Our Story

Ben: 2020 was a hectic year for me. I wasn’t happy with my work or with how my life was going, and I knew I needed a change...something completely different from what I knew. France had always been a dream for me, for its space, nature, and freedom.​

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Rashad: At the same time, I was on my own journey. From Lebanon to Dubai, and eventually to the Netherlands, I was searching for a life of freedom, connection, creativity, and peace. I hoped I would find it in Amsterdam, not knowing my path would lead me somewhere else.

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Ben: The second half of that year brought a lot of unexpected moments. I learnt that when you truly choose for yourself, beautiful things start to happen. We fell in love, took a trip to France, and found this house. At first, I hesitated...it wasn’t in the region I had in mind. But after going back to the Netherlands, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

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Rashad: And somehow, that’s how our story started to come together. Not long after, we both found ourselves drawn to the same place, even if we didn’t fully realize it at the time.

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Ben: By May 2021, I got the keys to what is now La Colline, and from there, it started to become ours.

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Rashad: When I joined, it wasn’t immediately easy for me. I felt a little out of place at first, like I had stepped into a life that wasn’t fully mine yet. But slowly, things started to shift. The slow mornings, the beautiful scenery, and the joy of welcoming guests and cooking for them began to ground me. I started to feel that maybe this life in France was what I was looking for, too.
I began cooking Lebanese dishes, flavours and recipes that reminded me of home; a home I deeply miss. What started as something small quickly became a passion. The more we hosted and cooked, the more connected I felt.

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Ben: And together, we saw it grow into something bigger than we had imagined.
Today, La Colline and Maison Chouf are our shared dream brought to life: a holiday home and a Lebanese traiteur, where we welcome our guests to slow down, enjoy the surroundings, share good food, and create meaningful moments.

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We offer what we were once looking for, ourselves: comfort, nature, connection, and peace. And the most special part is that this is not only what we offer; it’s the life we now live.

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We hope to see you soon,
Ben & Rashad