If you are an American who has dreams of living in Paris this is for you.

The book is an autobiography by Jane Bertch who moved to Paris 20 years ago, quit a job in finance and opened a cooking school. The dream! It’s not without its hardships but Bertch does a nice job of balancing the good times and bad. She dives into cultural business nuances that, as someone who works for a multinational corporation and spent time working with my team in Paris, made me wish I had had this book then!

A fun quick read that will make you want to book a flight to Paris and a class at La Cuisine.

Posted to GoodReads on 1/26/24

I got to take a trip myself with this book! I loved the way she told her personal story, her business story, her France story, her Paris story, and Parisians story all woven into "I'm coming along for a ride!" read. The weaving of being a mid-Western American and also living in Paris (wanting to embrace it but also wanting to be herself and cater to clients) captivated me. It was a pleasure that it wasn't a "tell all" but a "tell enough" with a clearly painted world with characters and lives all their own.

In her memoir The French Ingredient, Jane Bertch chronicles her move from Chicago to Paris, culminating in opening a cooking school catering to tourists. While the Chicago-born francophile imagines an idyllic life in Paris, she struggles adjusting to more reserved French social norms after living in London. Much humor is derived from clashing cultural attitudes, whether French incredulity at desire for a well-done steak or her bewilderment at their financially prudent habit of paying credit cards in full each month.

The book comes alive most vividly when profiling French dining etiquette or pivotal events like the 2015 terror attacks on the Bataclan concert hall. Ms. Bertch movingly conveys the resilient Parisian spirit in the aftermath. She writes, “Through sheer force of will, they would live their lives.”

The English-language cooking school, La Cuisine Paris, succeeds by switching focus from international cuisine to initiating visitors into classic French fare like croissants. Yet rising popularity causes tensions with neighbors disturbed by noise. Trying to decode American politics for French friends after the pivot from Obama to Trump only underscores cultural divides.

While breaking little new ground, The French Ingredient succeeds in its small moments, using vignettes to examine cross-cultural adaptation and the expat experience. Ms. Bertch may not forged enduring connections in Paris, but she has absorbed its enduing lessons.

I really loved this author's lively description of moving to France and finding her way into and out of a corporate job and then creating a cooking school primarily for Americans. She made me want to move to France. I loved the little French "lessons". I would have loved to her more of her romantic entanglements and a receipt or two.

This was a lovely and well written memoir. I’m not sure if I’m scared to visit Paris at this point, or excited to do so! It was so interesting to learn all the social cues and tips to being a visitor in Paris. Jane has had quite the journey in building this business, and she has handled such setbacks along the way- terrorism, a pandemic, moving the entire operation from building to building..she seems to have handled it all with such grace. I am not a “foodie” by any means, but I really loved reading about the importance of food and wine in the lives of Parisians.

Thank you to Jane Bertch, Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance copy.

The French Ingredient is an easy read, but I often wondered why this story was told. I just didn't find a whole book necessary, and it wasn't much a biography when the author leaves out information on her new partner.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Chicago born Jane Bertch was working for an American bank in London, and was relocated for her work to Paris. But during her work there, she slowly started to realise that she didn't love her work anymore, and she got the idea to open a location where people could take French cooking lessons. With her new French boyfriend Olivier, she dives in this new business opportunity ; Looking for the right location , hiring French cooks and finding the right target audience for the classes.
And the La Cuisine Paris cooking studio is officially open. While first being aimed at a French audience, which doesn't really take off, she decides to shift the audience to tourists and expats, which works better for the cooking studio. The bookings go well, but there are some unforeseen circumstances coming along that cause a dramatic drop in Paris tourism and in the bookings; the iceland ash cloud and the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris on November 15 2015. Luckily, the cooking studio crawls out if the tourist dip and still exists today. In highly entertaining book, Jane also describes the written and mostly unwritten French etiquette rules she had to get accustomed to as an American; so is looking into a pot to see what someone is cooking in a French home kitchen seen as invasive, as the kitchen is considered a private area, why it is next to impossible to become friends with French coworkers, why you should never arrive on time when invited for a dinner or bring wine with you as a guest to a dinner, and why every French chef sees their way of cooking and the only right way, to name a few etiquette examples. After being located in the courtyard of a typical Parisian Apartment Building, La Cuisine Paris is now located at a beautiful place along one of the Quai's of the Seine.
The French Ingrediënt is a very entertaining and fun memoir, that leaves you craving Paris food and to take a cooking class at La Cuisine Paris. Jane Bertch is truly a magnificent author. I have only been in Paris gor one day, but this book makes you travel to Paris again , as you just can feel the Paris atmosphere and the love the author has for Paris and cooking in the book. I loved that this book describes so many topics about living in Paris and where you stumble upon as an American
This is one of the very best books that are out this year and I truly recommend it!
( but make sure you have a macaron or croissant while reading, because this book makes you crave them !)

