This Bastille Day (7/14/11), South ‘n France held its biggest sale event of the year.  It’s become an annual tradition:  when the weather heats up, we party with the sizzling temperatures by dropping the price of our bon bons to just $1 for a one-day sale. 

When I say party, I’m not kidding.  Because although we spent most of the day filling up cellophane bags with our clients’ favorite bon bon flavors, we did take some time to have fun with our customers.  One sweet customer, Mama Fort, sent a message via Facebook to say that she’d be dropping by the sale after her very first ukulele lesson.  “Bring your ukulele!”, I told her, “I want to hear a song!” 

As promised, she arrived with her snazzy green ukulele in hand.  Mama Fort serenaded us with one of my favorite tunes, “You Are My Sunshine”.  With his always impeccable timing, local piano star Duke Ladd arrived to pick up his own stash of bon bons.  He graciously offered to jam with our ukulele player in a rousing rendition of “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”.  I couldn’t resist joining in on the act.  Duke tickled the ivories while I belted out a few numbers such as “Orange Colored Sky” and “Candy”.  Rather a propos, n’est-ce pas?  That was Duke’s idea.  I tell you that man is a genius!

And that wasn’t all.  We pressed longtime client C.B. Johnson into service packing his own bon bons; we created a unique referral contest for one special (and very silly) customer who sent nearly a dozen people to our sale;  and we posed for photos that were posted on social media sites.  Local radio personality Dutch Hawk (who loves to mock Pascal’s accent and his love of Pink Floyd) snapped our favorite South’ n France pic of the day (left).  He also shared his unique way of enjoying bon bons which I will reveal in an upcoming blog post.

All of this brings us to why we love our customers, Reason #241:  We love your joie de vivre!  You make every day a party!

I can’t help myself; bad puns are in my genes.
As a child, I was tortured every Halloween by my
mother’s candy-corny jokes. Here a few bat jokes you
can use in the coming weeks:

Q. What do skeletons give their girlfriends on
Halloween?

A. Bone-bones in a heart shaped box.

Q. Who was the most famous French skeleton?

A. Napoleon Bone-aparte!

Q. How do you repair a broken Jack-o-lantern?
A. Buy a pumpkin patch.

Q. Why couldn’t Dracula’s wife get to sleep?
A. Because of his coffin.

Q. What is a vampire’s favorite holiday?

A. Fangsgiving.

Q. What do you call someone who puts poison in
a person’s corn flakes?

A. A cereal killer.

Q. What’s the ratio of a pumpkin’s circumference
to its diameter?
A. Pumpkin Pi.

If you don’t get this last joke, then you must immediately read our report on How To Become a Math Genuis!

Here’s another math problem everyone can solve: what is 7 + 1? It equals 8, the exact number of Bon Bon flavors we will be offering through Thanksgiving! If you’re looking for the perfect way to spice up your Halloween weekend be sure to check out South ‘n France’s newest seasonal flavor, Pumpkin Bon Bons. Currently available for order on our website or by calling (910) 762-6882.

Photographing food is a fascinating art.  For years, food stylists have used all sorts of “tools” like glue, hairspray, Vaseline and corn syrup to make food look great for the camera.   The hot lights in a camera studio aren’t very food-friendly, so to achieve the illusion of the perfect cake, cookie or chicken cacciatori, stylists use a lot of tricks.  They under-cook food to help it keep its shape, use hair products to add luster to grains of rice, and apply powdered deodorant spray to grapes to produce a frosty bloom.

All of these techniques are still in use, but not at South ‘n France!  When we photograph our bon bons, we use the real deal.  We grab a few bon bons at random from our regular stock, unwrap them, cut them in half, and put them in front of the camera.  Are there little imperfections that show?  Yes, absolutely!  But since our product is handmade, those variations and slight imperfections are part of their charm.  What you see when you look at our photos, is exactly what you get.

