Bonjour! It’s your jetlagged friend, just back from France, where I was teaching in Chinon with Jamie Schler and vacationing with my husband in Paris.
Both of us have written essays for years (and blog posts, which, by default, are personal essays). Usually I stick to food writing basics like writing cookbooks and recipes, writing food blogs, and getting published. So this was a little different, but just as enjoyable.
As in our previous workshop, we met each day in the breakfast room of Jamie’s beautiful Hotel Diterot, located in a medieval village in the Loire Valley. Our group of students came from the U.S., Canada, France, Brazil and Ireland. We wrote, studied, ate and drank well and contemplated the mysteries of writing about oneself — what to say and what not to say. Teaching food memoir includes showing how to engage emotions and relatability through storytelling.
Here’s a glimpse of our food memoir workshop:

At Un Air D’Antan, in medieval Chinon, the door opened into a small dining room, with the kitchen at the back. (Photo by Betina Mariante Cardoso.)
Another group came in to one of the restaurants we visited with guitars and began to sing. One of our students walked over, grabbed a guitar and sang a beautiful song to them, written by a friend.

One of our students, Lynette Colosimo Jolicoeur, has a beautiful singing voice. She arrived at our workshop with a ukelele and before we knew it, students were singing in the hotel’s bar.
As for eating and drinking, well, how can you go wrong? Jamie’s breakfasts include her famous jams, goat cheese, croissants and toasted brioche. We had meals out at two local restaurants, where we ate French specialties including foie gras, blanquette du veau, savory quiches, fruit tarts, and cheeses.

At La Part Des Anges, some of us dined on pork confit with three kinds of carrot: puree, fondant and and a topping of carrot salad. On the right, a fresh crab appetizer with a mango mousse and balsamic reduction. (Photos by Kate Ryan.)

Everyone has to hit at least one chateau when visiting the Loire. This was ours, for a tour, wine tasting and lunch. (Photo by Kate Ryan.)
Chateau du Petit-Thouars is famous for its local Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc wines. On an outing there, we met a young couple who took over a chateau. It had been in the husband’s family for centuries. After a tour of the grounds, wine caves and a tasting, we had lunch in a converted horse stable: oxtail stew, risotto, grated carrot salad, cheeses and a local speciality, apple tart covered in a wine glaze.
Our group of students, in front of Jamie’s beautiful hotel. From left, Ann Wilson, Becky Lillywhite, Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Lynette Colosimo Jolicoeur, me, Jamie, Sandrine Orban, Betina Mariante Cardoso, Kate Ryan, Marian Dodds and Janet Haney. (Photo by Owen Rubin)
After our workshop, a few of us went on to Paris. On our first night, our group ate dinner at Bouillon Pigalle. It’s a fun French restaurant that reminded us of a big New York deli, with its tile floors and waiters rushing by. Later I met food blogger and cookbook author David Lebovitz for lunch at Holybelly, which specializes in good coffee and American breakfasts. Otherwise it was a fast few days of taking in museums, shops, cafes and walking along boulevards like flaneurs.
I loved following along on your trip through Instagram. Still dreaming about all those jams!
Thanks Annie! You can go to Jamie’s hotel in Chinon and sample them all! Even buy a few to take home. She has flavors no one else has thought of, I think. Very adventurous.
I had such a great time. I love teaching with you and I loved the new topic and the new sessions we added. And our group was exceptional!! Such a group of vivacious, super talented, and really fun women. I always end a workshop so motivated and inspired!
Me too! It was so much fun, both to teach a newer subject and to hang with these incredible women. We’ll do it again, n’est ce pas?
I’m loving looking at the photos from this fantastic trip. It’s on my bucket list to join you both there one day!
We would love to have you, my friend! Someone came from as far as Brazil, so why not Australia?
It’s on my bucket list, too. Especially that chateau!!
The chateau is pretty fabulous. As was the wine tasting and the lunch the young couple prepared for us. Next time!