A delightful read that might have you nodding in recognition but certainly will make you chuckle. Bertch turned an idea into a successful business, coping admirably with all sorts of roadblocks- both bureaucratic and natural disasters-along the way, always keeping her eye on the prize. I liked the gentle way she points to cultural differences as well as her efforts to make those in the cooking school biz understand that not all of us want to be chefs but rather good cooks. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A pleasant diversion,

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

Of course I wanted to read this – Paris! Food and cooking! A memoir! Combine these delectable ingredients and you have an engaging memoir about an American woman who starts a French cooking school in Paris.

Author Jane Bertch explains, “When I first told people I was starting a cooking school, they said, ‘Oh, are you a chef, then?’ I was not – I worked in finance. Nor was I Parisian. Nor was I independently wealthy or experienced in the world of entrepreneurship – let alone entrepreneurship in France. I was nothing. But when you are nothing, you realize that leaves you with the chance to be anything.

“I wanted to open a school that offered cooking classes for nonprofessionals – for everyday people who loved to cook, for those who didn’t have months and years to improve their skills, who were in love with France and its food, who wanted more than a trip to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower to remember Paris by.”

I enjoyed seeing Jane realize her dream of opening a cooking school in Paris, sharing her experiences of all the ups and downs of bureaucracy and red tape, cultural misunderstandings, financing needs, Covid-19, terrorist attacks, strikes, etc. Her very readable story is a great example of entrepreneurship. Plus, Jane explains, “The school was more than a business for me: It was proof that I belonged, that I could make a life for myself in the city I’d fallen deeply in love with.”

Even if you’ve never been to France, Jane’s personal experiences and drive to make the school successful will have you turning the pages. And if you have been to Paris, reading this book will make you feel like you’re back there again. In addition to Jane’s role as a cultural ambassador, she has written a book that she hopes will “inspire people to do whatever you dare to think you can do – despite all the obstacles and doubts. Most important in times when you think you can’t, I hope you see you can.”

I have been to Paris several times, and I enjoy reading about this city and other people’s experiences there. The next time I visit, I am definitely going to ‘La Cuisine Paris – Cooking Classes and French Food Tours!’ And I hope to have the opportunity to meet Jane and congratulate her in person - for her successful school and this wonderful book.

The French Ingredient is a heartfelt and feel good memoir of Jane Bertch, a woman who sets out to open a cooking school in Paris … with not cooking skills, experience or any background in culinary arts at all!!! This book takes you along with Jane on her journey to learn not only what she’s doing but the culture the community and the country she now calls home. This was a delight and I want to pack my bags for France after reading this book!

I received a free copy of this e-book from #Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
My Interest

A Midwest girl, raised in Chicago where cheese tended to be sharp cheddar or pepperjack, has the audacity to open a cooking school in Paris. I’m in! Plus, cooking travel is on my bucket list. I’d love to do a cheese class anywhere.


The Story

“…we eat with our eyes first”

“A French kitchen–be it in a restaurant or a private home–has always been a rather mystical, hidden place, only for the few to behold, and for even fewer to be part of. An ‘open kitchen’ was a rather new concept in France. Julia Child led the way in making the French kitchen accessible to all, and I wanted to keep on with that same spirit at La Cuisine. I wanted our classes to be hands-on, warm, and welcoming….”



“My foremost objective was to give our clients and experience, a souvenir…”

Now a burned out banker whose most recent promotion took her to Paris, Jane decides the banking part of her life is over and now, like Monty Python used to says “and now something completely different,” like not being a chef, but opening a cooking school. In Paris. For the French to attend. Oh, and tourists, too. Audacity! Jane is helped in this venture by her then [French] boyfriend who navigates the legal aspects and looks after the finances. Jane finds the chefs and grows the concepts for the school.

She must teach the chefs not to stress perfectionism and not to be overly-critical. Then there is the America’s habit of ignoring the season they are in regarding food. Americans don’t really “get” seasonal food–we can get a strawberry year-round, for example. She tells them: “They are not here just for seasonal food. They are here for their image of France.” (p. 107)

As disasters hit in the form of bombings, an Icelandic volcano disrupting airlines flights, COVID, and more, Jane pivots, twirls, re-groups, adapts, but keeps going. (That was amazing!) Her cooking school survives and gains a loyal following of repeat students and newbies alike. She comes up with the walking tour of French markets (and sometimes some shops) to teach people about fresh, seasonal food–how the French shop and why. She build alliances, slowly, with other French small businesses.

But Jane’s book is also very useful to those going to France for business–even just a business trip, she explains the norms of things like time or meals and even on dressing. This was very interesting. She points out that “cultural norms”–the niceties of life matter more than “market norms” to the French (although they are also very astute business people–just in a very different style).

The book also looks at the different approaches to politics, protests and more–these were unexpected in a foodie book, the praising of President Obama was not. (Conservatives–it’s a paragraph, read the book anyway). In the end, politics is part of life and the subtitle of this book is “Making a Life in Paris One Lesson at a Time”–lessons she learned well and imparts to us well, too.


