Why I left Chicago for rural Provence to run a truffle farm

Lisa Pepin, 54, did not agonise over her decision to leave Chicago for a new life in south-east France in 2003.

“I cannot emphasise how little thought I put into it,” she says. 

“I just thought: ‘I’m young, we don’t have any children, it’s an adventure. If I don’t like it, it’s just a plane ride; we can come back whenever we like.’”

She met her French husband Johann in 1997 when he was visiting a friend in the US, and they married in 2022. 

The couple moved into Johann’s grandparents’ farmhouse in Cadenet (Vaucluse) where today they run Les Pastras, an organic farm that also welcomes visitors from around the world for its truffle hunts. 

Culture shock

The differences between city life in the US and rural France were stark at first. 

“We came directly from Chicago, where I worked in public relations and Johann in finance. 

“It was a bit of a culture shock to be out in the country in the middle of nowhere. It was very traditional, very old-fashioned.”

However, the region cast its spell and soon Lisa was relishing rural life. 

“I feel healthy in the morning just opening the windows and having fresh air, birds singing, rolling hills of vineyards, I can’t imagine living in a city again.

“One of the nice things about this area is that it is so remote. Our village is still authentic and untouched by tourism but we are surrounded by some of the most beautiful villages in Provence so we have the shops, the restaurants, the bars, the art galleries. 

“We have the trappings of civilisation without living in it ourselves.” 

Local gossip

One initial challenge was getting used to being the subject of local gossip – often about the most unusual things. 

“In these little towns, people talk. Anything you do in public makes you this weird foreigner.

She gives the example of the disapproval she felt when buying a tumble dryer rather than hanging clothes on a washing line, as is traditional in the area.

“Discovering that random strangers know how I like my bread cooked was also a surprise,” she says.

It was a passing comment by a neighbour that inspired the couple’s business; they told how the previous owners had enjoyed success finding truffles on the land.

Truffle tours

Lisa and her husband started offering truffle tours in 2013. Today, they welcome visitors from all over the world to go on walks with special truffle-sniffing dogs, then enjoy the fruits of their labour.

They also host grape stomps and olive harvests with platters of Provençal cheese and charcuterie, plus lots of their own rosé and red wine.

Lisa loves the focus on fresh, seasonal produce in France. 

“In the US you can have anything you want, at any time you want – but the taste is compromised. Everything tastes like wood.” 

What is her advice for Americans thinking of moving to France?

“Just do it,” she says. 

“You will figure it out. I think the sort of person who even considers giving up their friends and their family and their mother tongue to live someplace else is already the sort of person who can do this.” 

After two decades in France, Lisa appreciates the better work-life balance and, like many Americans, the healthcare. 

“I feel healthier just knowing that I don’t have to be stressed by getting sick. 

“In the US one of the leading causes of bankruptcy is medical debt. Here there is no such thing.” 

She has no plans to live in the US again.

“I honestly didn’t count on loving it here so much and still being here 22 years later… I can’t imagine going back.”