South ‘n France is proud to be featured in the January/February 2011 edition of Savor NC magazine. Savor NC is a new publication that is produced by a team of artists and writers, decorators and designers, foodies, oenophiles, and travelers on a mission to savor and share the good life.

We are one of a select trio in an article that profiles artisanal chocolatiers from across North Carolina.  South ‘n France applauds and supports anyone who works to deliver fine chocolate to North Carolinians and chocolate lovers across the country.  As for our counterparts, we haven’t yet had the pleasure of sampling French Broad Chocolates in Asheville, but we are very familiar with Escazu, based in Raleigh, NC.  We meet up every year at the Carolina Chocolate Festival, we are usually “neighbors”.

I’m often asked which chocolates I eat when I’m not enjoying our own South ‘n France Bon Bons.  My “go to” staple is the Escazu Beaufort Bar, a dark chocolate bar blended with sea salt.  I love the salty/sweet combination! 

Be sure to check out Savor NC online  and pick up an issue to read.  It is a great publication, with interesting articles on wine, food, travel and decor in North Carolina.  I’m already looking forward to the next issue…

I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago.  For those of you unfamiliar with my alma mater, it is an elite, private college of about 5,000 undergraduates that has a reputation of devotion to academic scholarship and intellectualism.  If you know me and you’re wondering how on earth I ever fit in at such a high brow institution, the simple answer is “I didn’t”.

 I once took a class in the symbolism of gestures and non-verbal communication.  While others focused on serious subjects like children with autism and adults with multiple personality disorder, I based my research on different types of beauty queen waves.

The University of Chicago claims the most Nobel Prizes awarded to faculty, former faculty, and alumni of any university. Affiliates of the University of Chicago have won Nobel Prizes in every field except Peace, with the highest number of laureates in physics (one of my worst subjects). Last I heard, there were seventy-nine Nobel Prize laureates (Saul Bellow and Milton Friedman to name a couple) with ties to the University of Chicago, thus its nickname: “Nobel Alley.”  Bon bons could do a lot for world peace—maybe I could help round out that record! 

All kidding aside, you can’t spend four years at the University of Chicago and not have a little bit of “geek” rub off on you.  I’m still a “student of life” and most people would say that I exhibit more than my fair share of nerdy tendencies.  For one, I like to read the New Yorker.  I think their cartoons are funny and I think being the subject of a New Yorker cartoon would be the ultimate compliment.  (It’s always been a secret desire of mine….)

Richard Adams of the United Kingdom Guardian said of their high brow cartoons: The New Yorker is famous for its cryptic cartoons, which seem to require at least two decades of residence in New York City plus a diploma in Woody Allen Studies before a reader can stroke his or her chin and think “Ah, I see why that’s funny.”

That’s exactly what makes them so appealing.  It’s like sporting a Hermes Birkin or Kelly bag–only a select percentage of the population would even recognize one and even fewer get the privilege of owning one.

Well, folks, it ain’t New York, but The University Chicago Press is close enough.  In fact, the university is home to the largest university press in the United States, with more than 130,000 alumni receiving its monthly magazine. 

I was nearly speechless (which is so unlike me!) when a representative of the magazine contacted me with an incredible opportunity.  The Balvenie, a single malt scotch whisky distillery, wanted to honor craftsmen who handcraft products just as they do.  South ‘n France had been identified as a great match….

I’m delighted to announce that in the current issue of the University of Chicago magazine, you will find a profile of our company, along with the most intellectual quote I’ve ever given about bon bons:

“We believe people can taste the difference between machine-made and handmade:  the palette can recognize real ingredients; the mouth can feel subtle variations in texture that come from chopping and mixing by hand; the spirit can sense the energy, passion and patience that we infuse into the process.”  To see the full profile, visit our press page.

But the best part of being singled out by The Balvenie?  Our product (and my name!) actually made it into their high brow New Yorker-esque cartoon.  I couldn’t be more flattered (or proud).  Even Nobel Peace Prize winners don’t get an honor like this:

Some people are born shoppers. That’s certainly the case for Chic Shopper Chick Erika, a blogging mom who shares her "cool finds" with others. After answering the question "Where did you get that?” all of the time, she decided to start a website so that she could share the wealth. Guess who she profiled not so long ago? You guessed it… us! Erika (aka Chic Shopper Chick) is a Southern girl who "loves a great-fitting pair of blue jeans and sweet tea, and hates what the Louisiana humidity does to her hair". She also happens to really like the French culture (her degree is in French). So naturally, she couldn’t resist South ‘n France Bon Bons. Read all the good stuff she had to say here and check out her 2008 Holiday Gift Guide, which is being released today. There will be lots of fun giveaways, including a chance to win a 20-piece tin of bon bons!

This week, foodies everywhere are reviewing our bon bons! Yesterday, we told you about a blogger who has eaten a different chocolate every day for years; she is now working her way through our seven signature bon bon flavors. 

