FOREVER 29-PART THREE

The final installment of my Joie de Vivre retrospective where I wrap things up after 29 years in business. Catch up on Part One and Part Two. Thanks for the memories!

10/2009 Kitchen Pantry

French classics in the garde-manger. 56 pages. Notable: rillettes and pâtés Hénaff, Amora mayonnaise, Bénédicta sauces, Lapalisse walnut and hazelnut oils, Carte Noire coffee, Lu Paille d’Or and Chamonix Orange, Margaux cherries in Armagnac; St Dalfour giant prunes and luscious figs; Batna, Carambar, and Hollywood gum; Rochers Suchard; Bistro de Paris red-and-black porcelain dishes; Mont St Michel eau de Cologne; Paris folding umbrella.

10/2010 Vintage

I found a spectacular collection of glass objects featuring vintage images of Paris. 56 pages. Notable: Rougié pâtés and foie gras from Québec; Eric Burr prepared lentils; L’Epicurien flower confits; Eiffel Tower salt and pepper shakers; Tintin et Milou mugs; Paris Map neckties.

10/2011 Un express, s’il vous plait

Pillivuyt Brasserie series paired with heart-shaped sugar cubes and Goulibeur shortbread featured on the Martha Stewart Show. 56 pages. Notable: Plantin’s truffle condiments; Eric Burr canned sauces; La Tisanière herbal teas; Ricoré; Abtey La Route des Liqueurs (a.k.a. The Booze Tour;) glass butter dish; five Opinel knives; Paris Puzzle Map; Clairefontaine notebooks.

10/2012 All about Lavender

Even the new French-sized reusable bags feature the star flower of Provence. 56 pages. Notable: Christian Potier sauces in a pouch; Castelas extra-virgin olive oil; La Trinitaine madeleines; Pierre cookies; French cookie cutters; Crème de caramel au beurre salé; CartExpo thermometers.

10/2013 Champagne

The French golden age of posters: Pommery Champagne on a tray along with mini pink cookies from Reims. 56 pages. Notable: mushroom-infused wines, an exclusive; Banyuls and champagne vinegar; culinary lavender; fleur de sel from Camargue; langues de chat; La Vosgienne; Bonté vintage tins of hard candies; Le Petit Prince toys and books; Bébé T-shirt and accessories.

10/2014 Brasserie Bleue

Breakfast time with large bowls and toast stamped with the Eiffel Tower. 56 pages. Notable: mackerels in white wine; Alziari olive oil; chocolate Gavottes; Sablés de l’Abbaye in commemorative D-Day tin; linen kitchen towels; Jean Vier cotton bread basket, with a cherry pit cushion to keep the bread warm; Bérard olive wood cutting board; Taylor and Ng French Creatures mugs; Laguiole steak knives, made in France, the real thing.

10-2015 Thieffry

A superb Thieffry linen tablecloth from Northern France serves as the backdrop for the new glass creamer and sugar pot. 56 pages. Notable: Rougié cassoulet; Groix et Nature seafood rillettes; Délices du Lubéron eggplant caviar, aioli, and rouille; St Michel palmiers; La Dunkerquoise waffles; Instants Parisiens chocolate Eiffel Towers; Métro oven mitts; France Map cutting board; Filt filet net bags; Caran d’Ache color pencils because it’s the adult coloring craze.

10-2016 Une Belle Salade

A Pillivuyt porcelain bowl, olive wood salad servers, and ingredients for a superlative vinaigrette. 56 pages. Notable: chicken, beef, and vegetable stock concentrates; sardine fillets; Peronneau regional honeys; St Michel grandes galettes with sea salt; palets Breton in the Citroën tin; François Doucet chocolate raisins with Cognac; Provençal tablecloths; cotton totes with vintage poster images; Savonnerie de Nyons soaps in vintage tins.

10/2017 Le Lapin Agile

The cover of the very last catalog. If you read my book, you know the story behind this reproduction of the famous “agile rabbit” of Montmartre… 56 pages. Notable: the trio of confits for cheese; Francis Miot artisan jams; Sablés in the Mont St-Michel tin; Les Liqueurs de France in dark chocolate bottles; Andrée Jardin bath accessories; Le Chatelard scented soy candles; Eiffel Tower stocking holder; real French bérets!

Vocabulary
Le garde-manger: the larder, pantry
La langue de chat: cat’s tongue (a cookie)

FOREVER 29-PART TWO

Read Forever 29-Part One for a recap of “the early years” of Joie de Vivre.

Continuing with my retrospective of Joie de Vivre, it becomes apparent that this second decade was transformative. The kitchen table operation became a “real” business. The catalog grew from 36 to 56 pages. The website was launched in 1999 and featured rich content like recipes and in-depth product stories. And, as evidenced in my yearly column, I found my voice. I even got on my soapbox once in a while, sharing my thoughts about globalization, the Euro becoming the common currency for (most of) Europe, or the importance of good food whether in school cafeterias or on the Space Station…

10/1999 At Home

Photo shoot at the house and Jeff uses our Italian armoire as a backdrop to highlight our Provençal pottery. 40 pages. Notable: Maison Pébeyre truffle products, Hénaff pâtés, Puget Olive oil, Malongo Grande Réserve coffee, Provence napkins and placemats, Pré de Provence gift soaps. I launch our website, frenchselections.com.

