Elizabeth's Blog

On Monday, French Affaires hosted celebrated food journalist and cookbook author Susan Herrmann Loomis as part of our French Affaires Book Series. She is currently based in France (more specifically in Louviers, Normandy) and runs her cooking school “On Rue Tatin” from there. Over a French-inspired lunch, she regaled our group of nearly 50 Francophiles with wonderful tales about cooking and living in France… “Every day I have at least one conversation with someone about FOOD.” In addition, she describes “France as a gracious place to live” but “the red tape is infernal” and “America has peanut butter. ”

Speaking of nuts, she made our mouths water when describing her ‘favorite three recipes’ from “Nuts in the Kitchen,” her new cookbook just out in April. She traveled from Turkey to Thailand to Sweden researching this latest labor of cooking love. Interestingly, she noted that the Swedes have made an art out of using nuts in cooking and that many good nutty culinary ideas come from that locale.

French Affaires’ next rendez-vous with chef Susan is our Paris market tour and cooking day in early November as part of the FA fall trip. Our French Affaires ‘Gourmet Paris’ travelers are in for a super-French culinary treat with her tremendous expertise and warm personality thrown in. Check out these photos of our previous ‘Gourmet Paris’ trip and cooking class with Susan:

And we look forward to hosting her in Texas next year for a multi-day cooking class where we all can roll up our sleeves and COOK.

Merci to all those who came out to enjoy a “breath of French air”…we appreciate your being part of our French Affaires community in the U.S.

And merci to you, Susan, for providing a “breath of French air”…and Happy Book Tour!

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You never know where a good deed will go.

When I was a teenager, my parents received a call from a local coordinator for student exchange programs. Would they be willing to host a teenager from France? Yes, they said, but as we have four daughters, it would need to be a girl. Of course–bien sûr!

That summer, Karine from Paris came to spend several weeks with our family. We swam in the pool, visited the local mall and made chocolate chip cookies. We had such a good time à l’américaine that she came back the following summer. And then her sister, Stephanie, did a homestay chez les New a couple of years later, and my sister Hillary stayed with their family during her junior year abroad.

Today, Karine remains a dear friend and one of my favorite people to see when I am perched in Paris. She is a charming Parisienne, a mom to two adorable French children and a very talented artist. After attending the Académie Charpentier art school in Paris, she decided to specialize in les portraits au fusain (charcoal portraiture) and has become well known in France and Europe for her artistic abilities.

So what does this have to do with the perfect Parisian souvenir?

When a close friend decided to spend the fall in Paris a couple of years ago as a much-needed sabbatical from corporate life, she called me for all sorts of tips on enjoying Paris to the fullest. We covered the Paris essentials both on and off the beaten path—museums, monuments, gardens and parks, restaurants, unique shops, quiet corners of the city, and more. And then we talked about the perfect memento of her trip—and it came to me…A portrait of her done by Karine!

Laura loved the idea. She met with Karine and learned about her method and approach. As Karine says, “Ma recherche et le combat mené auprès du model pour dévoiler l’ expression du visage la plus vraie, ainsi que le reflet de la personnalité en dehors du temps me mène vers un but primordial: l’ Elégance.” In essence, Karine strives to bring out the most real and lifelike portrait of her subjects and to reflect their personality. In so doing, her ultimate goal is the most elegant representation of her clients…what I would call it the “French touch” of portraiture.

To begin Laura’s portrait, Karine worked from a black and white photo of Laura that she and Laura had chosen together. Then Laura sat briefly for two sessions while Karine finished the portrait with the details only apparent in real life. Finally, the memorable souvenir of her time in Paris was done, and Laura had a wonderful Parisian experience in the process.

To date, Karine has practiced her art in Paris and Europe. This year, she will bring her French artistic talents to the U.S. for the first time on a “portrait tour.” So it will be possible to have that perfect Parisian-style portrait and meet Karine—without the jet lag! I myself will look forward to spending time with my French friend while she is in America—perhaps we’ll even make some chocolate chip cookies again…for old times’ sake.

French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter™

Karine is so charming that it’s worth having a portrait done just to meet her. If you are interested in having Karine do a special portrait of your son(s) or daughter(s) or grandchildren or yourself while she is in the U.S., please let us know so we can reserve your family member’s time with her: e.new@frenchaffaires.com or 214-232-5344. For friends of French Affaires, Karine will offer her portraits at a special rate. For more information on Karine and her art, please click here to visit her web site.

