Aloha
I am still in Kona preparing for my long awaited return to France. It's been 31 years since I left Paris. Bright eyed and full of ambition. My dream of becoming a chef could only manifest if I were to return home to Texas to put to use everything I had absorbed as a student living in the 7e. Looking back, 17 and living in Paris...it was so "Sabrina". I was 8 maybe 9 when I knew I wanted to be a chef. I loved to cook for my family...later my friends...always from my heart. It was the my way of showing love to those special to me.
Back to Paris, I was 15 when my mom first took me to France and England to visit schools. Of course I would choose France for my studies only after promising my mom that I would major in art. She did not want me to be a "servant". Clearly a difference in generations. I respected her wishes and became intimate with the art of France, Spain and as well as the Dutch masters.
My earlier years was spent reading Larousse Gastronomie, Ma Point (Fernand Point's story), Escoffier Cook book. My father thought I was a little different. When other kids were out playing I was sitting on the edge of my bed plowing through cookbooks. I could not get enough of it...I was hooked! It must have been from a past life after all a young girl living in Houston Texas, steak, BBQ, and Mexican food...not a lot of French cuisine. Never the less, the books allowed me to experiment and dream. It all seemed so easy..it came naturally to me.
As I prepare for my return to France, I am compelled to share my experiences with anyone interested. It will be on this journey that I re-visit my youth. I am taking my son Nick who is 16 along with me. He is about the age I was when I first saw Paris. I can't help but wonder how it will effect him. He loves art...now let's see just how much he loves it after I take him on one walking tour after the other of through the museums I studied in daily. This could prove to be a turning point for him. Or it may just be another trip with mom.
Highlights to look forward to on our trip:
Release of the Beaujolais Nouveau (it will be released upon our arrival)
Champagne..the region and the wine!
The Markets
The Catacombs...
The TVG bullet train to London...the trip through the tunnel under the English Channel
and of course the museums, tombs and Brasseries
Daily Notes and photos will be posted to keep you informed of our travels in and out of Paris...
My favorite part will be retracing my steps when I was student; the cafes, la Caves, Quartier Latin, the artists scene, if I can find it...Gitanne / Gauloise filled cafes, the Tunisian bakeries ...
For now A bientot...
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