10/2000 Brasserie

Timeless Brasserie series by Pillivuyt is my inspiration this year. 48 pages. Notable: first catalog to offer Fabrique Délices fresh sausages and pâtés by mail. First-boil truffles by Pébeyre; Aromont sauces and stocks; Tarbais beans; Délice de l’Amandier, first gluten-free cake; Côte d’Or chocolate; pastilles Vichy, Anis de Flavigny, and Cachou Lajaunie; La Française hollowed candles; lavender linen water.

10/2001 La Rochère

Glassware by La Rochère, the oldest glassmaking factory in France (since 1475!) 52 pages. Notable: fish soup; Gold medal winner Château Virant extra-virgin olive oil, Guyaux chocolate truffles, Cémoi chocolate cerises, candied fruits.  Also, our famous raclette grill and Digouin vinegar maker. 

10/2002 L’Ardoise

Because today’s specials are still handwritten with white chalk. 52 pages. Notable: Jean de France rosette, the only saucisson that ever was legally (albeit briefly) imported from France; Connétable sardines; La Tisanière herbal teas; Francine crêpe mixes; silver dragées; Le Petit Prince dinnerware; Marius Fabre soap flakes.

10/2003 L’Epi de Provence

Beautiful soap and toiletry collection from southern France. 52 pages. Notable: Fabrique Délices pâtés en croûte; Giraudet pike quenelles in Nantua sauce (JDV was the only US retailer to offer this product;) Artzner goose confit and rillettes from Alsace; cod brandade from Nîmes; Eiffel Tower tabletop; Grand Hôtel flatware; Marius Fabre liquid soap.

10/2004 Le Pain et l’Huile d’Olive

Ready for a dip? The cover features Revol’s porcelain cruets and a bread basket set on the Bistro des Amis linen tablecloth. 52 pages. Notable: Delouis French mayonnaise; Butter galettes in a Quimper tin; Miaou mugs; first French music CDs; four French-inspired doormats, including Je Garde La Maison (dog); pétanque set (bring your own Pastis.)

10/2005 Le Cassoulet

Yes, it’s true: cassoulet is finally here again. 52 pages. Notable: Folies Fromages, great jams to pair with cheese (that’s when that whole trend started…) Not just cassoulet but also foie gras and pâtés from our Canadian cousins; truffle condiments from Les Truffières de Rabasse; Arnaud extra-virgin olive oil from Les Baux; L’Epicurien vegetable confits; chocolate coated orange and lemon zests; silver and gold-plated charms; French music CDs. 

10/2006 Paris Black-and-White

Coffee is served in the striking Paris mug, along with a dark chocolate square by Monbana. 52 pages. Notable: Pérard fish, crab, and lobster soups; Lubéron appetizer spreads; Blessac crème brûlée mix; caramels Dupont d’Isigny; France wooden cheese platter with Laguiole knife; bowls for chat and chien.

10/2007 Absinthe

La Fée Verte is legal again and very trendy; our French absinthe fountain and accessories take us back 150 years. 56 pages. Notable: Fabrique Délices saucisson sec; Connétable vintage sardines and tuna in oil; Espélette pepper; Biofournil par-baked bread; St Dalfour Gourmet-on-the-go salads; Mirabelle jam! Paris Souvenir tidbit dishes; three exclusive T-shirts, including Joie de Vivre and La Deuche.

10/2008 Relax

The Ellesca collection brings aromatherapy into our homes. 56 pages. Notable: Fabrique Délices rosette de Lyon; Blessac dehydrated sauces; Nectar de Bourgogne fruit coulis; boudoirs; fruit cake from Pont-Aven (still mourning this one;) poterie Renault; three more exclusive T-shirt designs, including Merde Happens.

Follow me to Part Three.

Vocabulary

L’ardoise (f): chalkboard
La dragée: the French version of the Jordan almond (thin sugar coating)
Le pâté en croûte: a pâté encased in pastry
La quenelle: a dumpling
Le chat: cat
Le chien: dog
La Fée Verte: the Green Fairy

FOREVER 29-PART ONE

I hope this will not come out as self-indulgence. I spent almost thirty years developing the Joie de Vivre catalog and I loved it. After I announced my retirement, so many customers told me they would be hanging on to their catalogs as souvenirs that I thought it might be fun to go down memory lane. A few (very few) of you will remember what my first catalog looked like. For everybody else, here is the complete JDV retrospective, broken down in three decades.  

