Bliss Travels... to France, specializing in custom culinary & cultural vacations in Provence, the Dordogne, Paris & Bordeaux.
Your primary hosts will be Wendy Jaeger, owner of Bliss Travels and Chef Elizabeth Woessner, currently the pastry chef for the American Pavilion of the Cannes Film Festival. 

Since 2000, Wendy has spent extensive time in France, touring, researching and developing recipes based upon both traditional and contemporary French dishes.

She has prepared a book of regional recipes, written articles on Provencal cuisine, cooked with and learned from various chefs in France.


She teaches cooking classes for local culinary programs, including Whole Foods Markets, Kings Markets, Mercer County Community College, as well as a series of local classes called "carry out cuisine" which allow clients to prepare a gourmet meal in a classroom setting and take it home for dinner that night.

Wendy is a founding board member of the Alliance Francaise of Princeton et de la region, for whom she also teaches classes on regional French cuisine, designs wine tasting events and other social activities.
 

Elizabeth has degrees in Culinary Arts and Management, has trained at Picholine in New York City, earned a Sommelier certificate,  and cooked and lived in France.
 

On vacations which include yoga or fitness, Jill Gutowski and/or Michael Brantl, co-owners of the Yoga Studio at Pennington will be present to provide individualized instruction and guidance.

Jill and Michael are both highly skilled teachers and practitioners of Yoga. Both have strong backgrounds in psychology, physiology, corporate fitness, and personal training.
They bring warmth, depth and inspiration to their teaching, as they help you to reach your personal goals, whether they be relaxation or physical fitness.

Whether or not you choose to incorporate Yoga into your customized culinary experience, all of our vacations give you the opportunity to prepare, watch, question or simply enjoy many of our uniquely developed recipes, as well as those that are more traditional.  

Our customized menus vary according to regional specialty, guest preference, and dietary requirements. For example, dishes in Provence include Beignet of Zucchini Flower, Legumes Farci, Soupe au Pistou, Soupe de Poisson, Lamb Provencale with Braised Fennel, Ratatouille, & Fig Tart with Lavender Jelly.  While recipes in the Dordogne include items such as Sauté of Foie Gras, Potato with Truffle Cream, Breast of Duck with Port reduction, Salade Chevre Chaud, Salade Confit de Canard.  In Paris, we focus our culinary interests outward - to the great chefs of the world.  

We will dine privately at Michelin starred restaurants and visit the famed cafes of Paris.  In all of these locations, we have meticulously researched the sights and activities so that we can plan a culinary vacation that also caters to your other preferences.