I was thrilled to read an article in the Wall Street Journal reporting that some of the old-school methods for achieving ‘perfect food’ photography are falling out of favor.  Gone are the days when stylists used Vaseline to glue crumbs into the holes in a slice of cake to hold them in place.  These days, food photography is going ‘au naturel’ and those crumbs are encouraged to stay!

The change is attributed to the growing interest in artisanal local food, farmer’s markets, and casual dining.  Natural lighting is replacing studio lights, and even those foods that melt are allowed in front of the camera.  It used to be that shortening was always used in place of ice cream; now real ice cream is the way to go!  One food stylist tells how she took bites out of hundreds of Häagen Dazs ice cream bars to get the chocolate coating to crack in just the right way. She ended up cheating with a cookie cutter.

As our photographer, Millie Holloman, and her staff will attest, bon bon photography shoots mean lots of chocolate bon bons to eat.  Every bon bon we cut ends up on a platter, with a bon bon feast for everyone at the end of the shoot.  It’s just one more reason why shooting the real, unaltered product is the way to go!

In the past, we’ve shared several reasons why we love our customers: you send us great mail; you take “tres bon bon” photos; you place creative orders; and you bring us cool stuff!   Well, here’s another reason we haven’t mentioned yet:

#174: You Make Us Giggle (and Gurgle)! 

We are blessed to have a customer who has one of the sunniest dispositions we’ve ever encountered.  Her bright and cherry attitude is matched by a melodious speaking voice and a completely infectious giggle.  Every time she comes to South ‘n France, she elevates our mood!

We were completely thrilled when Jane came to our Easter Open House.  She was our Easter Bunny this year, surprising us with a most unique gift–a GurglePot!  It’s a water pitcher shaped like a fish that gurgles after you pour water, wine, or the beverage of your choice. 

Of course, there is a fabulous French connection.  The creator of the GurglePot, Matt Ellison, tells the story like this:

We tried the pot right away, and the gurgle (listen here) definitely made us giggle!  Later that week, we entertained guests and served iced water to them in the GurglePot.  True to its promise, it was the hit of the evening and a hot topic of conversation.  Everyone enjoyed pouring their own glass of water and then listening for the gurgle.

What we love most about the GurglePot is that the gurgle makes of think of Jane and her fabulous giggle.   Perhaps we should try to invent a GigglePot…..

Locally, look for the GurglePot at Bella Anne in Hampstead, (Phone:  910-270-6371) or A Proper Garden on Anne St. near Elijah’s in downtown Wilmington (Phone 910-763-7177).   At this writing, A Proper Garden has black, chocolate brown, oatmeal, merlot, and mustard colored GurglePots in stock.  And the storekeeper said she’s getting a big shipment of all 16 colors on or before Friday 4/23.

Here’s an easy quiz:  On Valentine’s Day, it is tradition to give:

a.) a greeting card

b.) flowers

c.) chocolates

d.) all of the above

This year South ‘n France has you covered with ”all of the above” and a unique memorable twist.  We have partnered with Bloomers Florist to offer an incredible “one-call-does-it-all” deal for just $150.00. 

Just give us a call (910) 762-6882 and request your preferred delivery date: February 12th, 13th, and 14th.  Dressed in her Bon Bon Queen regalia, Charlene will deliver the following to your sweetie:

• 1 Dozen Gorgeous Pink or Red Roses
• 1 8-piece South ‘n France Hand-Dipped Chocolate Bon Bon Sampler
• 1 Customized Singing Telegram (the twist!)
• 1 Personal Message on a Gift Card
• This package creates an amazing, memorable Valentine’s gift at a price that can’t be beat (it’s a $200+ value!)   Best of all, your sweetie receives a unique, personal, and unforgettable memory to cherish for years to come.

Not into all of that lovey-dovey stuff?  Ask Charlene to sing an anti-Valentine song for your best friend or your single co-workers at the office.  After all, no matter what one’s “status” (attached or otherwise), flowers, music, and bon bons are always appreciated!

