It was several years ago when I stumbled on a short film online that was getting quite a buzz amongst Paris lovers and pastry lovers alike.  It was a masterful montage, gorgeous images of colorful pastries in Paris, as well as famous monuments and everyday objects there they appeared to mimic.  I watched with a huge grin from start to finish.  Then I watched it again.  And again.  (Some of you may recall hearing about it on my Paris pastry quiz.)  I can not tell you how many times I ended up watching that inspiring, delicious, feel-good film, but I can say it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with its creator, graphic designer Susan Hochbaum.  And the discovery of what is now one of my favorite desserts in Paris.

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Switzerland’s first Salon du Chocolat is in just two months, in Zürich on March 30th, 2012.  You may think I can’t possibly have chocolate on my mind any more than I already do, but… everything is possible.  Helping to organize this delicious event, meeting with chocolatiers and pastry chefs, and talking about chocolate around the clock brings on even more cravings than usual.  Luckily my chocolate stash is always overflowing with new bars to taste.  While most of these tastings are of Swiss chocolate, I thought I would highlight a few non-Swiss wrappers that are now part of my collection.

There is no better place to start than with a current favorite of mine.  I have always been a fan of Henri Le Roux’s silky salted butter caramels (he’s the inventor of the famous CBS – caramel au beurre salé) and individual chocolates with buckwheat, but I have only more recently discovered his bars, thanks to the Salon du Chocolat in Paris.  One word, people: Goviro.  Fleur de sel, crêpes dentelle (super thin, crispy golden butter biscuits) and caramelized almonds in smooth dark chocolate – that is the recipe for a stellar bar – and an addiction.

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The visual of handsome dark horses, racing at impressive speeds on an all-white backdrop is simply stunning.  More over, the white isn’t just the snow-covered Engadine mountains in the distance, yet the frozen lake of St. Moritz that they are racing on.  White Turf, a unique and truly extraordinary sporting event in Switzerland, is a series of horse races on snow.  Need I say more ?!

I’ll let the photos do (most of) the talking… Read the rest of this entry »

I love vintage food packaging (especially sweet, of course), kitchenware, tins, signs, molds…   One of my many collections is, surprise surprise, old kugelhopf molds.  I find myself still thinking about one in particular that I saw in Paris last year.  While many people may walk in to the new Meert shop and head straight for the gaufres (more on those below), I found myself ogling the inedible displays just as much as those signature waffles – and tempting chocolates and pâtes de fruit.  There’s Denis Wozny below, holding a gorgeous copper kugelhopf mold from the 17th century, with fabulous antique Meert labels behind glass on the wall.  (Of course I asked, but no, it’s not for sale.)

This beautiful, sweet boutique in Paris’ Marais neighborhood is simply a jewel of a shop, and worth spending time in to appreciate the finer historical details of la Maison Mère Meert.  Be sure to say bonjour to Denis – and merci for filling his car with gaufres every morning in Lille before driving to work in Paris.

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Wishing everyone happiness, good health, fruitful projects, exciting adventures… and most of all, sweetness in every way !

I hope it was a festive, delicious and joyous Christmas…

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I love medieval villages.  (Murten/Morat, Gruyères, Stein am Rhein and Chur to name a few.)  The more crooked the structures, the more mismatched the bricks and stones and wooden beams, the more I’m fascinated.  Whether in Switzerland, France, Italy or Portugal, I roam up and down the roughly cobbled streets of these labyrinthine villages, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the imposing doors and the seemingly indestructible ironwork.  I could listen for hours to my husband (or his encyclopedic father) share historical tidbits, while I gaze up at the years engraved into the buildings going back well beyond the 15th century.  All I can say is, thank goodness for digital film.  Every blink of the eye is a photo opportunity.

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On my recent ‘Sweet Geneva’ tours, there was certainly a recurring theme.  The window displays of every chocolate shop in town were taken over by soup cauldrons made of chocolate !  Filled with marzipan vegetables and emblazoned with Geneva’s red and yellow coat of arms, you simply couldn’t miss it.  Pots made out of chocolate… in Geneva… that can mean only one thing: la Fête de l’Escalade, bien sûr !

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It’s all just too exciting, so I’ll simply come out and say it: the Salon du Chocolat, the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate, will be taking place in Switzerland for the first time !  Better yet, it will be here in Zürich (at Messe Zürich) from March 30 to April 1, 2012.  Mark your calendars for a sweet event not to be missed !

And guess what else… I’m helping organize it !!  I’m thrilled to be working again with Salon du Chocolat founders Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet and their team in Paris.  (I worked with them on the New York Chocolate Show when living there several years ago.)  Read the rest of this entry »

Recognizable by its signature snail logo, the Slow Food organization is all about understanding more about the food we eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices impact the rest of the world.  Pretty much, everything that is lost with fast food !  While Slow Food Switzerland has been around since 1993, we just had our first ever Slow Food Market (Il Salone del Buon Gusto / Le Salon du Bon Goût) in Zürich, where local and regional producers connected directly with the public. Taste, discover, discuss and buy.  I had the pleasure of listening to Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini speak (in German, Italian and French !) about the concept of “Retour à la Nature“; the Terra Madre network of food communities, defined by place of origin; as well as how that all meshes with the values of Swiss artisans and consumers.  “Slow Food unites the pleasure of food with responsibility, sustainability and harmony with nature.”

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Sweet Zürich tours go west !

I am taking my sweet tooth to Geneva, to reveal addresses of the city’s most passionate artisans, who will share their craft with us, whether that’s baking and decorating seasonal cakes, or perfecting a ganache and adding some rather nontraditional ingredients to it.  We’ll discover Carouge, the neighborhood south of Geneva’s old town, with a rich history and an Italian flair, and a charm all its own.

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