Once upon a time....

Once upon a time 33 pastry chefs lived in a castle and this is what they did: We started the weekend by having a birthday barbecue for one of the young, too handsome for his own good, French maintenance guys. This included making 50 sausages, 30 kebabs, and something like another 30 pieces of pork along with a gigantic vat of sangria. We stretched all of these little tables together in front of the castle to create one long family dinner. Pasta and salads were being passed down ten tables so everyone could dig in. It felt like something from a movie (Kate/Kris: think Stealing Beauty). Looking out at the tables in the morning, covered with wine bottles and meat bones was a site to see.
The next day the castle was slow to start moving, but luckily it was Saturday and the French take their weekends very seriously. Everything is closed! So in the afternoon we hopped into three of the Frenchys' cars... and set out for a haphazard adventure. Because no body really had a drivers license, Christos from Greece ended up driving this beaten up, sputtering, and prone to taking naps up large hills or at large intersections "car" with Lorraine from South Africa, Craig from the UK and I all along for the ride. We were the end of the caravan and inevitably became lost immediately. But luckily the French countryside was worth making circles in. I am just about ready to pick up and move over here. Goodness. Everyone is so NICE! And while practically no one speaks English, everyone is constantly trying to help us, including helping us find this little spot of river on the Loire. Which after an hour of searching, a number of expletives, and three break downs later, we eventually accomplished.

Sunday we clammerd into town for a little market and a special "buffet" of Yssingeaux specialties arranged for the motley crew of mostly deranged chefs living in Chateau Montbarnier. This included white wine, head cheese, little slices of pizza with local cheeses and mushrooms and some freshly squeezed orange juice... all at ten in the morning. Not to mention there was traditional music being played by some men who I was thankful didn't need medical assistance for the two hour welcoming ceremony as they'd probably been playing their accordions for the past 80 years. There were also some cute little old women creating lace and a few people even started to dance. It was a great morning, and all the food, even though not my first choice for the AM, was a ton of fun. We finished the morning off by buying beautiful little tarts and thick, strong coffee in the village square. Not bad for a Sunday I say.Classes have remained challenging, but also great. I've learned so much in the past week and a half its unbelievable. It'll be great in two months down the road to look back on all I've accomplished. The best thing about all of this is that everyone here has chosen pastry as their career. Not only do they love to create pastries and to consistently learn (which a pastry chef can always always do) but they've found ways to make this what they do day in and day out. And get paid! Maybe not a doctors salary, but a comfortable one and doing something you love despite the long hours and the challenges of a kitchen is a truly awesome thing. Obviously, I'm having a pretty good time. Until next time... love you all!