South ‘n France Bon Bons are also currently featured in the Foodie Mama Gift Guide. FoodieMama.com is a site where foodie moms share food advice, tips, recipes, and gift ideas. You can find everything from recipes for homemade baby food to tips on getting finicky kids to eat their veggies. While browsing the site, I even found a link to fun (or disgusting, depending on your point of view) Halloween food ideas like Kitty Litter Cake and Boogers on a Stick!

Halloween craziness aside, our bon bons really are in good company, hanging out with other tasty and tasteful products like Global Goodie T-Shirts and Onesies. (I see an escargot onesie in my little nephew’s future!) How lucky for us that our reviewer lived in France and currently lives in the South, so she "got us" right away!  Her review starts with: They had me with three words: France, the South and chocolate. As they always say: "Mama knows best…"

Our pink house is featured in the current issue (May/June) of Wilmington Magazine. You can pick up a copy and check it out for yourselves at these locations. Or, visit our press page for a sneak peek. Seeing our home in print, as photographed by the talented Leslie Koehn, was both gratifying and motivating. One of my long-term desires has been to have a home that is featured in a national shelter publication like Country Home or Country Living magazine, so it was exciting to view this article as a harbinger of even bigger things to come. A definite high! My Mom was so proud she sent copies to dozens of our relatives and family friends.

But my vision of what this building can become is far from complete. I keep an extensive list of goals and desires, and many of them home-improvement based. Consequently, I viewed our house photos with a critical eye, making note of all of the projects we still have to complete. Realizing how far we are from achieving the true potential of this space has me hankering for a hardware-store shopping spree.

When I give tours of our home, I often tell visitors about my desire to have French doors in our bedroom that look out onto our "secret garden" space. I half-jokingly say: "The day you see us on the Food Network, you will know that I have French doors in my bedroom."  Here are just a few more of the home-improvement goals on my current desires list:

- Adding Crown moulding to our bedroom and to the small sitting room at the back of the house.

- Finding a way to mount the unusual headboard that I bought at an antique store more than a year ago. It’s a massive, heavy piece that will look perfect in our Master bedroom – once we find a solution to display it. This is such a challenge, three different professionals have refused to take on the project. I’m not giving up, though!

- Restoring the old dresser in our powder room and painting it a shiny, ebony black.

- Building a library wall in the sitting room.

- Finding and framing old photographs of the building, from its days as a luncheonette.
- Framing the sepia photo of my favorite Parisian boulangerie (I want to frame it with wood that looks like the charred planks used to bake bread in the wood-burning oven this particular boulangerie still used).

- Installing goldenrod-yellow gingham roman shades that will offset the plaid curtains in the sitting room.

- Creating an outdoor room at the back of our house, reminiscent of those found in old French farmhouses or villas.

- Repainting the ceilings in every room but one.

- Moving our fence to match our property line.

And there’s more – so much more – but I’d like to end this blog post now as I’m off on yet another trip to Lowe’s…

[Images: Leslie Koehn for Wilmington Magazine]

Place towel, bag, and cold beverages on a well-heated beach. Grease body generously with sunscreen; large black sunglasses optional, but recommended.
Assemble the following ingredients:

1 young, thoroughly modern heroine completely obsessed with the elegant screen legend Audrey Hepburn
2 evil co-workers blended with a pinch of Devil Wears Prada and a dash of Ugly Betty
1 fresh, saucy gay sidekick
1 hunk of a straight man with a large fortune, private jet, and good heart
Mix well. 
Next, add:
Several cups of witty dialogue
3-5 handpicked, exotic locations
A heaping teaspoon of sea and salt air
Top with old Hollywood glamour and lots of film references
Garnish with 2-3 twists of plot and a generous dollop of haute couture
Your delicious dish should look like this:

Enjoy!

You all know that I love a good read, and I read everything – from memoirs to fiction to business books to cookbooks to travelogues.  One of my favorite treats is digging in to a fun summer book that reads like a great romantic comedy. I tend to devour them in one or two helpings (kind of like buying a gorgeous chocolate cake and then eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner). This summer, I’ve already found a most scrumptious delight – Karen Quinn’s new novel, Holly Would Dream.

There were many surprises in this fun, fast-paced romp, but for me, the greatest surprise of all was finding South ‘n France Bon Bons mentioned in the book! That’s right – our bon bons are grouped right in there with New York’s high society, exclusive "in-crowd" restaurants, and fashionistas who dress better than the girls from Sex and the City. I mean, can you get over it? I can’t! Want to read a great description of Holly Would Dream and the bon bon excerpt?

Well, I was so excited by this honor, that I called up author Karen Quinn (who by the way, is as sweet, petite, kind, and funny as both Audrey and her character Holly) and begged her to come down to Wilmington for a reading and a book signing. Guess what? She agreed! So, save the date for July 10th. You’ll get to meet Karen, have a copy of her book signed, and perhaps even win your own bon bons at the Mayfaire Barnes & Noble at 7 p.m. Don’t forget to wear your favorite little black dress; Audrey-inspired outfits are sure to be rewarded…