The French Ingredient (Jane Bertch)

The inspiring and delicious memoir of an American woman who had the gall to open a cooking school in Paris—a true story of triumphing over French naysayers and falling in love with a city along the way.

"Jane Bertch, who is from Chicago, opened a cooking school in Paris. In her entertaining and often hilarious memoir, she writes about the challenges she faced dealing with Parisians whose favorite word was 'non.' " —The Wall Street Journal

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 she worked for. 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, then bring their new skills to their kitchens back home. Predictably, Jane faced skeptical French—how dare an American banker start a cooking school in Paris?—as well as real-estate nightmares, and a 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 dough, whisk béchamel, whip meringue, and learn the precision and beauty of 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. 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.

Story Locale:Paris, France