Meet Rêverie: Culinary Retreats Around the World
Baker Julie Belcher and James Beard award-winning author and chef Lisa Donovan are friends, business partners, and leaders of culinary-focused retreats that take you to the tastiest corners of the world. Get to know the women behind Rêverie.
Nashville’s self-named “foundresses” of Rêverie have created something bigger than the sum of its splendid parts. Julie Belcher, a French-speaking bread baker, and Lisa Donovan, a James Beard-awarded author and chef who’s cooked in the South’s top kitchens, realized they were lending their expertise for many events and workshops that weren’t theirs. So they created their own immersive, international travel series that takes guests on adventures to delicious destinations around the globe. We sat down with Julia and Lisa to learn more about this bucket-list-worthy concept.
When and why did you decide to launch this amazing concept, Rêverie?
Lisa: Julie and I have this incredible flow in the kitchen together. I was roping her in to help me with things, but it was not in my wheelhouse to build a whole company that did what we were doing in a piecemeal way. I give Julie credit for shaping a company out of something I would have let be these random things forever. People are ready to move around the world again. That strange wall between professional and home cooking started falling away during the pandemic. I want people to feel comfortable again around chefs and food. The kitchen is an accessible space for anybody of any level.
Julie: Food is meant to be shared. Recipes are meant to be shared. Education is so vital in a world where we’re ordering takeout more and cooking less at home. There will be fewer people who are comfortable in the kitchen cooking their grandmother’s recipes. It’s a lovely thing to help people find comfort in cooking.
Tell us about a particularly fantastic trip or moment you have experienced.
Julie: There is a moment on every trip on the first day everyone arrives. We give everybody a tour of the beautiful property and show them to their rooms to get settled. Within a couple of hours, everyone is sitting together and sharing a drink. They’re already friends. It almost freaks me out, but it warms my heart every time. It’s a beautiful thing to see. Something about being in these spaces together brings everyone together immediately.
Lisa: We’ve had two young women solo travelers come on these trips. One was maybe 19, and this was her first trip overseas. She felt it was a safe way to get out into the world and learn how to cook. I get emotional thinking about these solo travelers who have shown up and felt a sense of confidence and empowerment. I quickly realized that traveling is a luxury that only some get to do. Those have been beautiful, quiet moments that I remember fondly and frequently.
To attend one of your retreats, do you have to be skilled in the kitchen?
Lisa: We run the gamut and welcome everyone. The tenor of these retreats is that it’s a small group of 12 to 15 people, and everyone can engage comfortably. And there’s a lot of dialogue. This past season, we had a professional baker who just closed a restaurant after 12 years. But we also had a woman who said on day one, “I have a great kitchen, but I don’t even boil water!” After the trip, she sent us pictures of all the dishes she made at home. You can get your hands dirty or pull up a stool, drink a glass of wine, and read a book in the kitchen while we’re all cooking.
What’s a common misconception that some people have about Rêverie or your retreats?
Julie: That you have to have a certain level of skill to be able to come on the trip and feel comfortable.
Lisa: [Speaking generally on affordability] This is Julie and me. We don’t have a big production team behind us. We’re accessible. Julie does a great job of working with people on payment plans and ensuring that we announce these with enough time so that people can make the trip work. If you can only pay this much in these segments, we will work with you.
What’s something people are surprised to learn about you all as humans?
Julie: That I can speak French. I think people are surprised to learn that Lisa is so approachable and accessible. I’m just going to answer this for you, Lisa. [laughing] So many successful chefs with big careers aren’t approachable, but Lisa will sit down with every person on the retreat and have entire conversations. There’s no barrier. We are just as thrilled to be there as they are. We are excited to engage with everyone and make new friends.
If you could eat one memorable meal all over again, what would it be?
Julie: My German friend’s grandmother’s Roulade. Oh, my God, it’s so good! It’s super thinned-out pork, and she puts bacon, mustard, and onion inside. Then she rolls it up, browns it, and braises it in the oven. It is the most delicious thing. She serves it with this sticky potato balls with bread in the middle.
Lisa: Probably the first meal I ever ate in Oaxaca, Mexico. It was just street food from a little cafe with a walk-up window. You sit down and eat it, and not knowing those flavors — it’s like the before and after of that taste is a critical moment. Another universe opens up in your brain. It feels very much like a lost song.
Something you wish every novice chef knew in the kitchen? A pro tip? A tool?
Julie: Make sure you have a sharp knife; buy a new one if you need one because the knives are dangerous. And when you’re approaching a new recipe, don’t print out the recipe. Don’t look at it on your phone. Take out a piece of paper or a notebook and a pen and write it down for yourself.
Lisa: Recipes are important to a point. A recipe is there for you to inform. You have experience with food, whether you think they do or not. And that information is valid. You know what you know, what you’ve tasted, what you like, and what you have available. These things inform the recipe. Yeah, the nicest butter is great. But I also use Kroger brand butter if I need to. The recipe isn’t there to boss you around.
What can retreat-goers expect from your upcoming retreats that are on sale now?
Lisa: There are new destinations with new guest chefs who are really strong. We’re going to Ireland with Trevor Moran (of Nashville’s Locust), which will be unreal. Seeing his spirit as a chef and a human in Ireland will be pretty hard to top. And Nina Compton is a brilliant chef in New Orleans who also has such a great spirit, a love of food, and generosity. We’re going to Saint Lucia, where she’s from, and will kick around her hometown Island for a week. And we will incorporate some wellness into that retreat.
We’re building slowly and steadily and have good chefs behind us. One of the great things about having such a long career in this industry is that I know some really great people, and I can’t wait to figure out how to rope all of them into an experience.
Thank you, Lisa and Julie! Find out more about Rêverie’s upcoming trips at ReverieForever.com.
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Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.