My Thoughts
[Spoilers]

For once I must do a couple of small (tiny) spoilers! My two favorite anecdotes involved Americans and how the French treated them. The French involved had the true spirit of the beloved Lafayette!

“The French don’t consume cheese, they respect it. And they savor it, just as they savor life.” (p. 50)

In a class on cheese two foodie couple and a single lady were asked about special cheese where they were from. The foodies blew hot air on local this and artisan that. The single lady explained:

“Where I come from we have this great cheese called Velveeta…”

(at which point the foodies were looking for her hidden MAGA hat)

The chef asks what makes it so good, so she tells him:

“It melts up perfectly…its really versatile–you can have it on macaroni on tortilla chips to make nachos.”

They spend about 5 minutes in this conversation. The chef ends with:

“When I next go to America…I am excited to try this cheese.”

Take that smug foodies in the corner!



In another class, once the food was all cooked and being served one of the group having the class said:

“Now, let’s take hands and pray.”

This is very un-French. The chef had only seen this before in American tv or films. But, Jane points out, “Parisians are often fascinated with the puritanical religious’ threads they perceive everywhere in the [USA]” and this chef was no different. So, she took the hand offered, bowed her head, but peaked to see what was happening. She ended up telling it all in a very reverent, non-judgmental way. She was pleased and proud to be included in their ritual.

This is surprisingly not really a “foodie” book–it’s more of a French cultural interpretation. Nonetheless it is a very enjoyable, and lightly educational (meaning no preaching, no hitting us over the head with how everything in France is superior) book. I highly recommend it.
My Verdict
4.0

The French Ingredient: A Memoir by Jane Bertch

This book releases April 9, 2024, but is available now for pre-order.

"The French Ingredient" is a tall glass of lemonade: light, sweet, refreshing, and a promise of warmer days ahead. In her memoir, Jane Bertch chronicles her arrival to Europe (in London, and then Paris) as a young post-grad eager to work in the world of finance and banking. The transition is not easy. The culture shocks abound and she struggles to form meaningful connections. Her love of food and hosting lead her to open a one of a kind business in the heart of Paris: a French cooking school with classes in English. "La Cuisine Paris" has been open for over a decade now and Bertch walks the reader through the many challenges she has faced as an immigrant, and a business owner. The book is punctuated with little cultural tips and tricks, to help the reader avoid the many faux-pas she has made over the years.

This is a very fast, entertaining read with a keen eye for cultural differences. While I enjoyed the book, I do feel it lacked in a few areas, most notably, Jane's interest in cooking and French cuisine. We are told very early on that she enjoys cooking but this doesn't really come through in the book. As a reader, my takeaway was that Jane is an incredible business owner and entrepreneur but I didn't get the sense that she is particularly passionate about food. This is certainly not a personal fault, but I found it a bit odd in the context of this being marketed as a food memoir. A better description might be a multicultural memoir, and it certainly excels as one.

As someone who recently relocated to France and as a former business owner there was a lot in the book that I could relate to in the book. It was a fun and easy read and I enjoyed going on her journey.
Coincidently, I devoured it on the train from Paris to Nice.

An American from Chicago moves to Paris and ends up quitting her job in a bank to open a cooking school. That's a one sentence summary and her story is told well and includes plenty of detail about both people and culture. I'm not particularly interested in France and I don't like French food, but I found myself immersed in this book just because her description of how she made this happen and what the pitfalls and successes were ended up being of great interest. If you have a thing for Paris, you'd definitely love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's quite interesting!

I love food! I love memoirs! I love food memoirs!

I loved following along Jane’s history, starting from moving from Chicago to London, and then finally to Paris all for the means of a finance job. The details of the waves of culture shock that she endured with every move in her personal and professional career made me think even about the small move I made in high school from Minnesota to Florida.

It’s inspiring to read about Jane listening to her aspirations and starting La Cuisine. The bravery and acceptance that it will be hard and that her plan won’t work how she might have envisioned was so inspiring! Consider the bravery it takes for an American in finance to open a cooking class in Paris of all places!

I HIGHLY recommend this book, you’ll be transported to the streets and cafes of Paris in a matter of a few pages!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!

The French Ingredient is a lovely memoir of the author’s life in France. Her first visit is as a schoolgirl; that visit doesn’t go well, and she vows never to return. Fast forward, and she’s transferred to Paris by her American bank employer. Eventually, her fascination with all things French causes her to open a cooking school, where she’ll teach foreigners a bit of cooking and some language skills to take home.

While France and its culture are a big part of the story, this is also about being an expatriate, and what that life is like, and then parlaying that experience into building a successful business in a new country. And one that doesn't necessarily welcome Americans who want to teach French cooking.

In addition to the main memoir, the author includes little snippets on how the French socialize, how to select the best cheese, and that one should always say “Bonjour” when entering a shop — all sorts of valuable tips that make the book feel like an insider’s guide to many things French.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I loved this a lot. Jane’s story was a pleasure to follow and I love how she balanced writing about her own experiences in Paris with tidbits of french culture. Her journey to opening her business was inspiring to read about especially because she seems to be a relatable person.

