toulouse with sandor katz
june 2 - 7, 2025
The Rêverie team is wildly excited to announce that the world class fermentation expert, Sandor Katz, will host a retreat in bountiful Toulouse, France!
june 2 - 7, 2025
6 Days, 5 nights
Sandor Katz is a national treasure in the world of fermentation. We at Rêverie have long been admirers and have waited for an opportunity to invite him to spread his good word to our guests. We look forward to hosting, but also, we look forward to learning from this incredible mind and to growing our own skills as cooks through his decades of experience. There is so much to glean from this one man!
From $4,600 USD
What will you do?
From fermenting vegetables to dairy to tempeh, there is so much to cover with Sandor – and during our week, we will have time to do so much together! Guests will learn simple techniques for fermenting vegetables - making sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles. Then, as if that’s not enough, Sandor will take us on a journey of soybean fermentation as we learn how to make the Indonesian soybean ferment - tempeh. We will ferment milk into yogurt, and we’ll learn how to curdle milk with rennet, a critical step in making many styles of cheese. The workshop will contextualize these processes in a broad overview of dairy fermentation and cheesemaking. Our lengthy time together means we will get to sample all of our good work. Then there’s the field trips! Cheese makers? Wine makers? Let’s see what we can get into in Toulouse, why don’t we?
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While we hope everyone will participate, all experiences are optional! Please feel free to take time for yourself whenever you like.
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Rêverie has carefully selected activities and experiences that we believe represent the best of the region and our own expertise, aiming to provide an optimal experience for the participants.
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Eating and drinking are communal! You’ll have the opportunity to cook food, taste wines and learn from experienced teachers. We can’t wait to welcome you for our workshops!
YOUR guest host
Get to know:
Sandor katz
Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. He is the author of five books: Wild Fermentation; The Art of Fermentation; The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved; Fermentation as Metaphor; and his latest, Fermentation Journeys. Sandor's books, along with the hundreds of fermentation workshops he has taught around the world, have helped to catalyze a broad revival of the fermentation arts. A self-taught experimentalist who lives in rural Tennessee, Sandor is the recipient of a James Beard award. For more information, check out his website www.wildfermentation.com
YOUR ITINERARY
*Please note that changes to the itinerary may occur between now and your retreat start date*
DAY ONE
monday 6.02.25
Welcome to France! As you approach the beloved Château de Labusquière, you’ll feel swept away by the inviting vistas and the wheat fields. You’ll be welcomed with a glass of champagne and some post-travel snacks made by your hosts and then you will settle into your room before we gather for a welcome lunch to kick off the week. In the afternoon, Sandor will welcome you for his first workshop - Fermenting Tempeh, where you’ll learn to make this magical Indonesian soybean ferment! Come evening, after cocktails by the pool, we’ll sit down to our first dinner at the château where local vegetables and good wine will be served in abundance!
DAY two
tuesday 6.03.25
On our second day, we’ll settle into the château for a morning of post-travel relaxation and further fermentation. Let the fungi begin! Sandor will teach you all about fermenting milk - into yogurt and cheese. After a relaxing lunch, we’ll take a trip to La Ferme Mapalou, a nearby goat farm where our friend, Anne, produces her own array of beautiful organic goat’s milk cheeses. Bring farm shoes! We’ll head back “home” for cocktails and snacks, followed by a fabulous dinner in the château dining hall.
DAY three
wednesday 6.04.25
Wednesday - our big day out!! After your palatial breakfast of local pastries and fresh fruits, our coaches will escort us to the Domaine de Ribbonet - a gorgeous winery, working in organic and biodynamic practices, for a tour and tasting of their products. After a picnic lunch next to their castle, we’ll make our way to Toulouse for an afternoon of shopping, wandering, and taking in the sites. The Rêverie team knows and loves this town so much and we can’t wait to share it with you. As the clock nears dinner time, cocktails will await at one of our favorite bars, followed by a group dinner in one of Toulouse’s best restaurants. What a day!!
DAY four
thursday 6.05.25
If we’ve done it right by now, the Château will start to be feeling like a home away from home. You’ll meet Sandor in the morning for a final workshop focused on how to ferment vegetables - pickles and kraut for dinner! You’ll have the afternoon to yourself for a stroll in the country or you can choose to schedule a massage. Come cocktail hour, we’ll meet you near the pool for a grill party while we watch the sun set over the Gers countryside. A true feast for the senses!
DAY five
friday 6.06.25
Friday is our final day together. And we’re going to make it a good one! After our restful day, we’re off early to make it to the Friday morning market in Lectoure, one of France’s most beautiful hilltop villages. Following a stroll around the market in search of fresh salad ingredients for our final dinner, our drivers will take us to La Ferme de Malaubric for a tour of their farm bakery and to learn about their baking process. We’ll then get you back home for a chance to pack your bags and get ready for our final dinner at the chateau. What a week we will have together!
