Welcome to France
Hey there, I take it you’re just joining me in this new adventure outside of the comfort of school. I had first started documenting my journey on my Instagram @sweet_lise_treats profile so if you haven’t already gone and had a look, feel free to do so now.
For a quick refresher: back in August of ‘22 my husband, dog, and cat all moved from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, over to the central-south farmland France for me to fulfill my life-long dream of attending pastry school. In September, I started a 6-month intensive program with 25 other international students to learn as much as I could about French pastry. Immediately following that program, I then attended a second 2-month intensive expert program with 7 other international students to really hone in my skills and learn even more advanced techniques. This entire experience was truly one-of-a-kind and something I will cherish forever. If there’s enough desire, I can even write up some deep-dives into what classes were like and what specific desserts were my favorites.
Alright, now that we got that out of the way - what do I mean by “Welcome to France”? Considering school is like a safe little bubble where you’re sheltered from so much, I’m now out in the world exploring what this new life holds. After my programs at school, I earned a combined 3-month internship at a place of my choosing. The first place I chose was in the NW region of France called Bretagne (Brittany), in a city called Rennes. My time there can be summed up in about three words: confusing, compact, and odd.
Confusing:
My motivation letter to all my applications included the need for us to converse in English as French is my second language, and I am definitely not fluent by any means. When I walked into the kitchen I was greeted with a barrage of French pleasantries which I took as normal and responded in kind. He then started to give me a standing tour of the kitchen and after a minute of me standing there I realized he was still speaking in French so I piped in with a question to clarify “Are we going to be speaking in English later in the day?” and he brazenly replied “Non, pardon, je ne parle pas anglais.” I took a big gulp and realized what I was in for - a big ol’ ocean of sink or swim.
Compact:
It was a cramped, skinny, shotgun of a kitchen with a table running down the middle. On one side we had an oven, stovetop, dishwasher, and sink - pots and pans, trays and boites (plastic storage boxes) were shoved into any places they could fit. Utensils like spatulas and whisks were conveniently located next to the sink. The other side of the table housed four freezers, one giant fridge, a microwave, a sheeter, and all the other miscellaneous tools and accessories one needs for a pastry shop. Underneath the table were smaller fridges for special orders, freshly made ganaches, and thinly rolled dough. At the end of the long table, was Chef’s desk; it housed his computer, the recipe booklets, and all the chocolate and praline pastes. It was cramped and on a typical work day we had 4-5 people in the kitchen, Chef included.
Odd:
Before and during my time at school I was learning French; I hired a private tutor while in Seattle, was using all the applications on my phone, and we even had French language courses at the school. Nothing prepared me for this kitchen experience. I would like to point out that I made it a point to focus on kitchen-related vocabulary and to learn phrases and requests that may be asked of me while working. However, nothing prepared me for the really unique flavor combinations this shop had: dill pesto with a passion fruit mango mousse; black garlic pastry cream; parsnip puree with semolina flour. Let’s just say, I wasn’t ready for the vocabulary being thrown at me on a daily basis.
Once I hit a month, I realized it was time to find a new spot that could fit my newfound criteria: has a least one person who speaks English, produces high-quality traditional pastry, and hopefully a little more room so I don’t bruise my butt again by running into the sheeter handle (yes, that happened weeks ago and my bruise is still present). I searched hard for my second stage, trying to make sure that they met my criteria and believe to have found it. Stay tuned for a deep dive on that.