We were lucky to catch up with Megan & Julien Martel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Megan & Julien, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

When I was a little girl my mother used to count with me in French from “un” to “dix.” For some reason that stuck with me! France has called to me ever since. I started playing the French horn, then chose French 1 in college, hopped on a plane and lived in Paris for a year where I learned the art of imperfection as I struggled to communicate in a foreign language. I was thrilled by the culture and rhythm of life in France. I wanted more! Now France has become my home, a Frenchman as my partner in love and business, and two little French boys who make us a family. I chose France or maybe France chose me! But sharing the beauty of living life through a different perspective than the one I originally grew up with, has definitely become my passion.

Megan Martel

Megan & Julien, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Join Julien & Megan Martel at their beautiful B&B nestled in the heart of Bordeaux wine country. Megan Martel who has a master’s degree in International Education from New York University has been providing authentic immersive experiences in France for over 20 years. Julien Martel a native of Lyon – the epicurean capital of France – has been successfully tantalizing the palates of international travelers from all over Europe and abroad as a private chef and gastronomical Guru of Auros since 2010. Julien was trained under the wings of his “mère” and “grandmère” since the age of 2 and takes great pleasure in sharing his culinary delights. Both Julien and Megan have helped hundreds of curious travelers learn more about themselves by opening windows into the unexpected and lesser explored parts of Southern France. The “joie de vivre” is an acquired and marvelous way of living, eating, and interacting that Julien and Megan believe should be enjoyed by all who are open to it!

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Julien and I bought our house that dates back to the 1800’s in january of 2011. It was a skeleton of a house with termites, thick wall paper suffocating the beautiful limestone walls, and dirt for the floor that would eventually become or classroom/rustic event venue. I had met a professor from the University of Wisconsin Stout in November 2010 who was looking for a site to run his wine & food pairing study abroad program in France. He said he would be coming in June of 2011 to look at 3 possible sites to run this program. I wanted it to be here so badly! This was it! Our chance to really facilitate international exchange with students, local wineries and farmers, and the people of our village. So! We invited Professor Peter D’Souza from the University of Wisconsin Stout to our dirt floored barely restored B&B and hoped to be considered for his study abroad program. We went to our local foie gras cooperative “Palmagri” and bought the best foie gras with a delicious Sauternes wine made by our dear friend Herve Dubourdieu of Chateau Roumieu Lacoste. We hosted Peter and his wife in our entryway and dreamed of what we could do here together in the Graves countryside. We took a risk in inviting Peter here even if the house was not finished and hoped he too could imagine the beauty of a classroom that at the time was covered with 70’s wallpaper and dirt floors. Long story short! He took a risk on us and we took the risk of making sure we had this place fully renovated by june of 2012. We made it by the skin of our teeth and successfully hosted and organised the University of Wisconsin Stout Wine & Food Pairing France study abroad program until Peter’s retirement in 2020.

How’d you meet your business partner?

This is a fun story to tell as my business partner is now my husband. I had just landed my first job after completing my Master’s degree in International Education at New York University. I was living in a beautiful apartment adjacent to the Penthouse in SoHo. I was hired to be a mentor that year to a Franco Americain middle schooler and was finishing up my internship at New York University’s Paris study abroad program. My new job at Tufts University as the European Center’s Program Coordinator would take me to France 6 months out of the year. So I threw myself a party on the rooftop of the this amazing apartment in New York City. There I would meet Julien who was in New York for a one night layover. His English was terrible, so we quickly switched to French and he said if I ever found myself in Lyon he would take me for a drink on the terrace. I was in France for over 3 months before I finally got the nerve to call him. I spent a weekend in Lyon and he took me out for Frog legs. I fell for him immediately. Two years later we were married and moved to Bordeaux! We both had jobs where we worked long hours and started to really dream of making a business together. Julien was and is an amazing “chef de cuisine”, his English was of course just amazing by then with just enough of a French accent to keep things real, and I wanted to create international exchange programs that truly facilitated real cultural sharing. So! We set out to find the perfect house that had a room big enough for a classroom and we stumbled upon this beautiful old parsonage that was still owned by the town of Auros. The mayor took us to his home served us aperitifs and we named our price and made the deal on the spot. It’s hasn’t been easy, but it certainly has been worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rougebordeauxinfrance.com
• Instagram: rougebordeauxinfrance
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• Youtube: Rouge Bordeaux Immersions In France