A memoir full of heart and honesty, The French Ingredient takes you into the expat life of Jane Bertch as she navigates her dream of running a cooking school in Paris. From navigating the cultural norms of a foreign culture to weathering the worst society can throw at you, Bertch’s memoir is a love letter to her adopted home and a lesson in understanding the greater world.

I learned about this book from David Lebovitz (I subscribe to his Substack), and was intrigued. The author is an American who ends up moving to Paris to work in Finance (after a stint in London). We learn about her cultural challenges working in France (particularly about friendships and work relationships). Along the way, she decides to open a cooking school. I also enjoyed this part of her story as she dealt with leasing a building (and had to figure out how to win over a concierge) and ultimately being forced to move and start over after Covid. Her story is interesting because she is an American Entrepreneur in Paris trying to figure out how to run a business. A fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

There are so SO many memoirs in the category of Anglo-expat-moves-to-France that I tend to be a bit wary of them but this one was an absolute delight. The author takes a job in finance in Paris and later navigates the notorious French bureaucracy to open a cooking school. Along the way she shares insights into French, specifically Parisian, culture and how she learned to adapt and make a life there. It's light but also totally clear-eyed and realistic, and never glosses over the difficulties, and ends up as informative as it is charming. This was such a lovely and inspiring addition to this genre.

Jane Bertch gets transferred to Paris for work by an American bank and begins a leisurely and complicated love affair with a city whose people and culture are so different from everything she knows. But Paris and its charms make her fall in love and inspire her to open a cooking school for tourists, which many Parisians aren't shy to tell her is an awful idea and meant to fail. The young entrepreneur proved them all wrong by creating a school that has survived many hardships while also winning over many of the same Parisians who had told her it was impossible.

A love letter to a city that starts out admitting to a great initial dislike, it's fun to read how Bertch's life evolved in Paris as she learned to navigate the culture and the people and how that opened up so many possibilities.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the great read!

There are plenty of books out there with this trope: American moves to Paris and falls in love with it. Few go to the level of detail that The French Ingredient does. Few manage with the humor that Jane does to navigate a system that isn't meant for anyone, let alone someone who isn't French by birth to live and start a business in France. I really enjoyed the whole book. I love books like this and for me this one is right up there with Eloisa James's Paris in Love.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy.

Like many before her, Jane Bertch fell in love with Paris and decided to move there. Unlike others, she decided to open a cooking school which came with unique challenges. This is the story of Jane’s cooking school and everything it took to get it off the ground and keep it going. I appreciated Jane’s honesty and I appreciated that she didn’t fall into the trope that women’s travel memoirs can sometimes fall into and turn into.a story about her failed relationship and how she found herself afterwards. It’s a well=written memoir and although it isn’t particularly exciting, I would call it interesting if you enjoy France and/or food.

I so enjoyed this memoir, as Jane Bertch tells of her love for Paris, and how she, an American, came to live there. She began as a “banker,” then became a “baker.”

Jane relates how she got to know the French culture from the inside through her work, and explains how the French ways are different from American expectations. As she makes the decision to leave her financing career, she must now navigate the bureaucracy of opening a French cooking school!

Through it all Bertch tries to stay positive. She does such good job of leading the reader through the many ups and downs of her journey which include political changes, economic shifts, and…. Covid!

I learned from this book but was also entertained. I enjoyed it a lot!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Jane Bertch, and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

THE FRENCH INGREDIENT is the first book and memoir from Jane Bertch who started La Cuisine Paris in 2009. Despite the early setbacks which she describes that business has become the largest nonprofessional culinary school in France. Bertch subtitles her text "Making a Life in Paris One Lesson at a Time" and very engagingly depicts nearly two decades living and working in Europe. It is an eventful transition from a retail banker to a founder of a cooking school. Entrepreneurs will relate to her comments: "I was on a roller-coaster ride -- at one moment thinking, Forget it this will never work, the next feeling euphoric because we had booked a client or got some press." She also does an entertaining job of contrasting her own grandmother's "chaotic" kitchen with the French mise en place: the preparation for the meal with everything washed, chopped, measured, etc. before cooking begins, noting "this is likely why in a French cookbook, you will often see ingredients presented in order of quantities (highest to lowest), rather than when you use them (as in American cookbooks)." She writes about the importance of relationships, particularly clients and regulars at a food establishment. A fun and informative read, and Bertch says, "I hope that something within these pages inspires you to do whatever you dare to think you can do -- despite all the obstacles and doubts."”

Thank you NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine and the author for a digital ARC of this book. This is an engaging memoir by an American expat now living in Paris and operating La Cuisine Paris, a cooking school catering to English speaking tourists. As a young banker, Jane Bertch was transferred to her American bank’s Paris office. Speaking very little French and unaccustomed to the mores of French society and business practices, Jane struggles to fit in. However, she soon learns her way around Paris and her office. Coming to the realization her dream is to open a cooking school, she takes a giant leap and leaves banking. The reader follows the author through the streets of Paris searching for a suitable location for her fledgling school and feels her frustration dealing with the bureaucratic red tape involved in setting up a new business. This book is well written, flows very smoothly and evokes the feel of Paris. I found it made for many late nights as I couldn’t wait to see what unfolded next in both her professional and social lives. Highly recommend for Francophiles and foodies! Be sure to have your passport handy as you will be ready for a trip to Paris as well as a cooking class!