10/1989 Premier Numéro

The very first catalog. Photography by Jeff Broome who will shoot the catalog until his death in 2006. 12 pages, duotone. Printed at Valley Color Graphics until they shut down twenty years later. Notable: Fallot mustards, A l’Olivier olive oil, Guinettes cherries, and Valrhona chocolate, all fantastic products that I offered in every single catalog until the last one. I also feature Delpeyrat canned goose foie gras and goose confit! Some people laughed at me when I declared I would be selling foie gras to private individuals…

04/1990 L’Artiste

The first (and last) spring/summer catalog that I published: a money pit. But the cover is still one of the very favorite pictures I took: that painter was sitting on the Pont des Arts in Paris and the Samaritaine department store (top right) was still open. I saw him at that location for a few years; then he was gone; then he was showing his works right outside the St-Germain-des-Prés church in October 2008. Notable: Suavor, a French specialty coffee when Americans were still drinking jus de chaussettes; L’Occitane soaps, waaaay before they decided to open their own retail outlets.

10/1990 Doisneau

I start working with Graphique de France (posters, cards, calendars) and use one of their images for the cover. 16 pages, duotone. Notable: Clément Faugier marrons glacés and crème de marron, La Perruche sugar cubes, dried green lentils and flageolets beans, herbs of Provence, cornichons, olives niçoises, and Apilco porcelain dishes.

10/1991 The Black One

First and only black cover. 20 pages, 4-color and duotone. In retrospect, a bit over dramatic but it seemed to be a good way to showcase André Renoux’s striking placemats and coasters. Notables: butter galettes and palets from Brittany, Delpeyrat pâtés, dried mushrooms, the famous St Dalfour trio, canned salsifis and flageolets, Emile Henry cookware –before it was on anybody’s radar– and my first curated book selection on France, including Patricia Wells’ Bistro Cooking. Oh, and Le Marché French vegetable seeds imported by Georgeanne Brennan.

10/1992 Belle Epoque

Renoux’s paintings serve as inspiration again. 20 pages, 4-color throughout. Notable: I introduce calissons, nougat, and dragées; Monin syrups, the first syrups to be introduced to the US, a couple of years ahead of the “Italian” ones. Provençal scent diffuser and lavender oil. And the Quo Vadis agendas in French!

10/1993 Cafés

Sensing the Americans’ developing interest in good coffee, I introduced Etienne Knopes collection box: excellent Belgian company. 24 pages. Notable: Bizac cassoulet, foie gras, confit, and pâtés. Escargots and lobster bisque. Savora mustard and grated celery root. First tilleul and verveine herbal teas. Sablés de l’Abbaye, Les Gavottes, stuffed prunes from Château de Born. Enamel signs and first foray into T-shirts. 

10/1994 Les Boîtes

Fabulous tins featuring vintage French posters. 28 pages. Notable: our first Saucisson Sec de Montagne and coarse salt from Guérande (nobody had even given a thought to salt before.) Capitaine Cook’s mackerels in white wine! Savora mustard! Dea harissa! Doucet pâtes de fruits, vacuum-packed chestnuts, madeleine, and charlotte pans. Le Petit Marseillais soaps. Christmas cards in French.

10/1995 Le Canard

I persuaded my friend Claude, CEO of Grimaud Farms, that I could sell fresh Muscovy duck and raw Sonoma Foie Gras to my customers. Six months later, he starts raising pintades and I sell half of his first batch. 32 pages. Notable: in addition to fresh meats, I offer our first selection of French cheeses. I’m also the first US retailer of Gabriel Perroneau’s honeys and pain d’épice. Arnaud specialty olives. Roger & Gallet eau de Cologne (still miss that one.) And I feature Linda Dannenberg’s French Country Diary for the first time! The rest is history…

10/1996 Les Fromages

Expanding on the French cheese offering and Président butter, a long time before it became (relatively) ubiquitous. 32 pages. Notable: marrons glacés from Confiserie du Périgord, madeleines, chicorée Leroux, and crème Mont Blanc. Our first exclusive T-shirts designed by my friend Nancy Liston.

10/1997 Scents of Provence

Cover is inspired by incense holders handmade in Provence. 36 pages. Obviously, some opacity issues with the paper… Notable: Amora mustard, canned coquilles St-Jacques (trust me, they were very tasty,) Mariage Frères teas, Révillon papillotes, praslines Mazet, chocolat Cluizel, and La Mère Poulard cookies. 

10/1998 Bonjour

Great porcelain mugs screened with scenes from Paris. 36 pages. Notable: Grimaud markets confit of duck legs based on my recipe. After Rougié buys Bizac, I switch to their brand for our French duck, goose, and foie gras products. Traou Mad is now my preferred choice for Brittany cookies. First fleur de sel from Guérande, biscottes, Fossier pink cookies, and palmiers. Conserverie de Haute-Provence jams, including gelée de coing and gelée de groseille.

Follow me to Part Two.

Vocabulary
Le premier numéro: first issue
Le jus de chaussette: (lit.) sock juice; weak coffee
La boîte: box, tin
Le canard: duck
La pintade: Guinea hen
Le pain d’épice: French ginger bread loaf
La gelée: jelly
Le coing: quince
La groseille: red currant
La biscotte: similar to Melba toast, often served for breakfast