Monday, January 22, 2018

Painting Chefs jackets

Since you asked, more stories of my fabulous adventures at Paul Bocuse's 1994 
MOF luncheon in Lyon. Enjoy!
The next chapter of my varied career path...Butcher, baker, candlestick maker...
What's next? Chefs jacket painter!
As I mentioned before I had nothing to wear to the ball...I mean the chef portrait exhibit opening at the James Beard House.. So I painted a Bragard chef's jacket to wear covered with portraits of said chefs!
Here's a back view with my favorite back views of the chefs. I mentioned that I wore 4 different jackets to Paul Bocuse MOF award luncheon. Not all at once. I rotated them in the ladies room. 

A tall, dark, thin man came over and said he'd like to order a painted jacket. 
I asked for his business card. He said he had none. I asked could he write his name on a piece of paper.. 
He wrote -
George Duboeuf!
I did a special "Flower Label" jacket for a good friend of his.
At the same Bocuse lunch another chef invited me for lunch at his Lyon hotel restaurant.There he served me my first and last whole black Perigord truffle en croute. After I finished his dish and assured him it was wonderful.. (what do I know of truffles, chocolate or otherwise) he informed me, 'Now you will paint me a chef's jacket. You have just eaten your payment!'
Pas de choise
/I had no choice..C'est la vie Sometimes you just have to ‘sing for your supper’

I got to know famed French chef, Roger Verge at that luncheon. He asked me to paint him a special jacket for his upcoming vegetable cookbook tour. Payment would be a stay at his fabulous French Riviera inn, Le Moulin de Mougins. I never got around to tasting that "truffle" and now he's no longer there.

 Wendy Brandes at the Wall Street Journal did a little story on the jackets,
"Michelangelo liked ceilings.
Diego Rivera preferred murals.
Carol Gillott goes for...chefs jackets."
I never ever worried what to wear to a ball or foodie event I was shooting. Plus I was a walking advertisement for the jackets. Mothers liked the jackets for their graduating culinary school kids. Chefs liked them for special events. Chefs were just entering the celebrity arena at that time. A back view of the "pasta jacket" of a Tuscan hill town for all you returning sojourners from Italy!

34 comments:

  1. More ancient Parisbreakfast history if you like all week.
    Just say the word OUI!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The jackets are quite wonderful. Yes, more history! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You know.. years and years ago..I painted jean jackets and added "stuff" lace..pearls..etc.
    I wish I had kept at least 1.Love that you seem to have kept so much..so many pecious souvenirs.
    They are wonderful.
    More of everything..always please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But this post is from 2007Monique. The Lyon event was in 1994. Not much came with me when I moved to Paris 5 years ago.

      Delete
    2. Parisbreakfast is my scapbook!

      Delete
  4. carol my mouth is hanging open.....do your talents and visions know no end...I will answer my own question with a resounding NON....love these creations more history please!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was just practical to paint a jacket for the chef portrait opening. I've always been practical in my opinion..though the family would protest otherwise. 😀

      Delete
  5. Anonymous10:07 AM

    OUI! More history. And your jacket art? They bring such whimsy and personality to what otherwise is an institutional uniform. I wonderr if you could do a series of designs, say 5 with different themes, and have them silkscreened on jackets and offer them online. Just a thought. I know I would purchase one to wear at home instead of an apron. Would that be wrong, since I'm not a chef?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anyone can wear a chefs jacket. Why not? It is against the law to wear the MOF collar though.
      People used to give me their chef jackets to paint...like a man's suit. It must fit properly. Also many more colors were used than in silk screen prints so probably not feasible.

      Delete
  6. Acrylic paint? And an acrylic brush? I'm curious to know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I dont actually remember...from almost 25 years ago. I'm guessing I used waterproof pens.

      Delete
  7. A very big event! for you WOW!!! You and your aprons, the darling of French chefs!

    Re. your comment on my blog: Alas, I didn't do links this time to the books I mentioned...

    So... I MUST come to Paris again...I will ask Ganesh for help (see new blog post) to overcome the obstacles I have created...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Que c'est chouette !!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats!! I love this!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I’ve been following your lively and wonderful posts for many years. This is the best ever!

    Such a creative and fun idea, so well promoted, so authentic. I can only imaging you will now have millions of requests for jackets again!

    Keep up the good work, love your energy and creativity

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jill Butler2:38 PM

    You go girl! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations Carole! Keep up the wonderful work… Such a pleasure to see what you do and live vicariously through you in Paris!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Clarity Artists2:42 PM

    Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you for sharing this story. Delicious, as always!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Etiennette2:44 PM

    Un petit voyage culinaire

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love this story. You never know where your path will lead.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh I love these! Bravo!!!! Accolades so well deserved! I think if I had a lovely painted chef jacket I may actually be a better cook. Non????? Have a super day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are so clever! You should sell these on Etsy! I just love the vineyard/wineglass jacket backside. Clever, clever, clever!
    More history please!
    Susan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not so easy to do now Susan.
      People gave me their jackets to paint. They were all custom painted and cost around $150- 250.
      I do send out illustrated letters and watercolors from Paris💌 💌 🇫🇷

      Delete
  18. These are fabulous!

    I’ve admirably followed Paris Breakfast for years!

    As a very very very small time caterer (mostly sweets & afternoon teas)
    I’ve no inn or fancy truffle dish with which to grandly barter but
    I’d like to know what your chef jacket creations cost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I charged beteen $150-250. They were all custom painted and it was over 20 years ago!!
      I should have put in the dates 😳😳
      Not really feasible now that I live in France Rita...people did wear them to their events...a walking billboard😀
      Thanks for asking.

      Delete
  19. Frances10:42 PM

    Bonjour Carol - I wanted you to know how much I loved your Paul Bocuse stories and drawings. They are magnificent and very moving too. I forwarded them to friends from Geneva who went with us to the restaurant in 1985. The meal was unforgettable because M. Paul served the exact meal that he had served a week earlier at the Elysee Palace. We went for lunch and sat at our lovely table for 5 hours. We were the only people in the restaurant that didn't have a dog sitting under the table.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love your Bocuse story Frances.
      A giant of a man.

      Delete
  20. I thought you would be interested in this story from The Times of London...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for forwarding Blair.
      I knew Bocuse's wife and mistress were at the MOF luncheon in Lyon but not about his other romantic conquests until now. He was always an absolute gentleman around me. I never got the wrong impression. He did invite me to drive with him and Roger Vergé to a celebratory party given by winemaker Georges Duboeuf's (the third musketeer in the trio of top gastronomic pals). On the way he pointed out his long-gone parent's grocery store. He never forgot his humble beginnings. An extraordinary, unique man.

      Delete
  21. Oh I love these! Bravo!!!! Accolades so well deserved! I think if I had a lovely painted chef jacket I may actually be a better cook. Non????? Have a super day!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous11:24 AM

    Wow! How could you stop doing that? It must have been very exciting meeting famous chefs and rubbing elbows with the elite of the cooking world. Well done, Carol! You look so young and sweet in those photos. To bad we have to grow older, no? People comment on how pretty I WAS in photos 20 years ago. Yup. I know why they say WAS. I don't mind aging at all. Life goes on!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous11:26 AM

    A silly question. Do those paintings wash away when the jackets are laundered? Or are they just meant to be displayed and not worn?

    ReplyDelete
  24. I thought you would be interested in this story from The Times of London...

    ดูหนังออนไลน์

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you