So far, the highlight of our bon bon-selling season has been getting to know one of our younger customers a little bit better. Her name is Aimee (which is French for loved or beloved), a name that suits her well. I am completely smitten with this intelligent, charming, and sweet young lady. Read her interview below, and you’ll see why!

Aimee first tasted our bon bons at the Wilmington Chocolate Festival this past year. When it came to time to make her Christmas wish list, Aimee said that she wanted just two things: bon bons and a jump rope! Does that melt your heart, or what? Her Mom decided that she didn’t need to wait for the bon bons, and brought her to South ‘n France to buy some just before Thanksgiving.  Pascal and I had a few minutes to chat with Aimee about her interests (which include cooking and reading – I told you I love this girl!). At the time she was reading Charles Dickens. I asked if she had read Little Women yet. She hadn’t, so I highly recommended the book, which I read at her age. I’m thrilled to see that she has added it to her reading list. Here’s more from an online follow-up interview with Aimee Waldrep:

How old are you?
I am eleven years old, twelve in March.

What grade are you in?
I am in the 6th grade and being home-schooled.

What do you like about South ‘n France Bon Bons?
The chocolate is very rich and they melt in your mouth.

What is your favorite flavor?
So far, I have only tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, but the others look good.

How do you eat them?
I kind of nibble on them. I take about half of one and savor the flavor, then eat the other half. They last me about a month, sometimes two.

What did you put on your Christmas wish list this year?
I put bon bons and a jump rope on my Christmas list this year. I believe the simple things in life are most important.

I hear you are into cooking. What have you been cooking lately? What do you want to try next?
I cooked bread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving and lately I’ve been cooking cookies and candies for aquantinces (sic) for Christmas. I am not sure what I am going to do next.

What’s your favorite cooking show?
I really like the Barefoot Contessa. I also think Sandra Lee is kind of funny.

What are your favorite foods (other than bon bons)?
Besides bon bons, I like strawberries!!!!!

Do you have brothers and sisters? If so, do you share your bon bons with them? What about your friends? 
I am an only child but I share my bon bons with my mom. Once a friend from NJ came to visit and I gave her one, and when my grandma came I shared one with her. But mostly, I must say, I keep them to myself.

I hear that you like to read. What books are you reading right now? I remember you said something about Charles Dickens…
Yes, I was reading A Christmas Carol and went to see the movie. Now I am reading a book called Love Among the Walnuts by Jean Feris. I am planning to read Sherlock Homes, Little Women, and Anne of Green Gables.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A long time ago, I wanted to be a toll booth operator, then a scientist, then a vet, but now I think I want to be an author and illustrator of books.

What are your hobbies?
I like to draw, swim, read, write letters and stories, play with my 7 pets.

What’s your favorite subject in school?
Science. For sure.

If you won $1,000 dollars, how would you spend it?
I think I would give it to a charity to stop animal cruelty or something.

How does your family celebrate Christmas? What are your favorite traditions?
We always have put our decorations up right after Thanksgiving, but my favorite is hiding baby Jesus until Christmas morning. I kind of made that one up.

What would your perfect day be like?
Snuggling up with my animals and with a book.

What else should we know about you?
I have always wanted to live on a farm with cows, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, and other animals with a mailbox that WALDREP was painted on it. I have always wanted that. I also was born in Canada and lived in five places!

Thanks, Aimee.

I’ve been taking a stroll down memory lane this Christmas season, looking back on our past few years in the bon bon business. In a recent post, I mentioned our first catalog which was a parody of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. You’ll see that in Year Two we only had 6 flavors, or "bon bon elves" (our Cafe au Lait Bon Bon had not yet been invented) and we were really pushing our holiday tins that were topped with gorgeous silk flowers and holiday greenery. I made every single one of those tins by hand, going through hundreds of glue sticks and suffering many burns! Now, we sell too many tins of bon bons to handcraft our tins in addition to our handmade chocolates.

Otherwise, it looks like the more things change, the more they remain the same. Everything else in this poem would still be accurate today. Enjoy!

T’was right before the holidays at South ‘n France
Pascal was dipping chocolate as if in a trance
Charlene tied bows and ribbons with precision and care
Keeping true to their tag line: "Where Southern Flair meets Savoir Faire".

The bon bons were nestled all snug in their tins,
Ready to be opened by people with big happy grins.
Charlene dreamt of an island vacation far South on the map,
Pascal, the cranky Frenchman, just wanted a nap.

When on the roof of the pink house there arose such a clatter,
They both left the kitchen to see what was the matter!
Ms. South and Mr. France couldn’t get over themselves,
When they saw eight tiny reindeer and six bon bon elves.

The driver, in red velvet, gave them a wink,

Even in the North Pole, South ‘n France Bon Bons had achieved fame
Because that sweet Santa Claus called each of them by name!

"Cookie Dough! Coconut! Fudge Brownie, you little Vixen!
Peanut Buttah! Pistachio! Cookies with Crème all mixed in!
Each delicious flavor rolled by hand into a ball,

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