About 100 episodes ago, I interviewed Selina Göldi - and I Introduced her episode by saying, “Selina has this special gift - the ability to transport others to a different time and place. After a career in economics, Selina took this genius and turned it into a life. Beside a river in a very old building in France, she invites those wearied with the pace of the outside world to culinary retreats. During these retreats, Selina teaches her guests to reconnect to not only the food they eat, but also the pleasure of cooking for themselves.”
Fast forward to last spring, I received an email from Selina.
Since our last conversation, she had traded one old place for another - this time a castle, complete with a tower, still on an old river, and with a “fairy tale kitchen” featuring an open fireplace. She was still hosting culinary retreats, along with researching the complete history of the castle she stewards, as she worked to restore the chateau to its former glory.
In her email, she invited me to come stay at the castle, to enjoy her cooking and excellent choices of wine, to relax, create, connect, and learn, all in what she was calling a Creative Retreat with 3 other women. The only stipulation was that we all share whatever we created with each other. And today, I’m sharing a bit of our experience with you as well, by inviting you into a portion of our final dinner conversation.
Imagine us sitting in a large kitchen with stone floors, a vaulted ceiling, surrounded by terra cotta colored walls and ochre cabinets, dim in the firelight. We are gathered around a large wooden table, made intimate with candlelight, enjoying a spectacular meal of Selina’s French Fish Soup with Garlic Aioli. As my friend Ale says in the first few seconds - “It tastes like a poem.”
Pull up a chair and enter in to our conversation about cooking the French way, the memories the soup evokes in all of us, and the ways this enchanting castle affected all of us when we first saw it.
Stay at Selina's Castle
If you find yourself falling under the spell of the castle, here’s an invitation that Selina has written for you:
Culinary immersion programmes that are time capsule journeys into 19th century life at a French country castle that were run as farming estates.
Experiencing French country life with its local traditions and diving into historic recipes, we learn about the French art of eating well.
It’s less about perfecting a dish and much more about a joyful and playful approach to cooking, learning about food and produce with all our senses.
I invite you to four days of themed excursions, foraging or shopping at the farmers market, cooking and feasting together
You’ll stay at one of the castle tower rooms in an all-inclusive experience limited to small groups with a maximum of six people.
The retreats take place in June, July, August, and September with the last one in the beginning of October
It’s possible to also book as a private group outside scheduled dates OR to book mini versions over weekends that give you a bit of the French approach to eating well. Mini retreats take place in June and in August.
Gallery of Images from The Creative Retreat at Selina's Castle
Contact Selina
Email: hello@lespoissonchats.com
Website: www.lespoissonchats.com
Instagram: @lespoissonchats
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Selina's Storied Recipe: French Fish Soup
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