This memoir was such a sweet light hearted read! It tells the true story of Jane Bertch, an American with a background in finance, opening her now successful cooking school in Paris.

As a part-time Francophile, I was not surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I loved reading about the ups and down of the business and Jane’s journey to adapting in a new country. One of my favorite parts of the books were the little tips or “Astuce” on French etiquette. I honestly felt like I learned a lot about mundane, every day Parisian life without even having to get on a flight. This book is a cute, quick read, and perfect for fans of food and French culture.

The French Ingredient is a gorgeous memoir by Jane Bertch. To start, I ADORE Paris and am obsessed with memoirs set in that location - and then add in food and I am SOLD! I enjoyed all her perspectives on life, navigating life's changes and how the idea of starting a cooking school simply boomed into this amazing career. Beautifully written and highly recommended to those with a foodie interest! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jane Bertch was just a teenager the first time she went to Paris. She was a Midwestern girl, raised in Chicago, and as a graduation gift, her mother took her to London and Paris. Jane was okay with London, but she felt like didn’t fit in Paris. There is an elegance and sophistication that Parisians had that she just couldn’t touch. She didn’t plan on returning.

After college, she found a good job in banking, and when a position opened up at a bank in London, she said yes. And after several happy years there, she found herself contemplating a move to a bank in Paris. It would be a demotion, but Jane was sure that it was the right move for her. She found an apartment, she met her new coworkers, and she proceeded to make mistake after mistake after mistake.

The French are very particular. There are exacting social rules, and Jane was breaking so many of them. She knew the language but was far from fluent. And while she was trying to learn the nuances of the language, she was also learning the nuances of the social rules. The French are actually very private, and they keep their personal lives to themselves. Americans, not raised with such boundaries, are not easily accepted into the French culture. It was years and many missteps later that Jane figured out the key to making friends in France.

After many years at the bank, finally getting the respect of her colleagues, Jane decided she wanted more. She wanted a passion. So after months and months of planning, she quit her job at the bank and opened a cooking school. Most of the cooking schools in Paris were for professionals, and that’s not what Jane wanted. La Cuisine would be warm and comforting, a chance for home cooks to learn techniques and for visitors to France to get a chance to cook real French food. Jane wasn’t a chef, so she had to find the right chefs to lead these classes.

As the years slipped by and issues arose, Jane had to keep trying new things. She wanted to have a class on croissants, but it took some work to figure out how to keep it to only 3 hours. She wanted to work with local artisans, but they were reluctant to join her. She had to survive an eviction, a terrorist attack near her building, a butter shortage, a mustard shortage, a volcano eruption that brought tourism to a halt, and a worldwide pandemic. But Jane used the skills she had learned as a plucky girl from Chicago and the experience of working with French businesses while in banking, and she has created a successful business and a full life.

With The French Ingredient, Jane brings it all together, all the mistakes she made, all the lessons she learned, and all the things about Paris that made her fall in love with the city. The book is part memoir, part travel manual for those wanting to know what makes Paris so special and how an American can survive it all. It’s warm and inviting, and it includes tips on how to act when invited to a French person’s home, how to set a table, how to behave during a toast, and how to do that double kiss on the cheek.

I have not yet had the chance to visit France, so I love to read books that can transport me there, and The French Ingredient did just that. I could picture the cafes and the bars, I could hear the merchants at the market, and I could feel the pain of those who could only stand on the sidewalk and watch as Notre Dame burned (I remember seeing it on the news, and feeling the same, although to a much lesser degree, I’m certain). I wanted to try the pastries and smell the meals that were cooked at La Cuisine. But mostly, I wanted to be there for the cheese. There are a lot of references to the cheese, so you may want to prepare yourself for that with a trip to your local cheesemonger, or maybe a few trips, as you learn more about the cheeses the longer you read.

But aside from the sharp cheese cravings, I loved this story of an American in Paris and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Paris, who loves to cook, who loves to eat, or who loves to listen to talk about artisan cheese.

Egalleys for The French Ingredient were provided by Ballantine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I had the honor of speaking with Jane Bertch about her memoir "The French Ingredient" for the Storytime in Paris podcast. Here is what I said:

Ep 70 - Jane Bertch, “The French Ingredient”

Who on earth would be brave/crazy enough to move to Paris, quit their secure job in finance, and open a cooking school? The answer, of course, is Jane Bertch, founder of the iconic La Cuisine Paris, and author of “The French Ingredient.” In her beautifully-written memoir, Jane details how she transformed from banker to business-owner, all while navigating the inevitable cultural differences she faced as an American expat, and the countless curveballs life threw her way.

