

Yes, sorry, not sorry.

we're sorry.

Stream the best of Canadian content on Stack TV.

Proudly Canadian, unapologetically entertaining.

I've traveled back along the coast and deep into the historic heart of

Marseille.

These narrow, windy streets just behind the old Marseille port were once known

as the most dangerous place in France.

Over 150 years ago, The French high society became obsessed with this idea

Marseille was full of criminals.

How are you?

Alexis Steinman is a food and travel writer who unearthed Marseille's hidden

history.

So where did this negative reputation begin?

So if you think of Marseille, Marseille is a port city. And so that means that

all these cultures, all these people are coming in. In the 19th century, we had

a lot of Italians come to get work. And there were people called the Nervi. And

the Nervi were sort of the thugs.

And so you can imagine you have these skinny alleyways and there was crime.

so the Nervi were known as the people you wanted to stay away from.

But how much of that was just a scapegoating of the new immigrant

It really became sort of this over -exaggerated cliché that contributed to

reputation that Marseille is this capital of crime.

Life can be hard in this ancient city.

Marseille has some of the poorest areas in all of France, but there's also a

long tradition of people here looking for creative ways to improve what they

for everyone.

This is beautiful.

I really wanted to bring you to this restaurant. It's one of my favorite

in Marseille and maybe in France.

This is called Le Republic.

This restaurant is really special because it's a social impact project.

There are people who dine here who would pay around 30 euros to have a three

-course meal.

And then about 35 % of the people who eat here are paying one euro.

One? One euro. And they get the same meal? They get the exact same meal and

everyone's together. And you don't know who is paying a euro and who is paying

30 euros. How is there not a line out the door? So what happens is they are

working directly with the nonprofit.

Oh, and they are reserving in advance. So it's not like you're saying, oh, this

person pays. Yeah, those people on this side and these people. No, it's really,

really mixed.

We get to chatting with our barman, Guillaume, and hear that this place

only take care of its guests.

Guillaume, how long have you been here?

Two years.

I am surrounded by a great team with whom they allowed me to be as I am today

because I am dyspraxic. What is dyspraxia? It's spatial video. The fact

arriving in such a large space at the start is very impressive.

And that's what's good about here. It's that no matter where we come from, from

our families, from our problems, whatever they are,

Building a place as beautiful and buzzy as this, while also upending the

business model of a restaurant, is an incredible achievement.

I need to meet the man who makes it all happen, Chef Sébastien Richard.

I like the concept.

Also, you know, for the people who work here, it's an amazing opportunity.

And it works as a business model because it's precious.

Yes, it works. I mean, each person...

Transmitting that love and passion that you have, you can feel it.

Sebastian and his team use cost -effective local produce and a whole lot

skill to make Marseille favorites that keep diners coming back for more,

they're paying full price or reduced.

What did you think of Sebastian?

He's amazing.

Sebastian likes to say that this is a project that could have only happened in

Marseille. Because this is a city that's kind of bootstrapping, that has to make

things happen for itself.

Sebastian has made us vitello tonnato, an Italian classic of tender veal

served with a creamy tuna -based sauce.

He puts sardines because sardines is really our most popular fish. It's not

expensive fish. People like to grill them. They like to smoke them.

Every course is so exquisite and fresh, I can totally see why Alexis loves this

place.

It's so delicious. It's an amazing concept.

When it's time to settle up, I've never been happier to pay for a meal, which

also helps out so many others.

This corner of the street is changing the world around it, breaking down

barriers and making sure this incredible experience is available to everyone in

Marseille.

Who's the target? He's an exceptional assassin.

Laugh out loud comedy.

The teddy bears got you covered. Bingeable Gordon Ramsay.

Bloody brilliant. All the chaos of new Rick and Morty. Nobody needs to get

I'm sure I'll be fine. Treat yourself with something fresh.

This is for your own good.

On to another adventure.

Dak TV.

New shows streaming every day.

Those noises you can hear, that's the sound of two women completely losing

minds at the traditional Provençal market.

Wow. This is like lavender heaven.

Beautiful.

I'm nearing the end of my time here in Provence, and I'm on the road again with

Alexis Steinman. We're heading towards the more rugged center of Provence.

where Alexis is promising to take me to the most extraordinary dinner. But we

got distracted along the way in the ancient town of Aix.

Merci. Merci.

It's the birthplace of visionary painter Paul Cézanne, who, inspired by nature

around him, changed art forever.

Bonjour. Bonjour, monsieur.

He was really famous for using the apple, and it was really revolutionary

he was doing because he was painting rustic food.

At a time when French art favored overblown paintings of grand historical

scenes, Cezanne went right back to basics, capturing the simplest things

alive in their moment in time.

You can tell he got inspiration from this area. The light here is stunning.

The colors here, not just in the market. A lot of artists, not just Cezanne,

came down because of the light. You know, we have this crazy wind called the

Mistral. And that cleans the sky. And so you have this really beautiful soft

light. And Cezanne's claim to fame was light. They like jumped out at you. They

were almost 3D. They vibrate almost. And so that's also, when you look at them,

that gives you this emotion.

Wow.

In the 1860s, Cézanne left Provence and traveled to Paris, convinced he would

revolutionize art.

Instead, his paintings were mocked as unsophisticated, and he was seen as an

oddball yokel.

Undeterred, he left the city and returned to the South to pursue his

revolutionary vision.

Some say that it's really where he found his voice as an artist, because he was

so enamored with the light, with nature.

As we head further into the countryside, I'm stunned by a vast, brooding

mountain I've only ever seen in painting.

This is beautiful.

It's called Montagne Saint -Victoire, and this is the mountain that Cézanne

painted over 80 times.

Wow. This landscape is, like, dominated by this mountain. It is overwhelming,

this site, this view.

It really became the star of the painting and also of the region.

People say it was his mistress because he really spent a lot of time with her.

He must have been in love with that mountain for sure. He painted it 80

thought he liked the apple.

The way the Montagne Saint -Victoire constantly changes in the light

Cezanne until the day he died in 1906, his work still largely unrecognized.

In 2022, one of his paintings of this mountain sold at auction for $138

Alexis has brought me to an event that feels priceless and perfectly Provencal.

Wow. This dinner is for Cezanne? It's a special dinner for Cezanne. I don't

think I've ever had a dinner this beautiful. Yeah.

Hundreds of people have gathered here at the foot of Cézanne's mountain to share

a three -course meal and celebrate food and art.

It's the creation of our friend and Bouillabaisse chef Emmanuel Perraudin.

On the menu is the Provençal food Cézanne loved, including duck roasted

olives and local vegetables filled with grains and ground meat.

And that's not all.

Oh my gosh, apples!

Wow, merci beaucoup.

They are beautiful.

For dessert, Cezanne's apples, reimagined as a fresh sorbet in crisp

chocolate and a fruit glaze.

Wow.

From this tiny little painting of an apple to something as grand as this

mountain, and he made both.

things so personal and intimate. It is a beautiful relation.

From artists to chefs and beyond, people in Provence are delightfully open to

the world around them. They draw inspiration from nature and from their

Mediterranean neighbors and blow out a creative energy from this corner of

France to the entire world.