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As a little girl growing up in Dallas, I went on a myriad of school field trips: A tour of the then-new Dallas-Ft. Worth airport including a peek in the American Airlines flight school cockpit simulator. A visit to the Mrs. Baird’s bread factory where we saw food manufacturing at its finest and were given a huge slab of blindingly white bread piping hot and slathered with butter. Trips to the Dallas Museum of Art (then the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts) at Fairpark with Frederic Church’s Icebergs painting standing watch at the entrance. Outings to Dallas Opera rehearsal performances where one coughing student could set off an epidemic of copycats and put a temporary stop to the theatrical proceedings. But my favorite off-campus excursions involved trips abroad—by way of Neiman-Marcus Fortnights.

Neiman-Marcus Fortnight 1957

In 1957, the legendary Dallas-based department store introduced the Fortnight concept and brought France to Texas. The two-week extravaganza transformed the downtown store into a French cultural, artistic, epicurean, fashion, shopping, and performance experience that made France real to scores of Dallasites, tourists and students. I wasn’t born yet so missed the inaugural festivities with a famous visit by Coco Chanel. However, over the nearly three decades of annual fall Fortnights that followed, I ‘toured the world,’ including France, courtesy of Neiman-Marcus.

When global travel became more common and the concept ran its course, the Dallas Fortnights ended. Happily, I can still find France in Dallas in many different guises—and these French experiences aren’t limited to two weeks. Here are some of my favorite offerings:

French flavors, food & wine: I get my Mariage frères tea fixes at The Cultured Cup in Preston Center. The thé vert Provence (Provence green tea) is not to be missed. The Travis Walk restaurant L’Ancestral is my favorite for classic recipes including their French onion soup. For a southern French meal, Le Lavendou in north Dallas hits the spot. Other French restaurants of note include Cadot, Toulouse and Rise No.1.

For authentic French cheeses, I head to Molto Formaggio in Highland Park Village and Scardello Cheese on Oak Lawn. True French sweets and pastries come from Rush Pâtisserie near the Bishop Arts District. Pastry chef Samantha Rush makes real croissants and pain au chocolat, along with tarts, cakes and almond macaroons. Her seasonal treats include les bûches de Noël and les galettes des rois (king’s cakes).

For an outstanding selection of French wines, I visit La Cave Wine Warehouse where owners François and Anne Chandou always recommend the right wine for the right occasion. Their twice-monthly Saturday wine tastings are as fun as they are informative. And I like to stop by Calais Winery in Deep Ellum to enjoy a glass of wine and a good chat with French winemaker Benjamin Calais. While he is a New World entrepreneur, his passion for winemaking is a time-honored French tradition. Finally, France is always in my kitchen via my collection of white French Apilco porcelain. It dresses up or down, and my occasional browsings at Williams-Sonoma culinary stores never fail to turn up an additional interesting piece or two.

For more France in Dallas, we’ll continue with some fabulous French art, antiques and fashion sources in a future French Affaires Weekly posting—restez en ligne (stay tuned)!

French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter ™

This fall, we’re excited to have a “part of France” joining the French Affaires team. We welcome our new Special Events intern, Anne-Lyse Ségur, who comes to Dallas from southwest France. Look for her at upcoming French Affaires events–she brings a wealth of enthusiasm and passion for things French!

“My name is Anne-Lyse, and I grew up in a small town called Lavaur, situated in the ‘pays de Cocagne’ (region of Cocagne) in southwest France. It was the territory of the Cathars and the Crusades in the 13th century, and this region became the land of plenty and abundance thanks of the cultivation of a plant “the pastello” (“Blue Gold”) for over 300 years.

I went to business School in the town of Pau and have a masters degree in business, specializing in entrepreneurship. I studied in Australia and Brazil, and I took the opportunity to move to Dallas last year. In addition to interning for French Affaires, I work for a beverage supplier and enjoy travel, restaurants, flag football and tennis as hobbies.

I am having a great time in Dallas–there are so many great foods and restaurants specially Italian and Mexican. I especially enjoy the warm and friendly people, their greetings, their positive attitude and their craziness about American football! But I miss the Saturday markets in France where you find fresh regional products all year long. I also miss walking in the countryside and in the small villages, where you can stop at the bank, pharmacy and get a baguette, cheese, flowers and newspapers by parking your car just one time.

I have to admit that I can’t wait to have again some homemade foie gras and charcuterie, but fortunately, Nutella crepes can be made everywhere–I can’t resist them!”

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