French Riviera Cooking, made Simple.
Le Chef's Wife
Welcome to Le Chef's Wife Blog - a resource for home cooks and Francophiles. Here you will find seasonal French Recipes, inspired by the French Riviera, explained simply. I strongly believe that French food does not have to be intimidating and that delicious, seasonal, restaurant-worthy meals can be prepared at home by even the most inexperienced cooks in small kitchens.
Follow along as I share the cooking tips I have learned from my husband, Sébastien Giannini, a renowned French Chef and native of the French Riviera. Each recipe is adapted so that I, a busy working mom of 2 with no culinary training, can find success and satisfaction in the kitchen.
What is French Riviera cooking?
The South Eastern French coastline, between the cities of Marseille and Menton, is known as the French Riviera. One of the most glamorous travel destinations in the world, it includes famous places such as Monaco, Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Nice.
French Riviera cuisine is vibrant, light and bright in flavor and in color. It is the food you want to eat on a delicious summer day. Fresh fish, olive oil, seasonal vegetables, citrus. In the winter, rich stews are still made vibrant with orange zest.
The cuisine from the French Riviera is rooted in Provençal cooking but has the influences of neighboring Italy as well as other Mediterranean cuisines such as Greek, Lebanese and Northern African. Not to mention many influences from the more famous northern French cuisine, but without all the butter and cheese! French Riviera cooking is light and fresh.
Whether you are seated at a beach front restaurant on the Cap D'Antibes or in your kitchen, our goal is to make French Riviera cooking simple and accessible.
Some of my most popular posts:
French Riviera Recipes
Riviera Recipes: In this category I share the recipes that I love from my husband's native French Riviera. We lived in Nice and Antibes together for 8 years and the cuisine is much brighter and lighter than what is often thought of as French cooking in North America. Learn to make Salade Niçoise, Soupe au Pistou, even les Petits Farcis. If you miss traveling to France as much as I do, this category is for you!
Baking Baguettes for Beginners
Baking Baguettes for Beginners : I can't believe it took me being in quarantine with my husband to learn how to make baguettes. I had ZERO baking experience and learnt to make the most amazing baguettes in a very basic oven. This post is a step by step guide for beginners. Try it!
French Crêpes Recipe
My French Crêpes recipe is simple enough for kids to make and is a lovely way to spend a weekend morning.
All of my recipes, including family meals, special occasion recipes and batch cooking can be found here in the recipe index.
French Riviera Travel Guide
If you are planning a trip to the South of France, check out my foodie travel guides:
Who is Le Chef's Wife?
Hi! That's me, Anina Belle. I am an American/Canadian who fell in love with a French Chef during a university exchange to Nice, France. We have been married 16 years and now live in the suburbs of Washington, DC with our 8 year old daughter and 6 year old son. Despite a very full life with young kids, a dog and a demanding job in hospitality, I actively seek out ways to recreate the "joie de vivre"* that I enjoyed so much when we lived in the South of France together.
I started Le Chef's Wife blog in 2018 as a way to document our family recipes and traditions for my daughter. Along the way I discovered that I really enjoyed learning to cook from my husband!
A fun day off for us is deciding on a recipe, opening a bottle of wine and settling in the kitchen to cook together. Our daughter loves to help out and will run into the kitchen saying "Let ME help you!" anytime she hears me taking one of our cast-iron pots off the shelf.
Who is Le Chef?
Sébastien Giannini was born and raised in Toulon, a port city in the South of France. His love of cooking began with his grandmother, whom he watched visit the market each day before preparing extraordinary meals from fresh, local ingredients. Her instinctive, seasonal approach to cooking continues to influence his cuisine today.
Sébastien began working in Michelin-starred kitchens at the age of 14, training in Saint-Tropez and Courchevel before earning his first position as Chef de Cuisine at a restaurant in Cannes. At just 23 years old, he became Executive Chef of L'Auberge de la Vignette Haute, a five-star hotel in Auribeau-sur-Siagne.
Over the next two decades, Sébastien served as Executive Chef at some of the world's most prestigious luxury hotels across France, Canada and the United States. His career has included leadership positions at Le Méridien Nice, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth and W Montréal, as well as The St. Regis Washington, D.C., The Watergate Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.
Throughout his career, Sébastien has participated in many of the culinary world's most prestigious competitions. He competed in the Grand Prix Culinaire Escoffier and represented La Côte d'Azur in the 2010 French national finals of the Bocuse d'Or. After moving to Canada, he shared his competition experience as the official coach of Team Canada for the 2015 Bocuse d'Or World Final in Lyon.
In 2019, Sébastien coached his sous-chef, Christian Welch, to victory in the North American final of the Championnat du Monde de Pâté-Croûte and accompanied him to the world championship in Lyon, France.
In January 2021, after two decades in luxury hospitality, Sébastien became a private chef. Three years later, he returned to the restaurant world as Partner-Chef of L'Avant-Garde, the acclaimed French restaurant in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. His cuisine celebrates the elegance of French technique and the sun-soaked flavors of his native Mediterranean.
Sébastien was awarded the distinguished title of Maître Artisan in 2025 and currently serves as President of the Disciples Escoffier USA. He is also an Ambassador of La Côte d'Azur, proudly representing the cuisine and culture of the French Riviera in the United States.
When he is not in the kitchen at L'Avant-Garde, Sébastien loves cooking at home with his wife, Anina, and their children, Valentina and Pierre. Together, Sébastien and Anina share approachable French recipes, culinary traditions and stories from their life in France through Le Chef's Wife.
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Au plaisir,
*joy of life