A Baking RETREAT IN
toulouse, France
WITH
bakers, james beard finalists
May 28 - June 3, 2027
A baking retreat in southwest France with Hannah and Zachary
May 28-June 3, 2027
7 Days, 6 nights
From $5,700 USD
Wood-fired pizza from scratch, a signature honey pie, homemade jam - and the kind of week that makes you want to go home and actually use your oven! Welton's Tiny Bakeshop comes to Southwest France, and it's going to be delicious!
Hannah and Zachary Welton join us for the first time at the absolutely magical Château de Labusquière, just outside of Toulouse in the heart of Southwest France.
Join us in Toulouse, France and bake with welton’s tiny Bakeshop!
The Weltons are the husband-and-wife team behind Welton's Tiny Bakeshop, a James Beard Finalist bakery in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, known for naturally leavened pastries and breads rooted in seasonal, thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Their week with us is built around the food they love most: wood-fired pizza, pastry technique, and the kind of baking that tastes like somewhere and something. Add natural wine tastings, a day in Toulouse, some of the best food you'll ever eat from our Michelin-trained chefs, and a grill party that runs later than anyone planned, and you've got the idea!
Your week begins in Toulouse — one of France's great cities and our favorite place to land and exhale after a long flight. One night at the four-star Le Grand Balcon Hôtel in the city center, breakfast included, the evening yours to wander. Then it's out to the Gers, where Château de Labusquière awaits you! For the next five nights, it's your home: the long table, the courtyard, the pool, the kitchen door that's always open. Baking workshops with Hannah and Zachary, market days, a natural wine tasting with Esmé, Chef Paul's INCREDIBLE food three times a day, and the particular kind of easy that only happens when someone else has thought of everything!
Baking with Hannah and Zachary
The Weltons learned to cook over wood fires in the jungle in Tulum - yes, you read that right! They built a bakery in Charleston around naturally leavened doughs and seasonal sourcing. And now, they're bringing all of that to a 13th-century château in Gascony! Because, what else would come next?! Their workshops this week are hands-on, grounded in technique, and built around the kind of baking that's as much about pleasure as it is about craft. You’ll leave with a wealth of new knowledge and a thirst to learn more recipes!
You don't need to be a baker to show up for this week! You just need to be willing to get your hands in the dough.
WORKSHOPS
Aperitif Hour — An opening session to kick off the week and get your hands moving. The perfect warm-up before the workshops that follow.
Pizza Class — Wood-fired pizza from scratch: dough, technique, toppings, fire. The Weltons have been making naturally leavened pizza since their days at Hartwood in Tulum, and this is the session where you learn what they know.
Signature Honey Pie — SHHHHH you can’t share this one!! Welton's Tiny Bakeshop's beloved honey pie, made by you. Pastry technique, filling, the works! One of those recipes you'll make again the minute you get home.
Jam Making and Canning — A hands-on session in preservation: fruit, sugar, time, and the deeply satisfying process of putting something up. You'll leave with jars and you'll eat very well in the meantime!
* To preserve the shared culinary experience we strive to create, we’re happy to accommodate vegetarians, pescatarians, and allergies. However, we are unable to tailor meals for additional dietary preferences or restrictions. If you have specific questions about your needs, feel free to reach out — we’re happy to chat!
Let’s eat!
Chef Paul Albert is your personal chef for the week. Paul trained in fine dining — he knows how to plate a dish so it looks like art — but that's not what drives him here. What drives him is feeding you exceptionally well. Fresh bread every morning (sourdough, brioche, focaccia, whatever calls to him that day). Homemade cheese. Cultured butter. Yogurt made from scratch. Three chef-prepared meals a day, all of it built around what's most beautiful at the market that week, served family-style down the center of a long table.
Every meal is paired with natural wines selected by Esmé, Rêverie's sommelier — chosen to complement the food and the region, and explained without a drop of pretension.
The kitchen door stays open all week. Wander in, ask questions, taste whatever's on the stove. Paul will hand you a spoon and probably tell you why he's toasting the spices before he grinds them. You might end up helping with dinner. It happens!
Welcome to Château de Labusquière, your home for the week. This enchanting 13th-century castle, thoughtfully renovated, has 15 rooms and 8 bathrooms — enough space to feel genuinely at ease, private when you want it, and together when you don't. It sits on a hilltop in Montadet, in the heart of Le Gers, 45 minutes outside the city of Toulouse with views of the French countryside that make it hard to believe this is real life. Thirty-plus acres of grounds are yours to wander: a swimming pool, a petanque court (French bocci) with a view, paths through the park and forest, and the resident peacock, Yopi, who considers himself part of the hosting team.
It's our Rêverie home away from home.
*Please note that changes to the itinerary may occur between now and your retreat start date.
Friday // May 28, 2027
3:30 pm Check in at Le Grand Balcon Hôtel, Toulouse city center
Evening Yours to explore. Dinner tonight is on you (we're happy to send recommendations!)
