Cafe Pavane with Jill Colonna

 

Have you been looking for a cosy, friendly tea salon in Paris?

Not one of those wildly extravagant afternoon hotel affairs

Lignes & Couleurs, Dessiner Le Paysage - Meet Juliette Plisson

 

Meet my watercolor friend and artist, JULIETTE PLISSON .

We met in Clermont Ferrand at one of those Carnet de Voyage exhibitions.

Revelations - Grand Palais

Last week was the first edition of Revelations - le salon des metiers d'art et de la creation at le Grand Palais.

Any exhibit at le Grand Palais is bound to attract. The lines were long.

Such an auspicious space well sets off the creme de la creme of France's best craftsmen in every art form.

Craftsmen were onsite demonstrating their best techniques. Norway was the guest country for the event.
 

Nothing ordinary could be found here...
 

The large area for French shoemakers brought back memories of my own shoe design days.
 

Quite a few of these shoemaker/designers are winners of the much coveted MOF (Les Meilleurs Ouvriers de France).
 

Not just top chefs get to wear the red, white and blue prestigious ribbon.
 

A Lalique style heel on a Cinderella glass slipper...

Elegant glasses with sapphires embedded in the bridge.
 

Designed by another MOF, Ghislain Duroy of Lunetterie d'Art.
 

More glass by Nicolas Sartor Verrerie.
 

Porcelaine ceramic roses by Antonella Fadda-Haffaf.

French children get early indoctrination to the finer things of life and it's not just fromage. The 5-day Revelations Salon will return to the Grand Palais in two years - don't miss it.
 

Frederic Lalos Boulangerie

Monday January 14, 2013 Frederic Lalos
 

Like this running baker boy, I was racing 🏃‍♀️ to the pool when I stopped in my tracks

A big boulangerie with the words plastered on the side, Meilleur Ouvriers De France or MOF. The highest honor France can bestow on a craftsman for his metier. Remember the movie, The Kings of Pastry?
 

Thoughts of the pool evaporated as I peeked inside...

Stacks of fresh baguettes 🥖 tradition resting in the vitrine.
 

Not only has chef Frederic Lalos received the MOF at the young age of 26 but his bread was awarded the 'Label Rouge', a mark of France's highest standards.

More red ribbons adorn Lalos' chocolates. Don't you love the sound of Marbella grilled noisette 'enrobed' in chocolate. I would love a chocolate robe. 

Peering in the other window the vendeuse looked...

just like a Toulouse-Lautrec drawing.

I tore myself away from le leche-vitirine and ran on to the pool. At the pool door I remembered I'd forgotten the essential flip flops. Nothing for it but head back to Frederic Lalos' boulangerie and browse a bit more. The vendeuse was patient. Other clients came and went while I perused everything in the pastry case several times over. With a little smile the vendeuse finally got me my baguette au cereal and a pot of apple compote. I'll have to go back no doubt. Next trip to the pool bien sur!

Some of you requested a CAT OF THE DAY. I saw this while pool-bound. I'll attend the cat show to stock up on the less obvious Paris cat for you! Bonne Journee!

Charles Proust Concours 2012

 Yesterday at Salon du Chocolat you could have tasted desserts from future top future pastry chefs of the world.

 Desserts that are part of this splendid piece de monte hand-made of chocolate and sugar.

Yesterday's big event at the Salon du Chocolat (and for 17 contestents the grand finale of a year of creation) - the 4th Charles Proust Concours took place. Charles Proust, by the way, was president for 30 years of France's first association of patissiers started in 1871.

 Supported by Grand Marnier and Relais Dessert. I posted on this top organization of French pastry chefs, Relais Desserts here.
 

 The contest was headed by Pierre Herme with a theme from the Fables of Jean de La Fontaine.  An artistic jury looked for compliance with the theme, balance of materials, technique and harmony of colors and shapes. While the tasting jury evaluates textures, accuracy in tastes and consistency with the theme.
 

 Here's L. confering with Pierre Herme front row and center on the Charles Proust jury. They tasted and judged 17 (!!!) different desserts.
 

 Back stage the real drama was taking place. Last minute adjustments over a chocolat-mandarin orange tower.
 

 Seen in this contestent's piece de monte.
 

 You could feel the tension.
 

 Better than any boardwalk beauty contest.
 

 A prestigious team of M.O.F.s (Meilleur Ouvriers De France) (affectionately referred to as 'mofs') were backstage to assist and advise contestents and to test taste. The Charles Poust Concours is one of many reknown French contests (Coupe du Monde du la Patisserie Lyon, Olympiades des Metiers, Barry Caillebaut World Chocolate Masters, Le Mondial des Arts Sucres,silver dessert award, Junior French Dessert Championship) open to aspiring patissiers.
 

 M.O.F. patissier Nicolas Bernardé and Grand Marnier ambassador confers here. Remember the movie, Kings of Pastry recounting chef Jacquy Pfeiffer's adventures in the fierce 3-day competition to become one of France's top pastry chefs? All these chefs sporting the red-white-blue collar band won that battle to the finish line.
 

 Later in the afternoon the jury decided.
 

 Twenty-one year old Paul Klein of Patisserie Chantal Klein, Belfort took first place and won this silver macaron stack trophy.
 

 Paul Klein's piece de monte exquisitely tells the story of the hare and the tortoise.
 

 If I'd taken out my iPod Touch I could have identified all the star chefs present. Relais Desserts has a fun free app naming names and addresses of the top world-wide pastry chefs in their organizations + recipes.  I was too busy shooting to taste the desserts so I stopped by Grand Marnier at the Salon for a freshly made crepe with cherry jam and a splash of cherry brandy.

PAS MAL!