Meet our team

You will be accompanied during your stay by:

• The founder of the company, a Frenchman fluent in English, who will help you discover and decipher French culture, food and wines

• And/or An exclusive and certified guide

• And specific advisors (food, history, wines,...)

Patrick Quenet, Founder

I have a passion for helping others discover the secrets and delights of France - and enjoying my beautiful country through their eyes.  I've always been an extensive traveler and seek to know what life is like in the places I visit. I lived and worked in the Middle East and the USA before spending most of my career in Paris. Several years ago I returned to my early roots in the French countryside and settled into an 19- century maison de vigneron (winemaker's cottage) in the Touraine. Here I welcomed droves of delighted family and friends before realizing there was too much beauty here to keep to myself. French Gourmet Escapades was born!  Independant owner, I dedicated most of my professionnal life to marketing, sales and client relationship as a consultant and a trainer.  I am still very eager to meet and exchange with people.

Aurzelle Da Silva, exclusive guide (Loire Valley)

I grew in the arts in New York City where I lived and worked until moving to the Loire Valley in 2003, where I live now as a fully bi-lingual resident year round, giving me the chance to live and study its history deeply.  I have been certified as a guide - guide-conférencier- in history and art history at the University of Clermont Ferrand in France, and I have worked as a guide for many years in different capacities.  It is a different point of view that I try to bring, a total, comprehensive look fed by my diverse experiences in the arts and my studies that I seek to share, to make your experience of the Loire Valley as rich and resonant as possible. 

A certified guide or guide-conférencier holds a degree in French Heritage and is an official guide to the National Monuments and Museums of France.

Mary Carey, special advisor

France captured my imagination and swept me off my feet in 2006 when I arrived in Paris to follow my dreams. On that list of dreams was attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to enhance my life long passion for cooking with a professional culinary diploma.This led to realizing other dreams like teaching cooking in the intimacy of my Paris apartment and leading small groups to discover the Provencal countryside.  

Finally the most beautiful dream of all was realized in Touraine with our move to our maison de vigneron. I brought my Southern California roots to France with me and today I blend my varied careers in interior design, cooking, business and executive development for work and pleasure. 

Anne Marie Jouenne Isabet, exclusive guide (Normandy)

A tour is always a meeting. It’s a journey in its own right, with its fair share of discoveries to make at your own pace, according to your wishes.

“I love this country, and I love living here because here I have my roots, these deep and delicate roots which attach a man to the earth where his ancestors were born and died, which attach to what one thinks and what one eats, to uses of food, to the colloquialisms, to the intonations of the locals, to the scents of the soil, the villages and the expression of oneself.” Maupassant

Born in Normandy, I have the pleasure of sharing the history of my region and showing people the sites, villages and traditions that are part of Normandy’s charm. I studied Norman history at the University of Caen and art history in Paris. Since 1983, I’ve been sharing my passion for history and knowledge of Normandy as a tour guide.

Regarding the Second World War, I grew up with the history and experience of my parents and other family members who lived through the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy. I’ve had the good fortune to meet many veterans (Canadian, British, American and German). Learning history through their lived experience and being able to share it today is an exceptional experience.

Marie Coquelin, exclusive guide (Normandy)

100% Norman-blooded, I was born and raised in Normandy.... and even if I travelled the world, Normandy has always been my home base.

I’m a former high school English teacher, trained at the Norman University of Caen. I devoted my first career to teaching and organizing home stays and exchanges with American and English students. I was also chair of the sister city committee between Caen and Alexandria, VA for many years.

These experiences made me realize that, for me, the most fulfilling, beyond teaching , was to share my knowledge and passion for my region.

I’ve now been a full time official guide since 2006, and I’m looking forward to welcoming new visitors to Normandy.

Sylvie Guillot, special food (cheese) advisor (Paris)

Katherine Khodorowsky, special culinary Expert (Paris)

Should you be introduced to one of the most famous culinary experts in France, then it would be to Katherine. Katherine is an authentic parisian culinary expert whose reputation takes root in the various culinary events she has been organizing since 20 years throughout Europe. She also takes an active part on regular TV and radio broadcats and has published roughly 30 books, that are now translated into 9 languages.  She is definitely a delicious person-to-be-aware-of and a glamorous representative of what sounds beautiful and what smells flavourful. Her motto ? She believes that the delicate pleasure of tasting can exist only whilst being shared with others. That’s why she will reveal just for you a selection of specific adresses she strongly recommends, where both passion of authentical products and talent of producers get merged together just for your unforgettable pleasure.

Katherine is President of the French Academy of Chocolate and Confectionery

FRENCH GOURMET ESCAPADES
Intimate French Experiences LLC

Email :  info@frenchgourmetescapades  Phone : USA: +1 (917) 207 - 4484 - France: +33 6 62 80 27 97

Address:  97 Cooper Street - New York City, NY, 10034

Intimate French Experiences LLC
Registered in the State of Delaware
Delaware State File Number: 6542576