Molly Wilkinson is a talented and popular pâstissière in Versailles, a graduate of the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. She has trained bakers around the world and been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. But how did someone from Texas become an expert in French pastry, living just steps away from the most famous château in France? Molly always wanted to be a baker but didn’t pursue her passion until her late 20s. Discovering that the world-famous Le Cordon Bleu was much less expensive than American pastry schools, she headed off to Paris, armed only with a basic ..read more

June will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied troops landed in Normandy and began their push towards Berlin. Today, places like Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc offer a moving testament to the courage and sacrifice of those who helped free Europe from tyranny. But that wasn’t the only D-Day! There was another one as well, in the south of France near St-Tropez. It followed the Normandy landings by a few weeks, where military units with names like Camel and Garbo hitting the southern beaches. The operation met with spectacular success, pushing German troops almost all the way to the Ge ..read more

Jill Barth is a wonderful wine writer with a particular fondness for Provence…which is not hard to understand! She recently wrote a very interesting article for Wine Enthusiast magazine about art and wine in the area around Les Baux-de-Provence, the stunning hilltop village that is classified as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. It’s just a few minutes from where Val and I live in St-Rémy. Jill needed background information about the region so she asked me for a few quotes, which you’ll find in her article. Read all about it in Wine Enthusiast ..read more

This past spring I was the guest speaker at a meeting of the Alliance Française of Pasadena, one of the most active groups in the US. I gave a Zoom presentation about Provence and answered questions about the life that Val and I live there. It was a fun session, with lots of good back and forth, and you can watch the recording if you’d like. There are a few minutes of club business at the start that you can skip if you want; I come on at about the four-and-a-half minute mark. Here’s the link ..read more

Who are the great women of France? There are so many, it is hard to list them all! But let’s start with 15 who have played important roles in the history of la belle France. You’ll find a few surprises on my list, like the woman who was not even French, but that’s part of the fun of learning about these extraordinary women. There is so much to say that I’ve divided my list into three different articles, each discussing five women. This first article covers the period up to the end of the 16th century. Some of the women you are probably familiar with, like Joan of Arc. But did you know that Sa ..read more

Val and I live part of the year in St-Rémy, a charming town at the foot of the Alpilles Mountains, and we’ve learned a lot in our years here. I’ve written a series of six articles that will be helpful to visitors: the must-see sights, our favorite restaurants and wineries, our favorite places to hike and bike, and more. If you are thinking of visiting St-Rémy, or just want to dream a little, please give these articles a look. You can find them right here in My French Life ..read more

Let’s say you are driving on a French country road and find yourself stuck behind a slow driver. A very slow driver. “Can’t this guy go any faster?” you wonder. And the answer might be…no! France is full of microcars, called voiturettes or pots de yaourt (pots of yogurt!), that are specially designed to go slowly. Anyone can drive one, even without a license, as long as they are at least 14 years old. Why would anyone drive a tiny car that can’t go very fast? And why are they so popular with young urbanites? Read all about it in The Good Life France ..read more

France was behind many countries in granting women the right to vote, doing so only in 1944, but a lot of progress has been made since then. Today French women hold top roles in politics and business: the prime minister and the mayor of Paris are women, as are the heads of some of the most important companies and financial institutions. Women are leading lights in the worlds of art and entertainment and are some of the country’s greatest chefs. Would you like to meet a few? I’ve written about a dozen of them, all immensely talented. And soon I’ll share a series of articles about some of the g ..read more

The black truffle season has begun, thrilling chefs the world over. Black truffles are one of the culinary delicacies of France, and their pungent, earthy taste enlivens many a plate. France produces about half the world’s black truffles, mostly from Provence. They are difficult to farm, so most are foraged in nature, especially among the roots of trees like oak and chestnut. Traditionally, truffle pigs were used to find them, but pigs have fallen out of favor because they eat the truffles! Now truffle hounds are used, because dogs don’t find truffles tasty. The tiny Provençal village of Rich ..read more

From drinking glühwein in Germany to Lambrusco in Italy, each country has its own holiday traditions. The wine writer Jill Barth has written a fun article about wine and winter holidays around the world, including recommendations on what to drink. It might come in handy for New Year’s! And I’m thrilled to be quoted—about France, of course. You can find Jill’s article here. Happy New Year ..read more