Hostellerie de la Fuste, near Manosque, Haute-Provence, France

The poet Jean Giono who was born in nearby Manosque and who single handedly put Haute-Provençe on the tongues of all Frenchmen said "man's life is an everlasting pursuit of happiness. Culinary art is one of the major joys of life. A country is assessed through the pleasures it gives to its inhabitants and visitors. Gastronomy is as representative of a country as any other form of art: literature, music, dance and even history. Indeed, gastronomical art enhances the best qualities of the food products derived from the national soil. It makes the most of them by using methods which originate in sound experience and infinite wisdom." M. Giono was a friend and regular patron of Daniel Jourdan and must have just consumed one of the many dishes that has made M. Jourdan a national treasure. Surely the cuisine of Daniel Jourdan is testimony to the truth of the quote.

His is not a quest for the spotlights of gastronomic stardom. He is a quiet, shy man who is happiest in his kitchen not out taking adulation from his guests. His passion is to infuse his food with the tastes of the region elevated to a high level of sophistication, but never, never leaving the connection to the land and to its traditions far behind.

These two prime characteristics in his life and work come together in the renovations he and his delightful wife Derna (now sadly deceased) have made to the old country house they bought in 1967. Together they renovated the entire building careful to maintain the traditional feel but at the same time to create comfortable new bedrooms and bathrooms. In Spring 2000, he opened the new season with a brand new dining room and reception hall below it. The old, high ceilinged twin roomed dining room becomes a classic lounge.

But it is his kitchen that bespeaks the man. It is a vast and spacious affair bathed by the soft north light supplied by an entire wall of windows that look out over his flourishing kitchen garden. For he insists on only the very freshest of ingredients. Trout are provided from the nearby river Durance; greens and vegetables are a few steps outside the kitchen door. He says "it is well known that your environment exerts strong influence on the quality of your work. Life must be agreeable and even poetic as the dishes that one can imagine."

Finely chopped vegetables marinated in virgin olive oil. Kitchen helper shelling green peas in the background A winter dish. Thin sliced baby potatoes with fresh truffles piled on top.

Apple Caramel dessert and ingrediants outside kitchen. fruit dessert on a sponge cake.

He works closely with his vendors. All are locals and Daniel will frequently be found making the rounds of the farmhouses, squeezing, smelling, tasting and chatting over a glass of something special with the providers of local ingredients. A nearby convent supplies the ducks. M. Charles Chabot whose family has lived in the region more generations than can be remembered supplies the goat cheeses. Mme. de Bournas provides the fresh truffles from her truffle farm in nearby Valensole. They are all friends with bonds born of sharing the same passion for the quest for perfection.

His passion for his region has deep roots. His parents and grand parents were chefs. He has been cooking professionally for thirty six years all spent in Provençe. In 1972 he was a finalist in the prestigious "Meilleur Ouvrier de France". In 1976 he received the recognition of the "Poële d'Or" a national competition which gives fame to a restaurant each year by it award for the two best recipes in France. He is a member of the very selective association of the "Maîtres Cuisiniers de France".

This tranquil spot, located as it is in the very heart of old Provençe, away from the distractions and influences of city life and tourist hordes, has permitted him to fully explore his roots and his infatuation with the uniqueness of local produce and local tastes. He says "I start from a good classic base. Then I just simply let my taste and my inspiration speak for itself." If you did not know the genuineness of the man and the marvel of his work, his modesty might almost be assumed to be reverse snobbery.

In April 1985, Daniel Jourdan must have thought an unknown son had arrived to claim his inheritance. Young chef Dominique Bucaille on a gastronomic tour of France by motorcycle arrived for lunch and immediately found in Daniel Jourdan a soul-mate in his own cooking convictions. He joined the staff and soon Dominique and Daniel not only shared their passions of cuisine and commitment but the affections the daughter of the house, Lydia. He typifies his own approach to food "I have only simplified my work. I care deeply to have the very best products of Provençe which I use with the tastes of the herbs of Provençe and the freshest, most beautiful vegetables of the garden. I think also I have to insist on research, the originality and inspiration held in check by the classical base of my training, but lightened in specific instances. I have particular affection for working with vegetables. The marriage of ingredients associated both with the earth and the sea in one very flavorful cuisine."

Chef Dominique Bucaille and his lovely wife (daughter of Daniel) have estabished their own restaurant across the river in the town of Manosque which is well worth a culinary visite. Restaurant Dominique Bucaille.