Summer lovin’

The awesome thing about coming to the market, is we get to see new produce unveil themselves each week. It’s pretty exciting.

We get to our spot at around 6 a.m., park the car and unload everything. It takes about 25 minutes to set up the canopy, table, wind-proof the signs and lay the caramels, marshmallows and everything real nice. At 6:30 we’re ready to go, but the even hardcore market go-ers won’t start trickling in until about 7am.

In that quiet half hour, we sit on our cooler and decompress from the week. We always half joke to each other about how we should take alternating naps in the car. Business for us usually picks up around 10 am. It’s hard to find people to sample caramels let alone buy any before that. But then around 9 am, when we’ve both finally fully waken up, we take turns walking through the market.

I’ll never forget a few weeks ago when Bruce came back to the table after his stroll.

“Sweet peas are here.”

Old friends, new places and a tarte

Back in August 2011, about three months into my life at St. Bonnet, I remember the beginnings of going stir-crazy.

The beautiful mountains and fresh air of Auvergne had grown old- we had no real summer in St. Bonnet le Froid. A “nice” summer day was still one where you had to bundle up, and often squint to shield your eyes from wind. The long hours were wearing on me and I had long ago grown tired of seeing the same people day after day. I was bored senseless, living in a town where the cows outnumbered the people, and worse, living in a place where my “kitchen” is ovenless and consists of two hot plates. On top of all that, I remember being supremely lonely and homesick.

So when the opportunity to meet up with a couple of old friends and co-workers from Toronto in the south of France for a couple of days, I was all over it. The odds were all against me.

St. Bonnet is conveniently located only about a 45 minute drive from the closest train station. However, there are no mini trains or bus that lead to said station.  I remember begging my chef to drive me…at 5:30 in the morning. What a great guy. My weekend was only Monday and Tuesday. So I took the first train Monday, arrived at around noon, and then had to head back at around 3pm Tuesday. It was 10 hours of traveling within two days, and the tickets cost me about a hundred-ish euros. For sunshine and friends, it was worth it.

We ended up in the twin towns of Fréjus and St. Raphaël in the Côte d’Azur. The towns itself were quite touristy, its main draw being the beautiful beach. Stepping out of the train station and feeling the warmth of actual summer on my face was one of the best feelings in a long time. I was already dreading having to inevitably return to St. Bonnet the next day.

I had met up with Adam and Melissa, old friends and co-workers from Buca. It had been ages since we’ve met, but I couldn’t think of a better reunion than in the south of France. The day and a half we spent together was in true spirit of carpe diem. There was frolicking in the Mediterrean, ridiculous amounts of ice cream, napping on powdery white sand, a stroll through the night market, stories, and fireworks.

And this.

2011- A year in photos

As I left Jacques Genin’s at around 7pm yesterday, new year’s eve in Paris, I think back to the amazing year I just had.

2011 was for me, a bittersweet year of challenges, stress, hard work, accomplishments, endings and beginnings.

I said goodbye to a lot of people that I love, but met some amazing people who welcomed me into their life.

I went to Chicago earlier in the year, had dinner at Alinea, met Grant Achatz. I moved back to Mississauga after an incredible year of living downtown. Barry Callebaut Chocolate Competition. Finishing the Baking and Pastry Arts program at George Brown. Leaving Buca.

Getting ready to move to France. Moving to France. Living in beautiful St. Bonnet, working for 3 Michelin star chef Regis Marcon. Moving to Paris. Jacques Genin.

I’ll never forget the people that I’ve been lucky enough to meet this year, who have influenced me, befriended me, changed me.