Kate Hill on Bordeaux and Armagnac

Kate says she lives in one of the most beautiful little corners of southwest France along the canal dig around in the farming area. A big river valley, very fertile soil, and very diverse agriculture, including grapes and wine.

She says that as a cook she couldn't have landed in a better place when she came over 30 years ago. Kate operated a Canal Barge, and was cruising along from Holland south, and the boat engine broke down here. She ended up sinking a little bit more time in this area around Agen, and learned to love it. It reminded her of northern California, her most recent home in the US. It's a four season kind of gentle climate, with farming and wine––sort of like Northern California. She says she got stuck in the mud here and bought an old house on the side of the canal where she parked her boat.

Kate has been restoring the place she bought over the years, and created a cooking school that was based there. Recently she decided to quit standing at the stove as much and sit more at her computer, writing. Kate has been working on a new book, that will be a bit memoir plus food, plus stories travel. She's calling it Finding France, because it is about how she found France and  still finds France, and how you could find France, no matter where you live. It's sort of a state of mind. 

As the cooking school winds down, Kate is pivoting her guest house into a creative residency for writers, photographers and cooks, and anybody in the food arts basically, to come like an artist residency. 

This is  my goal!