French Table: J. Barthouil Foie Gras and Smoked Salmon
Foie gras and smoked salmon, staples of the French celebratory and holiday table, are both produced with excellence and tradition by J. Barthouil, a family business located in southwest France with a shop in the Marais in Paris.
Fish-Skin Leather Artisan Brings Siberian Tradition to Dordogne
Hidden in the Dordogne hills on a narrow street of the village of Fanlac, Janet Duignan discovers the marriage of ancient Siberian tradition and European craftsmanship in Kristof Mascher's fish leather handbags, belts and cases.
Calvados, Where Rotting Apples Have a Good Name
An introduction to the alcoholic apple-based beverages cidre (hard cider) and calvados produced in Normandy.
Japanese Artist Kojiro Akagi Examines the Spirits of Paris
Corinne LaBalme reports from the 8th arrondissement gallery whose owner/curator Chozo Yoshii brings Franco/Japanese fusion to Paris and a Montparnasse artistic landmark to the shadows of Mount Fuji.
Cookbook Beat: Le Grand Cours de Cuisine Ferrandi
The Ferrandi School, the most hands on of Parisian culinary academies, has come out with a mega-cookbook for amateurs and professionals looking to hone their culinary skills and try recipes from simple to gastronomical.
Art Books: The Vocabulary of Ornamentation
We are often at a loss for words when we travel in continental Europe. It isn’t only the words for natural conversation that are lacking but also the vocabulary of the things we see. Vocabulaire Illustré de l’Ornament by Evelyne Thomas, an illustrated dictionary of the vocabulary of the ornamental and decorative elements of architecture and other arts, can help.
Isabelle Langlois: A Hidden Gem on Rue de la Paix
Colors, flowers, elegance, balance: what sounds like a stroll through the Luxembourg Garden or a glimpse into the lobby of a palatial hotel is, this morning, an encounter with Isabelle Langlois in her shop on rue de la Paix, Paris’s runway for high jewelry.
Street Art: Gilles Sacksick, the Animal Painter… and Artist
A photo vignette about street art and scaffolding covers, featuring animals at the National Veterinary School in Maisons-Alforts, a wall painted with attitude in Paris's 10th arrondissement and the capital's historical judicial complex where, sadly, everyone is now sentenced to Life.
Savoring Provence: The Charentais of Cavaillon, a Succulent Superstar of a Melon
Every summer, piles of gold are sold in the Provencal town of Cavaillon. The gold in question is not the precious metal measured in...