In late September, French food enthusiasts filled the rooms of OCabanon restaurant and boutique, in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, for Pop-Up Marché. Organizers and brand participants guided guests through a rainy afternoon of French culinary education and decadence. At the La French Baguette workshop, newly christened bakers could apply the content of a single packet of their award-winning, proprietary mix, add water and salt, do some shaping, and before the event was over, have their own crisp-then-soft baguette. Class was in session as divisions of newly minted bakers donned aprons, and were taught in mere minutes to make their master baguette creations.
This was just one station of French cuisine’s crosses presented at the event, a partnership between Edible Manhattan and Taste France, an initiative of France’s Ministry of Agriculture, celebrating the rich landscape of French food and beverages. And what a celebration it was.
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With hundreds of others, we tried not to be distracted by OCabanon’s uniquely Gallic offerings—jars of lentils, boxes of chocolates and macarons, ceramics containing herbes de Provence—as we made our way inside to get a taste from the many providers. The restaurant and specialty food shop’s name, OCabanon, reflects the second kitchen in an independent, cabin-like structure found in homes in the South of France. Part pantry, part workshop, these cabanons create a level of intimacy, all around delicious and traditional French food, which Armel Joly and Alexandre Mur recreate in this cozily luxurious New York City space.
Now, let’s talk wine! On offer were three vintages from Famille Perrin, a fifth generation family of winemakers from the Rhône Valley, home to some of the most celebrated appellations in all of the wine world: Châteauneuf-du Pape, Cairanne, Gigondas, Vinsobres, Vacqueyras, and Côtes du Rhône. We were inducted into the ways of their line of La Vieille Ferme Blanc (white), Rouge (red), Rosé, Sparkling Blanc, and Sparkling Rosé, each as distinct brimming with their terroir’s true character, and grounded in respect for the soil.
One could be forgiven for working up an appetite with all that sipping, so we moved further into friendly territory to sample, and sample some more. We received a warm greeting from Président, and their heavenly selection of dairy items. There was the butter. Famously rich, Président transforms the best cultured cream from Normandy into a high-fat content achievement dream. And then crumbled cheese from Valbreso, derived from the prized Lacaune sheep of the Mediterranean, whose sumptuous high notes found their way into an awaiting soup of butternut squash. Not to be outdone, the Roquefort—aged for a minimum of 90 days—stood proudly next door, giving the grapes with which it was served a reason to exist. And believe me, we gave it its due (about 20 to 30 minutes worth, at least).
Next: refreshment. This is where our friends from Maison Perrier came to the rescue. Offering those unforgettable, calorie-free bubbles, coming straight to you from the South of France, Maison Perrier let us wash prior tastings down with a host of new flavors, including juicy strawberry, rich blackberry, zesty lime and grapefruit, and lusciously fragrant peach. There may have been wine in the past, and in our near future, but nothing hits like pure, cold, bubbly water (for some, a shot of French vodka complimented their Maison Perrier drink). Add a fruit flavor experience, in ideally sized cans and bottles, and we continued on our feast for the senses without missing a beat.
The next stop was also partly fruit forward, specifically kiwis. In French food, terroir is like the soul, a religiosity observed closely by the fruit and veggie experts at Interfel. Their Nergi baby kiwi—a marriage of the Siberian kiwi and the traditional New Zealand variety you know and love—meticulously reared in France, was nestled beautifully next to fromage blanc, both surprising and delighting, without overwhelming. And it was happy to take a smaller, if not less essential role atop some luxuriously roasted chicken. Divine, we decided. Interfel-sourced shallots, presented in a decadent, and inventive shallot tarte tatin, felt like they had stories to tell; their aromas and salute to the earth from which they came was nothing less than fervent.
By now, it was bread time, but while we waited for our loaves to rise, there was one last mission for these palate paladins: Bornibus, and its accoutrements, like mustards (tarragon, Provence herbs), spreads (garlic, artichoke), and piquillo peppers. Sometimes it’s the little things: a touch of sweet on your charcuterie board; a piquant hit of dijon; the right pickle. Wine in hand, my friends and I enjoyed not decades, but what felt like hundreds of years of experience as we nibbled into these ideal additions to fine crackers. One could think of it as just a bit extra. Or one could see it as it was, as my friends and I did, like the fleeting culinary splendor of that delicious day itself: without it, what is even the point?
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