I enjoy memoirs of all kinds and have been a fan of ex-pat memoirs probably since Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence". I found Jane Bertch's account of navigating the French culture, despite an initial cool reception, to be very interesting and inspiring. I cannot imagine having the moxie to open a cooking school in a foreign country and I'm impressed by how she weathered all the ups and downs.
I thought it was a nice touch that at the end of each chapter she wrote a short "French Astuce"; basically how things are done in certain social and business situations in France and why.

Thank you to Netgalley for offering me an ARC edition of this most enjoyable memoir.

I fell in love with this book from beginning to end. I felt like I was right there walking the streets of Paris and living this life. The tips at the end of each chapter, helped to describe the French way of life. Paris was not on my bucket list but after reading this it surely is. You really feel a part of the city and you are certainly rooting for her. I do not have enough words to describe accurately how uplifting this book actually was for me. Wonderful, just wonderful.

Un souvenir inoubliable!

When I downloaded this title, I obviously didn't read the description..... So when I started reading the ARC tonight, I was absolutely tickled to discover the author was writing about her experience as the founder and owner of the cooking school, La Cuisine Paris.

In 2010, my husband and I rented a darling apartment in the Marais and we took two cooking classes at the recently opened Hotel de Ville location. We enrolled in the macaron class and in the "American Thanksgiving in Paris" class, fittingly, held on Thanksgiving Eve. My husband and I still often reminisce about both classes and what fun we had.

After the macaron class (which I'm 99% sure was taught by "Brian"), I excitingly rushed off to E. Dehillerin to buy two silpat mats...but needless to say, once home, my macaron baking skills were never quite what they were under the meticulously precise direction of our chef.

The Thanksgiving class was also equally as brilliant. I just actually found the original instruction sheet carefully folded in my wooden keepsake recipe box. The menu for the evening included Coquelet Rôti aux herbes, gratin dauphinois, poires pochées au vin...and 5 other authentically French recipes. We were ten strangers from around the globe, who worked tirelessly to complete a Herculean culinary tasks under scrutinizing eyes, but after the work was complete, we sipped wine, savored our creations and shared stories around a candlelit communal table. The ultimate traveler's treasure trove.

Jane, you are every dreamer's inspiration. Congratulations on your continued success with La Cuisine Paris and now with telling the incredible story of its creation! I'm thrilled I got to relive some of my personal travel memories from nearly 15 years ago through the pages of your book.

And for anyone who hasn't visited La Cuisine Paris, what are you waiting for?

Excited to get this one on our shelves & coffee tables! Grateful for the advanced copy. Can’t wait to get the physical ones in! Just what my customers love to consume!