Saturday // May 29, 2027
7:30 am Breakfast at Le Grand Balcon Hôtel
11:00 am Vans depart for Château de Labusquière
11:45 am Arrival, settle into rooms, tour of the grounds
1:00 pm First lunch together
3:30 pm Mini workshop with Welton's: Aperitif Hour
6:00 pm Apéro by the pool
7:00 pm Welcome dinner in the grand dining hall
Sunday // MAy 29, 2027
8:00 am Breakfast
10:00 am Workshop #1 with Welton's: Pizza Class
12:30 pm Lunch at the château
2:00 pm Fermentation 101 with Chef Paul Albert
5:30 pm Guided natural wine tasting with Esmé
7:00 pm Dinner in the dining hall
Monday // May 31, 2027
8:00 am Breakfast
9:30 am Depart for the open-air market in Samatan
11:00 am Return to château
12:30 pm Lunch at the château
2:30 pm Workshop #2 with Welton’s: Their famous Honey Pie!
6:30 pm Rêverie grill party
Tuesday // June 1, 2027
8:00 am Breakfast
10:00 am Free morning
12:30 pm Lunch at the château
2:30 pm Depart for Toulouse
3:30 pm Free time in the city: the Garonne, the markets, the plazas — all yours to explore!
5:00 pm Optional: meet at Grave for a pre-dinner drink
6:00 pm Dinner at Restaurant Grave, Canal de Brienne
8:00 pm Return to château
Wednesday // June 2, 2027
8:00 am Breakfast
9:30 am Workshop #3 with Welton's: Jam Making and Canning
12:30 pm Lunch at the château
3:00 pm Free time
6:00 pm Apéro toast to the week
7:00 pm Final dinner at the château
Thursday // June 3, 2027
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 am Vans depart for Toulouse Blagnac airport.
Au revoir et bon voyage!
GET TO KNOW
Bakers, James Beard Semi-Finalists
Hannah and Zachary Welton met in the kitchen at Husk in Charleston, South Carolina — and have been cooking together ever since. After three years side by side during the Sean Brock era, they moved to Tulum, Mexico, where they worked at Hartwood, the famed off-grid restaurant specializing in wood-fired cuisine. Back in the United States in 2019, they launched Welton's Fine Foods in 2021 as a mobile eatery and wood-fired catering company, then opened Welton's Tiny Bakeshop in downtown Charleston in 2022. The bakeshop specializes in naturally leavened pastries and breads, built around seasonal ingredients and thoughtful sourcing — European-inspired, Low-country-rooted. The team was named a Rising Star Chef Team in 2024, and Welton's Tiny Bakeshop is a James Beard Foundation finalist for Outstanding Bakery in 2026.
Everything! Well, everything except for your big ride across the ocean to the château's nearest airport. But once you arrive, we got you.
One night stay at Le Grand Balcon Hôtel in Toulouse with breakfast included. Please note that dinner on your first night is not included — you can eat at the hotel restaurant, or we're happy to help you choose a place in the city!
Private door-to-door transfer from the Grand Balcon Hôtel to the Château de Labusquière
Workshops with Welton's Tiny Bakeshop and all associated materials
Recipes galore!
Chef-prepared meals at the château for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Wine tastings with our in-house sommelier
All wine and beverages (unless you want to have your own after-hours party 😉)
Dinner out at Grave in Toulouse
Private coach transportation to all scheduled activities while on retreat
All scheduled outings and events during the week
5 nights of château lodging, naturally
Private transfer from the Château back to the airport or train station on the final morning
* To preserve the shared culinary experience we strive to create, we’re happy to accommodate vegetarians, pescatarians, and allergies. However, we are unable to tailor meals for additional dietary preferences or restrictions. If you have specific questions about your needs, feel free to reach out — we’re happy to chat!
*Cost of airfare to the Toulouse airport and cost of transport from the Toulouse airport to the Hotel Le Grand Balcon is not included in the cost of your reservation. If you need help with booking your trip, please contact kathleen@reverieforever.com
Airplane
Several planes fly direct to Toulouse Blagnac airport (TLS) every day from Paris and other cities around Europe. From the airport, you will take either a taxi or an uber to the Hôtel Grand Balcon in Toulouse for your first night-stay. The airport is a short 20–25 minute drive from the city and you can easily catch a car to Le Grand Balcon Hôtel. On June 3rd, 2027, our drivers will pick you up from the Château at 9:00 a.m for dropoff at the airport or the train station in Toulouse.
If you choose to leave earlier than the scheduled departure, we would be happy to help you arrange a private driver for an additional fee. Cost of airfare to Toulouse Blagnac is not included. Please let us know if we can offer any support or guidance with your travel plans — we're happy to help!
Car
If you're the road-trip type, drive down from Paris! Stop in the Dordogne for a foie gras tartine and make a detour through Rocamadour for the view. You can keep the car for the week or drop it at the airport and grab a car into the city for your hotel stay.
Travel Reservation
If you would like guidance with booking your travel to Toulouse, our in-house travel guru, Kathleen, is here to help. You can reach her directly at kathleen@reverieforever.com
We are here to help make this part easy and smooth.
If you would like to extend your stay in France, we are delighted to partner with The French Travel, a locally owned and operated trip designer based in Paris. They are true experts who will help you perfectly plan your before and/or after Rêverie experience. Check them out for more info!
Train
Trains are a great option for independent travelers. If you arrive at Toulouse Matabiau train station, you’re a short drive from the Hôtel Grand Balcon for your first night stay.
Questions?
Explore our FAQs or get in touch!