Your Host
Jennifer Dugdale grew up in a sunny California household where Julia Child’s cookbook, The French Chef, was always on the kitchen counter. Her father was a member of the L.A. Bordeaux Wine Society and her parents took frequent trips to France, coming back with tales of memorable meals in Michelin starred restaurants. Her great grandmother was a strong-charactered Frenchwoman, whose father was a Parisian fine art dealer. With all this French “talk” during her childhood, it is no wonder Jennifer was eventually captivated by France.
For her career, Jennifer was drawn to group tourism and corporate event planning, starting in San Francisco and, after marrying her English husband, moved on to London and the rest of Europe. 14 years spent organising incentive trips for blue chip companies gave her an understanding of luxury travel experiences and opportunities to create memorable events for discerning customers. These skills have not been left behind in the creation of Tastes of Provence.
The move to Aix en Provence from England 5 years ago gave Jennifer and her family an extraordinary quality of life in a country that still values sitting down at lunch. It was also an opportunity to travel extensively in the area and to Italy, Spain and Morocco, where she enjoys discovering the culture and cuisine. Jennifer has always been a passionate cook and loves to eat, but is not a food snob. She was entranced with Provence and its vast market garden and still can’t believe how “real” everything tastes…as it should. Inspired by these experiences, Jennifer has been writing a recipe column for a local magazine for the last two years, aptly named “From the Market to the Table”.
Through Tastes of Provence, Jennifer naturally gives her guests 5 star service in the way she always has, and ensures that, by discovering the town through a local’s eye, they experience the same magic that makes her want to call Aix en Provence home.
