The spirit
Artisan and producer since 2005
For over 12 years RueTRAVERSETTE has been putting in pots everything good and wholesome that the wonderful world of vegetables (and fruits and herbs and spices!) has to offer.
Natural produce cooked with imagination by Stéphane Strobl in the Rue Traversette kitchen, amongst the vines and the Mediterranean landscapes of Saint-André-de-Sangonis in the south of France .
From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)*
It all began in 2005 at number 25, Rue de la Traversette in the sleepy little village of Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens, somewhere between Béziers and Montpellier in the Languedoc. Stéphane Strobl was then in the business of selling wine corks, but some preserved lemons brought home from Morocco gave him ideas, and a yearning to swap the world of packaging for products.
He created his first recipe, a personal version with an original touch of local aromatic plants. It totally summed up the Rue Traversette style: “good taste, good ideas, good humor”.
First tastings met with huge enthusiasm and, encouraged by this positive reception, he decided to take the plunge and signed up at the Centre for Professional Training in the Lozère to learn the basics that would allow him to set up his own production kitchen, naturally dedicated to all things veggie.
*Bruce was quite right.
Recipes that are full of beans (but not only!)
And so a whole joyful bunch of recipes sprang from his fertile imagination and keen taste buds.
“I start with a fruit or a vegetable and imagine a way of preparing it. Most of the recipes are jotted down on paper, and really come to life after a visit to my local greengrocers where I go to choose my fresh vegetables two to three times a week.
My inspiration comes from little day to day things, together with huge amounts of hard work.”
explains Stéphane. Organic citrus fruits succumb to his charms, and tomatoes, and ginger…. pulses metamorphose in his pots, onions are cajoled into preserves, and spices and grains are toasted with panache.
The result is a range of awesome products to be used in cooking, plus a whole bunch of creative ideas for aperitif.
Food should be fun!
The aperitif is an integral and essential part of the French way of life, or ‘Art de Vivre’ as we call it. It was in this spirit that Stéphane created the popular “Frenchy Tartine” series in 2011, followed by the “Indispensables” range that played a big part in Rue Traversette’s development.
"I created RueTRAVERSETTE out of a desire to work with my hands, and gain personal fulfilment out of inventing and creating its identity, its DNA. I get as much pleasure out of inventing new recipes as I do from constructing the playful universe of RueTRAVERSETTE. It’s important to me to have fun, to not take myself too seriously, and for me and my team to work with these fruits and vegetables with pleasure and pride”.
The inventiveness and the quality of his creations have been the object of numerous accolades (National award for the creation of a food company, the “Herault Gourmand” award, and the Trophy “Faire” at the 9th Small Business Awards, amongst others).
Good things for sharing over an aperitif, or for use in creative cuisine.
Today the RueTRAVERSETTE products are to be found in more than 400 fine grocery and wine stores in France and around the world. And we are constantly thinking of new recipes to amaze and delight you (and make you smile 😊).
We hope you enjoy dipping into our little website.