Trump Towers has nothing on us.  South ‘n France has ventured into the worlds of architecture and real estate.  Chocolate architecture, that is.  And coveted real estate at wedding dessert bars.  Recently, Jennifer of Salt Harbor Design asked us to create Bon Bon Towers for a creative and sophisticated bride with a unique vision for her special day.  To communicate what she was after, Jennifer sent over a mood board, a collection of inspirational photos that illustrate the look and tone the event should convey.

The mood board included a photo of a croquembouche, the traditional French wedding “cake”.  Not a cake at all, the croquembouche, (which comes from the French words croque-en-bouche, meaning ‘crunch in the mouth’) is a conically shaped tower of  cream puffs or profiteroles.  It can be decorated with spun sugar, caramel, or chocolates, flowers and ribbons.  You can also find croquembouches made of macaroons.  In addition to weddings, these show-stopping dessert towers can also be found at baptisms, and first communions.

 A croquembouche can also be referred to as a pièce montée (which means “assembled” or “mounted piece”.  What’s the difference?  Croquembouches are always inteded to be eaten.  Their counterparts, pièces montées, are often are merely decorative.  Although made of edible components (like marizpan, confectioner’s paste and spun sugar), a  pièce montée is meant to serve as a visual centerpiece, a type of food architecture. 

Here are our bon bons towers, which pay homage to the French croquembouche.  I wouldn’t classify them as pièces montées since they were definitely meant to be consumed.  In fact, photographer Millie Holloman assures us that not a single bon bon was left at the end of the night!  Look closely at this photo, and you will see that at least one bon bon has already been removed.

Want your own bon bon tower for an upcoming party?  It takes approximately 120-150 bon bons to create one tower.  Pricing starts at $275.  Call us for more details:  910-762-6882.

I’m all about practicing the Law of Attraction. One technique attraction gurus suggest is “acting as if…”.  For example, because I want a super-cool Bon Bon Salon retail space, I have to act as if I already have it.  This means scouting out locations and doing some mental decorating until my Bon Bon Salon actually materializes.

A good student of all things New Age, I decided to start “decorating” our future Bon Bon Salon with a little internet-based window shopping.  Before long, I stumbled upon this utterly fabulous chandelier by Jellio.

Jellio is a fabulous design group that incorporates childhood memorabilia into incredible interior design pieces.  Think Rubik’s Cube tables, cap gun mirrors, and of course, Gummy Bear chandeliers, lamps, and bookends.  I’m craving cupcake stools and an ice cream sandwich bench so badly, I can taste them.

As for the Gummi Bear chandelier, I’m not sure that my powers of attraction are advanced enough to add this item to my shopping list just yet.  You see, Jellio intends to make only 10 of these stunning custom chandeliers.  Each one is made of approximately 5,000 hand-strung acrylic gummi bears and  takes about two months to complete.  There is no price listed.  And you know the old adage:  “If you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it.”  At least not yet….

Got any ideas for the future Bon Bon Salon?  Any tips on how I can advance my powers of attraction?  I’m listening!

I love Victoria magazine, Jane Austen, Little Women, good manners, calling cards, petticoats and most things reminiscent of the 19th century.  Bon bons fit perfectly into this group of romantic, charming, idealistic things, and so I was not at all surprised (but quite delighted!) when I got a phone call last week from one of the authors of the blog The Corset Liberation Front.  Their tagline is:  Not Your Grandma’s 19th Century.

A reference to our bon bons and some delightfully romantic photos taken by Millie Holloman were included in the post, which was written as an old-fashioned advice column.  Here’s the dillemma of the young woman seeking advice:

Dear Aunt Fanny,

I find myself in the enviable, but perplexing position of receiving the attentions of two different gentlemen. For several months now, these gentlemen have been calling regularly every week—on different days, of course. This has been quite a pleasant arrangement, but unfortunately, both gentlemen have taken it into their heads to press their suits more vigorously and both have proposed marriage with the expectation of a speedy reply. My question, then, for you, dear Aunt Fanny, is however will I choose?

The first gentleman is a veritable titan of industry in our small town, who owns the local lumber mill. He has a fine house and is always dressed in the latest mode and most expensive fabrics. He also has a fine carriage and hosts entertainments that are very well received by all the best people. His cook is so fine, in fact, that almost everyone in town is willing to overlook his bursts of temper to sample his cook’s latest triumph.

The second gentleman has much smaller means and writes for our local newspaper. In appearance he is handsome, if somewhat more rumpled and less stylish than his rival for my affections. He has a house which could best be described as cozy and no carriage at all. He has never hosted a dinner party, but every week he brings me a box of carefully wrapped bon-bons and a love poem. Some of the poems quite make me blush and the bon-bons are so scrumptious they do not last the afternoon.

What would you do, Aunt Fanny? Which man would you give the key to your heart and the trust of your future?

To read Aunt Fanny’s reply, go to The Corset Liberation Front blog.  Do you agree with Aunt Fanny’s sage advice?  I sure do!

 

 

Hi Charlene,

I have a confession to make….

After bringing home that tin of South ‘n France Bon Bons, a special Valentine’s gift for my very deserving boyfriend, I couldn’t help but sit there and think: “I’ve got a whole tin of super delicious bon bon’s in my fridge, just waiting to be eaten!”

After wrestling with my conscience for over an hour, I decided to cut the shrink wrap, open a coconut bon bon (my favorite!) and pop it in my mouth. Like an addict, I felt like I was stealing something, but the flavor overrode any guilt I was feeling. Then I had to re-arrange the bon bons in the tin to make it look like there were only 15 originally (instead of 16) .

There….I feel much better now. I haven’t decided if I will tell my boyfriend of the coconut fatality or not.

Thank you!

Loyal Customer Turned Thief,

Anonymous