Let’s Roll.

I invite curious and open-minded travelers to join me in France to be a part of a new food and wine adventure inspired by Curnonksy, with only a backpack on our shoulders, a pen and paper in hand…

…and a train ticket in our pocket.

Our Tours

The Cur Non project

I’ve been hanging around in the wine importing business for over thirty years. Over those 3+ decades, I’ve eaten, imbibed, and traveled - a lot. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to live a life that didn’t require much of a demarcation line between regular life and work life.

The real treasure of all that yeoman’s work has been connecting with people that have a similar mindset. From the hundreds of winemakers to thousands of customers I’ve shaken hands with over the years, one thing has always remained the same -

I like to introduce, and be introduced to, good humans.

Now I want to take the show on the road in a way that is respectful of the environment, totally unique, and from time to time, spontaneous. I want to gather people looking to put a few new stamps in their passports, connect us to like-minded people doing unique and interesting things, and in the process, smudge the line between work and pleasure.

Who’s ready to ditch their car, hop on. train, and be a 21st century gastronomade with me?

Two men walking along a dirt path in a vineyard, with a large tree and a stone building on the right, under a partly cloudy sky.

Why Cur non?

If you’ve forgotten all of your high school Latin, Cur Non translates to “Why Not.” This phrase became my philosophy after reading about the French “prince de gastronomes”, Curnonsky. This was the original Michelin Man, visiting every corner of France in search of great food and wine, and like-minded people to share it all with.

the background

In 1921, Curnonsky began writing a series of regional travel guides published under the collective title of Gastronomic France: A guide to the culinary marvels and the good inns of France. This was the early days of automobile tourism, and his writings served to highlight the regional foods of France. Through these guides Curnonsky connected travelers to regional dishes and restaurants and coined the term “gastronomade.” During the 1920’s he wrote 28 volumes (I now own 5 of them), totaling 3,000 pages and including more than 5,000 recipes.

the plan

The spirit of Curnonsky is alive and well in many of us, and along with you, I want to continue to learn more about France in a deep and meaningful way.

So here’s the plan. I’m inviting adventurous travelers to join me in France for 3 days (or longer), so that we can regionally revisit France the way Curnonsky did—volume by volume, and see if we can take the culinary pulse of all of them.

And along the way we’ll look for our own gastro-narrative for the modern day!

There are three ways to join me:

Custom 3-4 day trips for people wishing to escape the crowds of the big French cities for micro-travels. These short adventures can be chosen from any one of Curnonsky’s volumes.
These will be custom, small-group tours for 2-7 people. You organize your group of friends, tell me which region interests you, and I’ll take it from there.
Want to follow the Loire from its headwaters south of Lyon to its delta in St. Nazaire? Let’s go. Or a week in the Grand Est exploring Champagne, then Alsace? I’ve got you. How about the west coast of France from Brittany, through to the Spanish border, and into Basque Country? Lace up your trainers, and get ready for some fantastic beach hikes!
These week-long sojourns (7 days/6 nights) will always start in Paris and are offered as both custom tours for a minimum of 6 people, or as pre-planned journeys on set dates with other like-minded travelers.
Some of you want to fill in the entire bingo board, right? Once a year, we’ll hit all 12 regions, 12 anchor cities, 12 more small villages or towns, and an opportunity to revisit what Curnonsky did over a century ago–scour L’Hexagone in search of provincial France.
Offered as both custom tours for groups of at least 6 people, or as a pre-planned journey on set dates with other like-minded travelers (possibly groups of 10-12).