French pastry and Neha's graduation from Le Cordon Paris

“The fate of nations hangs upon their choice of food, wrote Jean Anthome Brillat Savarin, the great philosopher of gastronomy and nowhere is this statement more accurately reflected than in Paris.Paris breathes culinary excellence at every corner: its open-air markets, bistros, and boulangeries, the ideal location to learn about gastronomy, regional products and to absorb France’s culture. And I'm not wrong when I say that the best place to learn about all this and then some is at the Le Cordon Bleu, and  has seen thousands of the best chefs in cuisine and pastry all over the world, walk out of its doors.

Founded in 1895, with its motto ‘A commitment to excellence since 1895’ Le Cordon Bleu Paris attracts students from all over the world. The best students can obtain internships in Parisian establishments, an invaluable work experience which will reflect in future professional pursuits. All courses are taught in French and translated into English.Pâtisserie Supérieure student exams are judged by Chef Instructors as well as guest judges from the culinary industry, who grade each entry on presentation, organization, presentation, and taste. 

On this trip to Paris, we had the privilege of watching our daughter Neha graduate from this very world renowned Le Cordon Bleu, Paris with a Diplome de Patisserie on June 6, a glorious afternoon at a beautiful and touching ceremony held at the Westin Hotel. Watching her receive the medal, the blue ribbon and the chef’s hat was one of the most memorable moments of our lives. Since then, Neha has started an internship at a leading patisserie in Paris and is putting all the skills learnt at Le Cordon Bleu to very good use.

Neha graduates from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris

Here’s a very interesting little story about the origins of this blue ribbon.In 1578 King Henri the third of France established the Holy Spirit. The knights of this order were identified by wearing a cross on a blue ribbon.This elite group set very high standards in matters of the table and soon the notion of this blue ribbon became synonymous with skills of the highest caliber in culinary excellence.

While I have done an exclusive feature for the Oman based 'Woman' magazine for its August issue due out shortly and will share the link on 'Food For Thought' once the issue is released, this post is based on my meeting and interview with  two of the most senior chefs at the school-Chef Jean –Francois Deguignet, Chef Patissier and Chef Philippe Clergue, Chef de cuisine and got some very interesting insights from them. I'm sharing some excerpts with all of you here -

Chef Jean –Francois Deguignet, Chef Patissier and Chef Philippe Clergue, Chef de cuisine

To my query on what it was at  Le Cordon Bleu  that really sets them apart from all others Chef Deguignet told me, “It is the sharing of passion, focusing on technique, training, visualising and practice that sets us apart. These are short and very intensive courses and it is the hands on practical classes that teach a great deal to all students.”

Chef Phillipe Clergue added,“The basic level is extremely important as it is a really big job for the chefs and instructors to bring and put all the students at the same level. In any practical batch, there are only between 10-14 students and that is what makes it really unique. In the Superior cuisine one of the exercises is to create a recipe from a list of ingredients provided. In between, the students are encouraged to come to the chefs , discuss the details and then create  their recipe”.

Chef Deguignet- “In Superior Pastry it is different as its not about their creations, This is where they have to precisely follow what the recipe says. It is good to use the Internet and learn more and more that way. It is really great for visuals and everything can be experienced online, except for the taste. That is why we encourage students to go in for an internship where they have a chance to learn more as well as practice what they have learnt.”

I was keen to learn  that over all their years of experience of 20-30 years, how many and what kind of innovations had been introduced in the curriculum and techniques at LCB and was delighted with their responses.

Chef Philippe- “Molecular gastronomy is being introduced at a rapid pace. While the chefs at LCB are the ambassadors of classic techniques, they have to keep up with the changing trends over a period of time. e.g vacuum packing and molecular cuisine all come under that umbrella. We are all open-minded and this is particularly evident when the students reach the Superior level. What is really most important is to learn the classical techniques and once they master it, they can move on. It is just like in music, once students learn the DO- RE-MI, they can learn more as well as differently.”

Chef Deguignet“It is comparatively easy receive a Diploma but difficult to stay in the business. As part of my own personal growth and development I am a part of a group called the ‘Sugar Men’ who meet periodically and discuss the ever growing trends in the Pastry business.”

And finally to my query on how they compare French pastry to that from the USA, UK or other countries?

Chef Deguignet sealed it with a superb response- “There is a very famous old saying, ‘ Desserts are universal but pastry is French!”

Need I say any more?

PS This article was originally written for the 'Woman' magazine, Muscat

Why I love the Musee D' Orsay, Van Gogh and the fabulous Impressionist art in Paris

A couple of years ago on a lovely November morning, I walked into the Musee D' Orsay in Paris and it was one of the most memorable moments that I can recall .Right from the breathtaking overview to each and every corner of this fascinating museum, the day that I spent here is a cherished memory and one that I will try and share with you in this blog post. I deliberately use the word 'try' because it really is very difficult to do complete justice to such a monument in a short piece. Suffice it is to say that this is a place that I recommend very highly and if you see one thing in Paris after the Louvre, then it really has to be the Musee D'Orsay! 

