Far from conventional food tourism, her approach is rooted in terroir, human encounters, and sensory immersion. Through curated culinary journeys, collaborations with farmers and artisans, and partnerships with heritage hotels and institutions, Marianne champions a vision of hospitality that is deeply local yet universally resonant. In a country where cuisine carries memory, identity, and survival, her work positions gastronomy not as indulgence, but as cultural preservation.
AM: Le Passeport Culinaire is rooted in the idea that food can act as a cultural bridge. What moment or personal story first sparked this vision for you?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: From the very beginning, Le Passeport Culinaire was born from a deep conviction that food is the most powerful bridge between land, people, and culture. It was never meant to be a slogan, but a lived experience.
What first sparked this vision were the countless encounters I had while traveling: farmers who told the story of their land through a single olive oil tasting, winemakers who spoke of history and resilience through a glass of wine, and home cooks who transformed a simple table into a space of transmission. Over time, I realized that these moments could be curated into unique and memorable gourmet journeys, where the true destination is not a city or a monument, but the soul of a place, expressed through its cuisine. Le Passeport Culinaire became, quite literally, a culinary and wine travel club, the first of its kind in France and Lebanon, designed to use food as a universal cultural passport.
AM: Your work blends travel, terroir, storytelling, and gastronomy. How do you define “culinary tourism” in the Lebanese context, beyond simply tasting food?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: In Lebanon, culinary tourism is experiential by essence. At Le Passeport Culinaire, we define food travel as a five-fold sensory journey, one that engages sight, smell, taste, touch, sound, and emotion. It is about unveiling the secrets of the land, its people, and its cuisine, rather than moving from one restaurant to another.
Through Tasting Lebanon, this philosophy takes a very concrete form: curated culinary itineraries led by local food experts and ambassadors, bringing visitors into orchards, wine cellars, family kitchens, and guest tables. The aim is to experience Lebanon in situ, through authentic encounters with those who live and preserve these traditions daily. In this context, culinary tourism is not a checklist of tastings; it is a slow, immersive way of traveling through the land, often meeting the people and tasting the terroir all in the same day.
AM: Lebanon has a rich culinary heritage but also a fragile rural
ecosystem. How does Le Passeport Culinaire help protect terroirs and
support farmers and artisans on the ground?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: Le
Passeport Culinaire was conceived from the outset as a bridge between
meaningful culinary experiences and rural development. Our mission is to
create gourmet journeys that are beautiful for the visitor, but also
fair and sustainable for the territories that host them.
This
translates concretely into designing tours and masterclasses that
highlight specific regions and their terroirs, olive groves, vineyards,
traditional bakeries, distilleries, and cooperatives. We work closely
with local food ambassadors, guesthouses, and cooperatives so that
income circulates locally and supports farmers, home cooks, and artisans
rather than bypassing them. We also develop initiatives such as
Tasting Lebanon on Wheels, a mobile kitchen tricycle that reaches remote
areas like the Lebanon Mountain Trail, reviving traditional recipes on
site and creating visibility and economic opportunity in
off-the-beaten-track regions. Many of these projects are carried out in
partnership with organizations such as USAID and the Lebanon Mountain
Trail Association, strengthening rural value chains through sustainable
gastronomy tourism.
AM: The culinary world is increasingly tied
to identity and memory. In your view, what story does Lebanese cuisine
tell about its people and history?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: Lebanese
cuisine tells the story of a country shaped by trade routes, migrations,
faiths, seasons, and survival, yet always anchored in generosity and
conviviality. When we curate experiences like Flavors of Beirut, the
idea is precisely that: a walk through markets, bakeries, small
eateries, and family kitchens becomes a living chronicle of the city
and, by extension, of Lebanon itself. It is not a simple food tour, but a
celebration of Lebanon’s culinary soul, where history, aroma, and
everyday life intersect.
We also create experiences such as
Tasting Aaqoura, Music & Wine, and interactive olive-oil pairing
dinners in heritage settings like Mir Amin Palace. Across the country,
from Bekaa vineyards to mountain herbs and coastal fish traditions, each
plate speaks of place, memory, and resilience, reflecting a people who
continue to host, share, and create beauty even in uncertain times.
AM: For heritage hotels and rural hospitality houses, how does your approach translate on the ground?
Marianne
Abou Jaoudé: Our ambition is always to activate these places as living
cultural stages rather than static backdrops. Through Le Passeport
Culinaire and Tasting Lebanon, we co-design signature experiences such
as thematic dinners, curated food-and-wine journeys, seasonal markets,
and intimate guest tables that celebrate local producers and regional
heritage. We integrate terroir-driven storytelling into the guest
experience, explaining where ingredients come from and why certain
recipes matter to the region.
We also create circuits linking the
property to its surrounding ecosystem: farms, vineyards, cooperatives,
artisanal workshops, and landscapes. In this way, heritage hotels and
guesthouses become gateways to their territories, strengthening both
their positioning and the communities around them.
AM: What must a hospitality destination embody today to be considered authentic rather than merely picturesque?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: Picturesque is visual; authentic is relational, sensory, and rooted.
A
destination is authentic when it allows guests to truly travel the
land, meet the people, and taste the terroir, not just photograph it.
Its culinary offer must be grounded in local seasons and ingredients,
and local actors must be visible and involved, not hidden behind a
polished façade.
Authenticity emerges when all senses are
stimulated coherently, allowing guests to feel the soul of a place
through genuine encounters and meaningful tastes.
AM: Culinary
tourism often becomes a gateway to rediscovering one’s roots. Is Le
Passeport Culinaire also a journey of personal reconnection for you?
Marianne
Abou Jaoudé: Absolutely. While Le Passeport Culinaire and Tasting
Lebanon are professional projects, they are also deeply personal.
Through
them, I have reconnected with the gastronomic heritage of Lebanon and
France, not as abstract concepts, but through hands-on collaboration with
local ambassadors, producers, and hosts. Each curated journey and
initiative is both a contribution to Lebanon’s tourism future and a
personal return to what matters most to me: land, people, and shared
taste.
AM: You collaborate extensively with NGOs, municipalities,
and universities. How important is intersectoral collaboration in
preserving culinary heritage sustainably?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: It is
absolutely central. NGOs bring development tools and sustainability
frameworks; municipalities provide territorial anchoring and governance;
universities contribute research, training, and strategic insight. This
ecosystemic approach allows culinary heritage to evolve beyond
nostalgia and become a sustainable economic and cultural engine for
Lebanon’s regions.
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: The synergies are natural. Both cultures value terroir, craftsmanship, and seasonality, and both see the table as a ritual of connection and conversation. Our role is to curate experiences where these worlds dialogue rather than imitate one another, French structure and technique meeting Lebanese warmth and generosity; Lebanese memory and terroir paired with French expertise in wine and gastronomy.
AM: Looking ahead, what is your long-term dream for Le Passeport Culinaire beyond tourism?
Marianne Abou Jaoudé: My ambition is for Le Passeport Culinaire to evolve into a full cultural ecosystem. One that documents and transmits Lebanese terroirs and food stories, hosts events and residencies, and deepens collaborations with institutions, NGOs, and universities.
Beyond tourism, I see it as a movement, one where gastronomy becomes a tool for cultural preservation, rural development, and meaningful connection, guided by a simple philosophy: Taste the terroir, indulge in local flavors.