What do you give a girl who has virtually everything in one of the greatest cities in the world? An AirFrance ticket to Paris and a list of the city’s finest indulgences. A career-changing writing gig for French luxury house Louis Vuitton wouldn’t hurt either. For over a year, that was Amy Thomas’s reality.
Modish, ambitious and hoping for love (in either the human or chocolate variety), Amy set up camp just off of rue Montorgueil and immediately began eating (and Vélibing) her way through the city’s candied marvels. I can’t recall if it was her ode to chocolate in the New York Times or the pastry smackdowns she hosted and documented on her blog, Sweet Freak, that first put Amy on my radar but she has been an incredible inspiration to me from the moment we finally met at one of my favorite local cafés. My only regret is that we started to get to know one another at the tail end of her stint in Paris.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to fill in the gaps with one very candid and delicious read. Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate), Amy’s recently released memoirs, takes us on her emotional journey from New York to Paris. Woven through each chapter of deeply personal tales – of making friends, navigating the grim dating scene, surviving bouts of self-doubt and defining happiness (both in and outside of the bakery) – are rapturous tasting excursions on both sides of the Atlantic. Not one to discriminate, Amy relishes the treats each city has to offer and provides an address book of all her most cherished shops and bakeries.
Each experience and sensation, from Jean-Paul Hévin’s truffles on her taste buds to the velvety Chocolat L’Africain that coats her teeth at Angelina, is articulated with uncanny precision. A level of expertise that could only be the result of having consumed a surfeit of Paris’s stellar sweets. More than just a crucial element to her adventures, each dessert came to represent a different point in time. She coasted through the highs with pralines, macarons and croissants and found solace in cupcakes, muffins and my own Lola’s Cookies during the lows.
“Beyond the bad dates, bogus work environment, and all my botched but earnest attempts at being a walking, talking Parisienne, by year’s end I just wanted to curl up in an air-mail box and go home to New York.” – Amy Thomas
Although my experience as an expat has been drastically different from Amy’s, she touches on a number of universal Paris truths, perhaps the most telling of which for me was that no matter how you think you’ve mastered her, Paris has a way of knocking you down. And just when you think your struggle has gotten the best of you and you’re ready to throw in the towel, the city shows her mercy and grants you the clarity you were missing. It might even come in the form of a Madeleine.
With an air of wistful reflection and infectious awe, Amy’s tale warms the hearts of die-hard Francophiles and even the most seasoned of expats. To be devoured guiltlessly.
It’s Valentine’s Day! Treat yourselves to a copy of Paris, My Sweet by ordering HERE. Follow Amy’s sweet adventures on God I Love Paris and Sweet Freak, Facebook and Twitter!
*My photo of Amy, as seen above, landed a spot in the book! You’ll see Amy’s gorgeous smile at the end on the ‘about the author’ page. Amy, thank you for letting me take your photo in Paris!
** Cookie photo: François Jorez for Lola’s Cookies©