Installed within a railway station, the Musée d'Orsay opened its gates on December 9th 1986, after it had been inaugurated by François Mitterand on December 1st. Within its walls there are six different collections (painting, photography, graphic art, architecture, sculpture and objet d'art), which

Originally a Parisian railway station, it is now a fabulous museum

mainly come from three different establishments: the Louvre Museum, the Musée du Jeu de Paume and the National Museum of Modern art.

One of the world's most-visited museums, the Musee d'Orsay houses the largest collection of painting, sculpture, and decorative objects produced between 1848-1914, showcasing many of the most remarkable works of the early modern era. Giving visitors a detailed and breathtaking look at the birth of modern painting, sculpture, design, and even photography, the Musee d'Orsay's permanent collection spans from neoclassicism and romanticism to impressionism, expressionism, and art nouveau design.Highlights include important works by Ingres, Delacroix, Monet, Degas, Manet, Gaugin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van Gogh.

An architectural masterpiece, one marvels at the look of the place 

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Taking the glass elevator to the first floor, I walked into the Impressionists art gallery. I was precisely looking for the inimitable Van Gogh's work and when I found them, learnt to my dismay that photography was not allowed in this part of the museum. Happily, that did not deter me and I managed to click a few very quick photographs 

( w/o a flash) and then taking a quick look around, found that many others in this gallery were actually doing the same! 

Talk of going away with the best memories captured forever. 

Like Rembrandt and Goya, Vincent van Gogh often used himself as a model; he produced over forty-three self-portraits, paintings or drawings in ten years. Like the old masters, he observed himself critically in a mirror. Painting oneself is not an innocuous act: it is a questioning which often leads to an identity crisis.

So he wrote to his sister: "I am looking for a deeper likeness than that obtained by a photographer." And later to his brother: "People say, and I am willing to believe it, that it is hard to know yourself. But it is not easy to paint yourself, either. The portraits painted by Rembrandt are more than a view of nature, they are more like a revelation". In this head-and-shoulders view, the artist is wearing a suit and not the pea jacket he usually worked in. Attention is focused on the face. His features are hard and emaciated, his green-rimmed eyes seem intransigent and anxious. The dominant colour, a mix of green and pale turquoise finds a counterpoint in its complementary colour, the fiery orange of the beard and hair. The model's immobility contrasts with the undulating hair and beard, echoed and amplified in the hallucinatory arabesques of the background.

Another spectacular work by Van Gogh

        Looking across from the Musee D Orsay 

They really do start young!

I finally left the museum just before closing time, delighted with all that I had seen and experienced that day. Walking out, I realized that this visit had merely whetted my appetite for more and it wasn't long before I returned here for a second and then...a third visit

Down Memory Lane in Paris as Locks Removed From the Pont des Arts Bridge

I believe that I'm a practical person with fairly stable emotions.But there are a few situations that have a tendency to create a certain amount of dissonance and yesterday's news that the city of Paris started removing padlocks from the Pont des Arts on Monday, effectively ending the tourist tradition of attaching "love locks" to the bridge, qualifies as one such.

  

  Pont des Arts Bridge on my visit, Nov 2012 

For years, visitors have been attaching locks with their personalised love messages to the bridge in symbolic acts of affection. In fact, some go on to seal the deal by throwing keys into the Seine River below.Of course, there's no way of actually evaluating what percentage of these love locks actually worked but for those who 'believe',  it definitely fulfills a fundamental need.

Up Close- I just had to get this shot

I visited Paris in Nov 2012 and June 2013  and on each of those visits, I had a great time walking through and exploring the cobbled streets and alleys that make up this vibrant and bustling city. Going through my photos,  I've been able to pull out these pics from the Nov 2012 visit and am positive that they will suffice for purposes of this blog post.

Loved being there and so glad I did.

According to the Paris City Council on its website, the phenomenon spread to other bridges, creating two major concerns for the city: "degradation of property heritage and a risk to the safety of visitors, Parisians and tourists." Graffiti, pickpockets and vendors selling cheap padlocks also became a problem, and sections of fencing on the Pont des Arts began to crumble under the locks' weight. At its peak, the bridge carried more than 700,000 locks with an estimated combined weight roughly the same as 20 elephants.

Reason enough to go for what is currently underway, look at the photograph below(clicked yesterday) and you will see what a huge transformation is ongoing. It is very possible that after the plexiglass has been put on the Pont des Arts Bridge and people have forgotten what it looked like, the Paris City Council will have reason enough to sit back and reflect on the massive and successful enterprise that they undertook.

Unrecognisable-On Monday, 1/6/15

Image -Courtesy Getty

As for me, all I can honestly say today, I'm so glad I was there and will always remember it the way I saw it then.