Since moving to Wilmington, Pascal and I spend most of our time working in the kitchen and the office (respectively) at South ‘n France.  But, every now and then, we take some time to enjoy an afternoon on the town.  One of our favorite excursions was a ride on the Cape Fear River.  A couple of years ago, I surprised Pascal with a private charter cruise and a very French picnic to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  Our captain took us down the river to explore a section of the Cape Fear River we had never seen.  It was a wonderful, relaxing afternoon.

Now, everyone can enjoy a lazy afternoon on the Cape Fear River at a wonderful price.  Join us for a very sweet tour of the Cape Fear River. We have joined forces with Wilmington Water Tours for a two-hour afternoon cruise. Climb onboard at 2:30 pm and enjoy sampling eight bon bon flavors (our seven signature flavors and our seasonal Pumpkin Bon Bon) while sipping some tasty champagne and being entertained by us. This two-hour cruise is $25.00 per person. We will also offer our 8-piece bon bon box at a deeply discounted price for interested customers. Call Wilmington Water Tours at 910-338-3134 to make your reservation. The cruise will depart from the Downtown Riverwalk (212 S. Water St- Between Orange & Ann Streets).

We’ll look foward to sailing with you!

Easter has always been my favorite holiday for a multitude of reasons. One reason is that a lot more women wear fancy hats. You may have noticed that I like hats–the more over-the-top, the better!

At festivals and events, my Bon Bon Queen hat is always a conversation-starter.  People ask if they can buy my hat (my current asking pricing is $3.2 million); where I found my hat (no, they don’t sell ones like this in stores!); and if they can wear my hat. The short answer to that last question is “No”, but I always explain in more detail: “It isn’t possible to just wear a hat like this. You have to work the hat.”

And that’s why I love hats. They are mood changers, confidence builders, and day makers. Put on a fabulous hat, and girl, you can work it! Martha Sliter said:

“A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it’s the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it’s the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath…. A piece of magic is a hat.”

I’ve learned from experience that whenever I wear a hat, my day becomes special. I’ve also learned that people treat hat-wearers more regally.  The very wise Felecia McMillan said it best: “We just know inside that we’re queens. And these are the crowns we wear.” So what are you waiting for? This Spring, don an Easter bonnet with frills and flowers upon it, and let your inner queen shine through!”

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…

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!

If you’ve ever tried pimento cheese, red-eye gravy, country ham, Brunswick stew or Calabash seafood, you’ve probably spent some time in North Carolina. Not everyone in the country knows about our regional specialties, but most people are familiar with these famous foods which also hail from North Carolina…

Mount Olive Pickles: Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc., located at the Corner of Cucumber & Vine in Mount Olive, North Carolina, got its start in 1926, with only a 3,600 square foot building and $19,500 in capital, Mt. Olive has grown to be the best selling brand of pickles in the Southeast, and the second best-selling brand of pickles in the country.

Bojangles’ Biscuits: The Bojangles food chain got its start in Charlotte, NC. We Southerners consider their light, buttery made-from-scratch biscuit sandwiches a classic breakfast choice. The biscuits are filled with seasoned sausage, country ham, eggs and cheese and have inspired the copy-cat breakfasts of many other fast food chains.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts: I love the legendary story behind the creation of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. In fact, last year, I wrote an article about them for DineWilmingtonOnline.com, and that article was the most popular article of 2007! Check it out.

Texas Pete Hot Sauce: They fooled you with the name, didn’t they? That pistol-packin’ hot sauce isn’t from Texas; it’s from Winston-Salem, NC. Inventor Thad Garner acquired a hand-written barbeque recipe, added hot peppers, vinegar and salt and created Texas Pete. The story goes that Garner originally wanted to call the sauce "Mexican Joe", but Garner’s father insisted on all-American name.

Slim Jims: Although this brand is currently owned by ConAgra, it was created by a North Carolinian company called GoodMark Foods.  Slim Jims also happen to be one of Pascal’s favorite American snacks!

Pepsi: In the summer of 1898, a pharmacist and drugstore owner in New Bern, North Carolina began experimenting with a combination of spices, juices, and syrups in an effort to create a refreshing new drink for his customers. The pharmacist succeeded beyond all expectations; his new beverage was an instant success with the locals, and the rest is Pepsi-Cola history.

Hardee’s Hamburgers: Wilber Hardee opened his first namesake restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina in 1960. Five months later he had his first franchisee. Now, his burger chain has spread to become a favorite throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern United States.

Cheerwine: This cherry-flavored soda was invented in 1917 in Salisbury, NC. The company even used the advertising slogan: "It’s a Carolina Thing".

Of course, we hope that someday soon, South ‘n France Bon Bons will also make that list of famous foods that got their start here in the Carolinas!

This Saturday marked the first cold-weather day of the season here in Wilmington. It rained, and the temperature was chilly enough to warrant wearing a jacket. The weather proved to be the perfect backdrop for the errand Pascal and I had planned: buying Christmas presents for his family in France. If we don’t get our presents shipped to France by the first week of November, we won’t have time to send them at all; it’s just too hectic once the selling season for holiday bon bons begins. 

After a few hours of power shopping interspersed with mad dashes to and from the car in the rain, we were ready for a hot lunch. We decided to head over to Merritt’s Burger House on Carolina Beach Road. Merritt’s is an old drive-in establishment that’s been around since before I can remember. As the name suggests, they sell burgers, but they also offer fried chicken, barbeque, seafood platters, and other Southern specialties. As soon as we drove into our parking space, our waitress came out to the car to take our order. From the car, we could see the cook, a lady with a gray-haired Aqua Net-lacquered bee hive, cat eye glasses, and an apron tied around her waist. We chatted with our friendly waitress and asked a few questions about the menu, which consists of different "Specials", painted on wood plaques and tacked up to the side of the drive-in. We were interested in the fried chicken platter, but our waitress forewarned us that it takes about thirty minutes to prepare since the chicken is fried fresh when ordered. We decided we were too hungry to wait that long and opted for the barbeque platter instead. The barbeque is also homemade, but since it’s made in big batches, it would just need a little warming up. Sure enough, in less than five minutes, our waitress returned to hook our car hop tray onto our window.  It was piled high with two plates of barbeque, hush puppies, French fries, coleslaw and bottled soft drinks. The price? $5.50 per person. 

As we ate in the comfort of our cozy car, watching the rain pour down the windshield, Pascal marveled at the mysteries of our American culinary traditions. "What a crazy idea", he said, "a restaurant where people eat in their cars!" The words expressed a sense of obligatory French dismay, but his face (and the platter he licked clean) revealed his true delight.