DAY six
saturday 6.07.25
Today, we depart from our home for the week, and we soak up every final breath we can of the wide-open air of Gers. Breakfast will be served, and we will say our goodbyes as the vans arrive to shuttle you back to the airport in Toulouse. Au revoir, les amis!
WORKSHOPS
Sandor’s guests will get hands-on experiences, alongside his steady hand, to learn simple techniques for fermenting vegetables - making sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles! Guests will then go down the Indonesian soybean rabbit hole and make their way toward fermenting tempeh. Here, a fungus binds together beans in about 24 hours into a cohesive, sliceable mat. The following day guests will sample the tempeh and have a few follow-up conversations about what is going on with this incredible alchemy. Then: on to cheese! We will learn how to ferment milk into yogurt, another simple but age-old process, as well as how to curdle milk with rennet, a critical step in making many styles of cheese. The workshop will contextualize these processes in a broad overview of dairy fermentation and cheesemaking and then, with delight, Rêverie chefs will eagerly incorporate your work into some of our meals. Bring on the ricotta!
WORKSHOPS
Fermenting vegetables - making sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles
Fermenting yogurt and cheese - taking milk to the next level
Fermenting tempeh - learn how to make this magical Indonesian soybean staple
* Due to the nature of the experience we wish to provide, we can accommodate vegetarians, but will be unable to accommodate any further dietary restrictions.
EXPLORE
This has become one of Reverie’s favorite regions of France, and we look forward to introducing you and discovering it through a fresh lens! Sandor will accompany us as we get to know La Ferme Mapalou, where Anne and her husband fabricate an array of organic cheeses and care for a herd of beautiful goats. Next up, it’s the Domaine de Ribbonet, where we’ll learn all about fermenting grape juice and the intriguing history of the domaine itself! After our wine tasting and tour, we’re off to the vibrant city of Toulouse for a day of shopping and exploring. A special group dinner is planned for the evening so we can enjoy a night on the town! On Friday, we’ll head to the open-air market in a stunning hilltop village called Lectoure, and following our market walk, our drivers will take us to a local farm and bakery to experience bread from field to loaf!
OUTINGS
Visit La Ferme Mapalou - local goat farm and cheese producer
Tour and tasting at the Domaine de Ribonnet winery
Explore the city of Toulouse and enjoy a group dinner at one of our favorite restaurants!
Open-air market visit in the stunning village of Lectoure
Visit a local farm bakery
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Everything! Well, everything except for your big ride across the ocean and to the chateau’s nearest airport. But once you arrive, we got you.
Transfers to and from the château from the Toulouse Blagnac airport.
Workshops and all materials associated
Recipes galore!
All meals, unless you go rogue
All wine and beverages, unless you wanna have your own after hours party ;)
Private coach transportation while on retreat
All scheduled outings and events during our week
Chateau lodging, naturally
GETTING HERE
Airplane
Several planes fly direct to Toulouse Blagnac airport (TLS) every day from Paris and other cities around Europe. We will arrange for an airport pickup on the first day of the retreat at 11:00 a.m., and we will drop you off on the last day at 11:00 am. All you have to do is get to Toulouse and we’ll take it from there!
*If you choose to arrive after our arranged pickup time or to leave earlier on the last day, we would be happy to help you arrange for a private driver for an additional fee.
*Cost of airfare to the Toulouse Blagnac airport is not included in the cost of your reservation. Please let us know if we can offer any support or guidance with your travel plans - we’re happy to help!
Car
If you’re the seasoned-traveler type and you’d enjoy having your own transportation, then please - rent a car in Paris and drive down! Have a stopover in the region of Dordogne for a foie gras tartine and make a pitstop for the wild view of the old cliffside city in Rocamadour. You could then keep your car for the week and choose your own destiny, or drop off at the Toulouse airport on the first day of the retreat and we’ll come grab you.
Train
Trains are another option for those who feel comfortable traveling around on their own! Please note that if you take the train to the Toulouse Matabiau train station, you will need to take a taxi to the Tououse Blagnac airport (20 minute drive) for our scheduled pickup time.
Travel Reservation
If you would like guidance with booking your travel to the Chateau, please reach out.
We are here to help make this part easy and smooth.
If you would like to extend your stay in France, we are delighted to partner with The French Travel, a locally owned and operated trip designer based in Paris. They are true experts who will help you perfectly plan your before and/or after Rêverie experience. Check them out for more info!
Our friends at Coucou offer some incredible online French language classes - whether you’re looking to brush up on your high school French or looking to learn a few phrases to feel more comfortable with travel, Coucou is the way! Check out their website for more information.