In our conversation, Jane shares whether her vision of moody café-writing matched her reality, how owning a cooking school changed her relationship to food, what it was like to relive her past on the page, and so much more. What did she want to be when she grows up? Drinks on me if you guess correctly!

Listen to the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3VHIwvO

Having recently traveled to France for the first time I can understand how the author fell in love with Paris. And to actually do it was amazing to read about. Her tenacity in learning the culture, navigating the business of opening a business and actually doing it let me live my dream vicariously through Jane Bertch. Thank you Jane for our walk down alleyways and along the River Seine and letting us smell croissants and pastries. Dorie Greenspan was impressed with your book and so am I . Merci Beaucoup to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheFrenchIngredient

Masterfully written memoir that transports you to Paris and the challenges and help the author had setting up a cooking school in the heart of France. An American trained in finance and working in banking, Bertch decides to follow her heart and open a French cooking school with classes for tourists and part-time residents. Amazing insight into French culture and traditions; I chad even a tenth of this knowledge when I lived there it would have made my experience so much more worthwhile. This book is one of the best if you're wondering if you'd like to visit or actually move to France. It keeps you interested from the first chapter to the last. Will buy a copy and read this again.

I love foodie memoirs, which is why I picked this one up. While it is that, it's also the story of learning about France and French culture and using that knowledge.

Jane Bertch was working for an American bank and was transferred to London, then to Paris. She decided to open an English speaking French cooking school, mostly for tourists.

I really enjoyed her story, it's told in a very readable way, interspersed with tidbits of knowledge of the French culture throughout. I'm so fascinated by the differences between various cultures, even dinner party etiquette is immensely different. I know that if I eventually travel to France I will want to re-read some of her advice.

I admired Bertch's ambition to do something that seemed completely out of the norm and the obstacles she has had to overcome throughout her time with the school. Terrorist attacks, Covid, everything that could go wrong and then things that never could have been predicted.

This is a quick, worthwhile read for foodies and those who enjoy all things French.

The French Ingredient follows Jane Bertch's story as she lives out every francophiles' dream: move to Paris, learn the language, open a cooking school, and start a new life while chronicling the highs and lows of the experience along the way. Cheers to this wonderful read and Jane's amazing life. La Cuisine Paris is now on my bucket list for things to do next time I visit Paris. Loved this frank, charming, and entertaining memoir.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

A terrific expatriate memoir, with all of the cultural immersion and fond nostalgia and none of the schlock and excessive sentiment.

For a memoir about starting a cooking school this is surprising short on food-related content, but I found I didn’t mind at all, as I enjoyed spending time with Jane as she navigated a permanent move to France and later started a business there.

Most “I moved to France” memoirs are written by those already retired, getting a second home rather than actually moving, or doing a job that can be done remotely just about everywhere. This one has a unique added layer because Bertch actually started a brick and mortar business of her own there.

She does a wonderful job of sharing cultural information about living in France, but also about running a company there, which was equally interesting to the usual stuff you run into in books like this.

And of course, Jane herself is a likable narrator, keeping you invested in her life and rooting for her as her life evolves after expatriating to Paris.

Jane is an American born in Chicago who accepted a job in the banking industry in London. She enjoyed that and made lots of friends. When she was offered a transfer to a bank in Paris, she decided to accept. She had had some French lessons in the past but her immersion into the French life was not without pitfalls.

Before long, Jane decided to open the La Cuisine Paris cooking school. It was geared to small classes taught by experienced chefs and became a big hit. The story follows how she learned - quite often the hard way - all the ins and outs of living in France and the French people and their customs. Her school went through hard times due to various events - the biggest one - Covid - but Jane always persevered.

I love how Jane introduces readers to the different stores and businesses in Paris, along with the beliefs of the people and the politics. For me, this struck home as my family and I lived in Paris for six years. It brought back so many memories of my own immersion into the French way of life. It also reminded me of the absolutely best food in the world. The stores described, along with the many iconic places of this beautiful city made me so nostalgic for it. How wonderful to take a trip back and relive many of these experiences over again. A huge Thank You to Jane Bertch for giving me again a wonderful taste of my favorite city. A totally delightful read. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I liked a lot about the first three quarters of the book. At the end of each chapter are tips called "French Astuce" with little glimpses into French culture that I loved. There are many, many stories about Jane's life, getting the culinary school up and running, and notable classes they've had over the years at La Cuisine Paris. Jane's insight into what it's like to live in Paris for so many years is a delight; she clearly cares about her adopted home city and country.

Roughly the last quarter of the book is political and it really left a bad taste for me. It would have been one thing to touch certain topics or not go into things at quite such length, but this book went there and I felt like it ended abruptly after going on and on about the pandemic. I do think it was interesting to see what the business did to survive though it but for the final seventeen percent (in the advanced reader version anyway) to be strictly about the pandemic made this book be more about that than I thought a memoir about the founder of a cooking school would be. Overall, I'm glad I read it but it's not one I'll be shouting about from the rooftops.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.