Bravo! If you adore the French people, Paris and French culture - especially the food and the country's unique personality, all from the viewpoint of an American learning to fit in, this is the book for you. Who knew it would be so hard and yet rewarding? This is Jane Bertch's memoir focused primarily on making the switch from American banking to her self-owned French cooking school in Paris while making friends and meeting neighbors. The reader gets to enjoy and experience her journey to creating and building a successful business and life in a culture that on its face, doesn't seem so distinct, but in actuality, works quite differently. This could have been a mundane retelling of Bertch's life in Paris; however, Bertch is a talented writer and observer. She learned so much about the French culture and people through her experiences that she provides extra value and understanding about how Parisian life really is. Much of her story is a "how-to" for fitting in, and she ends each chapter with a French "astuce" (tip) to how things are done. As someone who has spent some time in France, I appreciate Bertch's perspective and understanding, and I hope others do too. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC.

I loved this book.; I had never really read a food memoir before, but it might now be one of my favorite sub-genres. I loved following along with the author in her adventures in Paris. I loved the exploration of culture, friendship, and choosing yourself. This book did make me very hungry while reading it though.

Oh my gosh, I love a food-related memoir. The French Ingredient was fantastic. The author shares her adventures as an American navigating life as a banker in Paris, then giving it all up to start a cooking school for non-professionals to learn about French cuisine. This book is about culture, friendship, love, entrepreneurship and carving your own unexpected path in the world. One of my favorite books of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Immersive, escapist, and utterly delightful. A recommended purchase for collections where foodie memoirs are popular.

I loved every part of this story. From the moment Jane arrived in Paris, I loved her journey learning what the French are all about and her journey to becoming a international cooking school for travelers. I loved all her new friends and how she wasn't defeated by pandemics, bombers, fellow residences and the fire that burned most of Notre Dame. I also liked her quirky chefs and her genuine love of French food and their way of doing what is right over money. What I love most about this story is I can make believe I'm walking the street with Jane and experiencing Paris first hand. I was suppose to go on a Viking river cruise in France in 2020 and we all know what that year brought and because of some other events in my life I haven't been able to go yet and so these stories make me look forward to some day going and enjoying the sites and people of France.

I want to thank to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this advance copy of this terrific book that allows me to explore the people of France.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the opportunity to read The French Ingredient by Jane Bertch. VERY enjoyable! I cheered for Jane during the ups and the downs now she's one of my heroes.

An enjoyable read of an American woman who went to France to work in banking. While there, she discovered banking was not her passion, and, despite having no training, opened a cooking school in Paris. What a brave person!
Ride along with the author as she describes the joys of France, as well as the difficulties. It's no stretch to say that Americans are wired completely different than the French! Experience her mistakes and issues, and revel in the fact that she never once gave up, no matter how hard it got.
This is a fun read. Similar to a more grown-up version of "Emily in Paris". I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I LOVED this book!

The cover and the idea of cooking was what drew me in. But, Jane's struggles as an entrepreneur were what I really connected with. The up's and the down's were easy to connect with as a small business owner.

If you like reading about food, friendship and faith that all will work itself out in the end, this is the book for you! I highly recommend reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege to read an arc of this book.

All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The French Ingredient.

I visited Paris for the first time last year and I'll never forget the sights but most of all, I'll never forget the food!

The French Ingredient is a heartfelt memoir about a woman with no culinary skills or background who, after a career in banking, decides to open a cooking school in Paris. Quelle horror!

Jane is brave and independent and makes many attempts to make friends, establish a life in Paris, and figure out what it means to be Parisian.

She learns more about her newly adopted country she discovers her passion, her love of all things French, meets and makes wonderful friends and colleagues, establishing connections with locals and the community, and finding her true self.

I love memoirs where the author is a stranger in a strange place, though the author visited Paris as a college graduate, she still had to learn 'what it means to be French.'

Learning and adapting to social, professional, and personal norms in her new country; how to be political, how to make friends (nowhere near as easy as it is in the US), how to survive (personally and professionally) during a terrorist attack and an unforeseen health epidemic, all these learning experiences shaped the author, made her stronger, resilient, and gave her a new perspective on the French people, society, and culture.

It's clear the author loves her new home, the people, culture, and food, but she also knows there's nothing wrong being an American.