In the depths of an ancient quarry in the south of France, a solitary chef nourishes travelers’ appetites for authenticity.
Talk about a man cave. Lolo Mauron, a 92-year-old bachelor, has lled his den in the south of France with vintage cars and tools. And his digs are literally that: caves carved by the Romans into the limestone hills outside the town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
“I’m French to the tips of my fingernails,” Lolo declares, running his fingers through a thick shock of white hair. His authenticity and eccentric habitat entice tourists to venture a little farther down the road from the Saint Paul de Mausole Monastery— where Vincent van Gogh was hospitalized for a year—for a “meal at the farm,” as the sign advertises. Lolo runs a table d’hôte, or informal restaurant, where he cooks meals for 25 euros a head.
Text by Catherine Bolgar.