Three Waterways, Two Chefs, and One Unique Cruise: Cooking and Cruising on the Maïtena
Three waterways, two chefs, and one unique culinary cruise in Southern Burgundy!
Cruising Southern Burgundy along the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, the Saône River, and the Canal de Bourgogne aboard the Charming Class, 4-guest barge Maïtena is a uniquely gastronomic experience. Maxime Mezergues serves as Captain and Chef while Sandrine Walter contributes as Hostess and in-house Pastry Chef.
Together, these delightful owner-operators welcome their passengers not simply as clients, but as personal friends to their floating French bistro.
Their story began with a dream of opening their own bed and breakfast in a château or a country house. Instead, after holidaying together aboard a peniche, Sandrine and Maxime discovered that life on the water offered exactly the kind of serene escape and personal welcome they hoped to create and share.
The result is Maïtena, a beautifully restored 1912 Dutch Luxmotor transformed into an intimate hotel barge for just two, three, or four guests. With Maxime’s roots in Burgundy and Sandrine’s in Franche-Comté, this accomplished couple infuse the flavors of their home regions aligning family recipes with contemporary cuisine.
Step into the Maïtena’s petite galley with owner-operators Maxime and Sandrine…
MEET CHEF MAXIME OF THE MAITENA
Maxime plans his menus around the season, the cruise route, and the premium produce available along the way. He favors the region’s farms, fromageries, and patisseries, with markets in Dole and Dijon influencing what appears at the Maïtena’s table. Chef Maxime looks to French culinary legends including Alain Ducasse and Paul Bocuse for inspiration, while his family’s roots in Périgord and the Doubs further inform his distinctive and locally-focused cuisine.
“My cooking is rooted in classic French comfort foods crafted with careful technique: slow-cooked meats, flavorful poultry, freshly caught fish, hearty mushrooms, boutique cheeses, and beautifully prepared sauces,” Maxime shares.
The result is approachable, flavor-forward French cooking, shaped by the regions, traditions, and ingredients Maxime knows best. Lunch might open with a vivid red tomato gazpacho finished with walnut oil, followed by lamb’s lettuce with crisp Granny Smith apple and sliced almonds. Then comes aromatic slices of quiche, just out of the oven, topped off with rich country-style lardons and a savory bacon emulsion. Miam-miam (French for yum-yum)!
At dinner, guests may be treated to chilled vichyssoise with a quenelle of whipped cream, fresh trout and smoked trout tartare with mango, and chicken ballotines stuffed with spinach and aged Comté served with Vin Jaune sauce and morels.
Delve into the details of the Maïtena’s market visits ashore and cooking demonstrations onboard by clicking here.
FROM A SWEET TOOTH TO A SWEET FINISH
On Maïtena, both lunches and dinners include a cheese course followed by a dessert. These courses are not an afterthought, but an essential part of the onboard dining experience. A cheese course might feature fruity Morbier and aged Comté from the Jeannin cheese factory, whose cheesemaker was named Best Craftsman of France in 2015.
But save room, because once the cheese plates are cleared and the award-winning coffee from Maison La Grange is poured, the meal enters Sandrine’s area of expertise: dessert. “I have a very sweet tooth,” she says with a smile, “and I love to treat my guests!”
Inspired by her grandmother’s traditional recipes, Sandrine updates these confectioneries with a modern and creative touch. Guests may enjoy scrumptious morsels such as almond, strawberry, and raspberry tartlets; salted caramel mousse with caramelized apples; or chocolate fondant with salted hazelnut pastry. One especially refreshing dessert in the summer months is Sandrine’s lemon and yuzu cream dome with golden Italian meringue, a crunchy base, and seasonal fruit coulis.
“For the ultimate indulgence, my favorite is a bergamot chocolate fondant with a kirsch-soaked cherry, salted caramel, and a delicate touch of fleur de sel,” confides Sandrine. As calories don’t count on barge cruises, the Barge Ladies say BON APPETIT!
Ready to go shopping ashore at the market and cook onboard with Maxime and Sandrine? Click here to book your private culinary cruise on the Maïtena today.