Didier Averty (pronounced Did-eee-yay Ah-vair-tee) is my chef. He's quite an eccentric fellow. He actually admitted that he was a bit crazy. Crazy as he may be, I find him to be neurotic, a jokester, and thoroughly entertaining. He took us in circles around the school, unpacked and repacked a tool kit about five times, and took us on the metro to go get our uniforms. The class is made up of about ten people, 70% being women. I'm really curious to see what sort of experience these people have. And no, I'm not eying the competition, I'm just curious. There are four other women from the states, and most people in the class seem very nice, though Didier is convinced that the women will at some point start butting heads (as they always manage to do).
The program is bilingual. Didier speaks English, albeit with a very heavy French accent. I can understand him relatively well, but would prefer if he just spoke in French, which I'm sure he'll eventually transition to completely. It's just fun to see the language barrier, and the creative ways people try to work past it.. whether pantomiming or making up words.
On a sweet note, the other day I stopped by Pierre Herme. I had to indulge after walking so much lately. The shop is spotless and seamless. The desserts are artistic expressions of sugar and chocolate, and the macarons are perfectly stacked... just waiting. Now the macarons I'm talking about aren't the coconut atrocities that most Americans are familiar with. These are French macarons. Bliss. Stateside, specifically in California macarons are gaining popularity; Paulette macarons are pretty good (locations in SF and Beverly Hills). The recipe comes from the very very awesome Christophe Michalak who worked at Laudree and Pierre Herme, and is now the pastry chef at Alain Ducasse at the Palace Athenee... but I digress.
2 comments:
Ahhh....so many questions and a request if I may....
A) I would like to request you post a photo of your fellow classmates and yourself in the prescribed uniform for all of us to see please. And if you can work Chef Averty into the shot, all the better. :)
B) Do you have to walk to and from your apartment in said uniform? Is that normal in Paris? i.e. Do you see other students walking about the city in various uniforms? Or do you "suit up" at the school?
C) I still say macarons look like Big Macs.....although that one on the left could be a bit old and moldy. ;)
Mikeb
A) You should have seen the look on his face when I mentioned my camera. But will try to manage something.
B) No we have locker rooms. We're not allowed technically to be outside the school in our uniforms... so if you want a cig break. Gotta change.
C) They sure don't taste like big macs!
Post a Comment