Even though this past weekend was all about fathers, we’re still celebrating mothers here at South ‘n France!  After all, there wouldn’t be fathers without mothers, n’est-ce pas?  Last year, we inaugurated the Bon Bon Mom of the Year Contest. Fabulous Mom Debbie Bost was the first Mom to enter our Bon Bon Mom Hall of Fame.  As the first reigning Bon Bon Mom, Debbie enjoyed lots of swag, including a year’s supply of bon bons!  This Mother’s Day we decided to spread the wealth. We offered 8-Piece Bon Bon Samplers to 12 different deserving mothers – one great Mom for every month in the year! We’d like to introduce some of these outstanding mothers to you:

Without my mom, I could not be thriving as a single mom! We call her “Gran” and she lives 2 hours away in a little town called Newport, very close to Beaufort. She is willing to drive here and spend the night when I need help with childcare and she takes the kids anytime she can at her house - even as long as a week if I need a break! She works 20 hours a week at the local church and all hours are on a volunteer basis. She is truly an amazing person with a lot to give! – Lisa Puttbach

I come from a military family where we must have moved every 6 months to a year. When I was young I didn’t appreciate how well my mother made sure my older brother and I always had consistency in our “home” no matter where we lived. Sometimes we would still be living out of boxes, in a new town with very few friends yet, but Mom always made sure dinner time was family time. By keeping us all close and involved in community sports and activities she made sure we became connected in each new town. Because she was always supporting us and encouraging us in every new neighborhood and in each new school we felt safe because we always knew we had our “rock”. Looking back at those times, they could have been scary, but with Mom’s dedication to us they are memories of fun and adventure… she’s always been our biggest cheerleader! Thanks for letting me brag about my mom, she deserves it! – Heather Tompkins

My mom, Mazle Memory, will be celebrating her 81st birthday in August. My dad passed away when she was 36. She was left with 6 children ages, 16,14,12,11, 4 and 2, and a very small ($10,000) life insurance policy. She never remarried and raised us alone while working full time. We are all productive adults with children of our own now. Mom is a very special woman who is my hero. She was Mom and Dad to us and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame! – Vera M. Walker

My mom is always there for me and my three kids. When I was pregnant with my third child, instead of retiring in southern NJ like she had planned, she moved here to Wilmington to be closer to us. After being a stay-at-home mom for 5 years, I had the opportunity to go back to work part-time at UNC-W and there is no way this would have been possible without my mother’s help. She does so many things on a weekly basis to make my children feel special, everything from giving them M&M’s when she sees them, taking them on sleep-overs, taking them out to eat to their favorite restaurants and paying for special camps and lessons that help them grow and learn. Since I was a little girl my mother has supported and cared for me and now she is caring for and supporting not only me, but my three children as well.  Not sure what I would do without my mom. – Jennifer M. Grob

My mom is just AWESOME! I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as her, sacrifice as much as she did and still be as loving and unconditional as she is. Imagine working in a HOT kitchen and preparing meals for hundreds of people every day and only make $500.00 US dollars a month. She did that for me! All I have to say is that my mom is the most special person, most respectable person and the most loving person I have ever known in my life! – Ana Dawson (Photo of Ana Dawson with her Mom, Ana Maria Gomes)

(Photo of Laurie Wierse with her Mom and two children)

So we have established what a terrific wife and grandmother she is, but she is a superb mother too. I feel that we grew up in a “Beaver Cleaver” style. I loved my childhood. Mom made clothes for my sister and me, made hand-sewn Halloween costumes, homemade birthday cakes, endless crafts, homemade doll house, and on and on. She has always been there for my brother, sister and me. Whenever any of us are going through hard times she forgets about herself and focuses on our problems. She is a rock for everyone.  Please consider my mother for this special award as she really deserves some recognition for herself. – Laurie Wierse
 

Congratulations to all of our 2009 Bon Bon Moms; we’re honored to induct you into our Bon Bon Mom Hall of Fame!