If you crave a trip to France, consider yourself a Francophile, or want a delightful read for January, Jane Bertch’s book The French Ingredient is your book for the new year. I read her book over the summer and picked it up again over the holidays to savor it again; it’s that good.
When Jane Bertch was seventeen, her mother took her on a graduation trip to Paris. Thrilled to use her high school French, Jane found her halting attempts greeted with withering condescension by every waiter and shopkeeper she encountered. At the end of the trip, she vowed she would never return.
Yet a decade later, she found herself back in Paris, transferred there by the American bank for which she worked. She became fluent in the language and excelled in her new position. But she had a different dream: to start a cooking school for foreigners like her, who wanted to take a few classes in French cuisine in a friendly setting, then bring their new skills to their kitchens back home. Predictably, Jane faced the skeptical French—how dare an American banker start a cooking school in Paris?—as well as real-estate nightmares and a long struggle to find and attract clients.
Thanks to Jane’s perseverance, La Cuisine Paris opened in 2009. Now, the school is thriving, welcoming international visitors to come in and knead the dough, whisk bechamel, whip meringue, and learn the care, precision, patience, and beauty involved in French cooking.
The French Ingredient is the story of a young female entrepreneur building a life in a city and culture she grew to love. As she established her school, Jane learned how to charm, project confidence, and return it to rude waiters. Having finally made peace with the city she swore never to revisit, she now offers a love letter to France and a master class in Parisian cooking—and living.
We’ve updated our Book Club format for 2025. We now meet quarterly in my home, and in between in-person gatherings, we read our monthly books at our leisure. I also will bring you author interviews to enjoy on my YouTube channel (be sure to subscribe to my channel so you won’t miss newly added videos). To join our book club or learn more, visit here.
I look forward to meeting with Jane this month to discuss her book and share what her life is like living and working in France. Follow her on Instagram and visit her website to learn more about her Retreats in Paris!
Happy reading!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