I enjoyed Jane Bertch’s autobiographical story of her 20 years living in Europe (mostly in France). Her telling of her expat experiences first in banking and then in starting a cooking school were very entertaining. She did a great job of sharing snippets of life in France and the challenges of the past few decades.

My experience as an expat living and working in France was slightly different (worked for a French company in rural France in the late 90s) but she captured French way of life perfectly. The French Ingredient brought back many happy memories. Looking forward to taking a class or two at La Cuisine Paris on my next visit.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This story was a delicious escape into French food and culture. Jane Bertch tells her story of moving to Paris, finding success in the finance industry, and then leaving it to start her own business - a French cooking school. La Cuisine becomes so much more, offering customers an authentic but welcoming French food experience and immersion into seasonal markets. Jane meets the challenges of entrepreneurship head-on, even with the added complication of French business practices. I was cheering for her the whole way through and can't wait for a trip of my own to La Cuisine. This memoir provides an insider's guide to Paris that croissant lovers could never resist.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. This is a memoir of an American woman who goes to work in France and stays there. Jane Bertch originally goes to France for work as a financial analyst. After some time in Paris, she decides to open La Cuisine, a cooking school. The book is a memory of her time there, her friendships, and her life. I was a bit confused by the time span ,she does not give a lot of chronological references- how long was she there before she changed careers, for example. She will occasionally give a historical context- the Iceland volcano eruption of 2010 for example, and much later, Covid. Otherwise life seems to flow on, and while she speaks of business struggles and time needed to set up a clientele for La Cuisine, it is hard to put things into a perspective. I also do not feel we needed her views on politics, but thats just my opinion.It was ok, but the overall tone was a bit smug and entitled. Maybe not my cup of tea.

Absolutely loved reading this memoir. I swear it took me right to France while I was reading. It read like a story more than a biography which is hard to do

An enjoyable read about the author’s experiences as an expat in France and the differences in culture. As an amateur baker, I think in my next life I’ll be living in Paris enjoying croissants and popping into and out of the boutiques for fromage, etc. really interesting to hear some of the social differences between the USA and France. Recommend for anyone who has interest in making a life in Paris and/or enjoys baking!

I was delighted to be approved for this ARC after hearing about it on social media. As a self-proclaimed Francophile, I'm often drawn to the memoirs of ex-pats in France because I envision myself doing something like that one day. I enjoyed revisiting (as well as discovering) Paris through Bertch's eyes. She takes readers from the birth of her cooking school La Cuisine, when it was just an idea, a dream, to its present day success. She lays bare all of the wild emotions and feelings she experienced of the process, describing the hiccups and challenges of having a business in a country she's not a native of. The lessons learned and strategies of starting and building a business and the experiences of acclimating to another culture and people are interesting, and even valuable to those entertaining the thought of moving abroad to do something similar. She shares accounts of celebrating Thanksgiving in France (the turkey fiascos made me chuckle), struggling with thoughts of guilt for being so far from her mother in Chicago, navigating social and work relationships and situations, and recognizing, yet celebrating, the differences between America and France. I really appreciated the 'French Astuce' bits at the end of each chapter -- these are nice insider tips on French etiquette and reveal much about the French culture and way of living and thinking. I feel that just maybe I could better navigate life in Paris myself (as an American) after reading Bertch's story. I hope to visit and take a class at La Cuisine someday!

Such a delightful read!

If you’ve ever dreamed of living in Europe, you’ll relate to the author’s decision to find a way to stay in France after falling in love with Paris. From Jane’s first job in Paris to riding the waves La Cuisine experiences, she paints a picture of a vibrant and interesting life in the City of Love.

I loved this book, especially Jane’s tenacity and determination to see her dream through. This is a memoir well worth reading.

This memoir is beautifully written and a true delight. I loved this author's story of her move to Paris for her work, and her later decision to leave banking and open a cooking school. Bertch conveys the cultural differences between her homes with real fairness and consideration. I think this is one of the best expat memoirs that I have read about Paris. It really does bring the often-baffling-to-outsiders French sensibility into a clearer picture. As an American living in Spain, I related to many of Bertch's reflections on developing a full life in a country not your own.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I’ve had this book on my to-be-read list for months so I was thrilled to receive an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for my review! This was a really enjoyable, read it in one weekend memoir that has me itching to book a trip to Paris. I loved the stories about the author’s experiences as a business owner and expat in France, and the foodie angle made it even more special and relatable. I found the little recaps/morals of the story at the end of each chapter to be a little disconnected from the storytelling they intended to summarize, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I found the latter chapters on the global pandemic particularly interesting, hearing about the experience of a small business weathering those challenging times and what that was like to live through in Europe compared to what we witnessed here in the States. I hope to make it to La Cuisine Paris myself someday!

If you are an American who has dreams of living in Paris this is for you.

The book is an autobiography by Jane Bertch who moved to Paris 20 years ago, quit a job in finance and opened a cooking school. The dream! It’s not without its hardships but Bertch does a nice job of balancing the good times and bad. She dives into cultural business nuances that, as someone who works for a multinational corporation and spent time working with my team in Paris, made me wish I had had this book then!

A fun quick read that will make you want to book a flight to Paris and a class at La Cuisine.

Posted to GoodReads on 1/26/24