French at Heart
A new book for Francophiles, and we’re giving away a copy!
When I logged today’s post into my publishing schedule, I wasn’t at all thinking about the fact that it was going to land just before Mother’s Day. This is my first year without a mom, so I was going to give the day a pass. But as it turns out, aside from being a sumptuous book about life in France, French at Heart is very much a mother/daughter story, and a very tender one too. Although I had heard about Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini’s little cooking school in Beaune, France, it wasn’t until I read the introduction to this big, beautiful book that I got the whole story.
Marge, who was a single mother to her only daughter Kendall in Phoenix, Arizona, had exposed her daughter to French culture and language at a young age, and she was smitten. Kendall traveled to France, studied there, then moved and worked there, in the wine business at first. When it became clear that she was never coming back to Phoenix, Marge started to hatch a plan to join her there.
In the years leading up to this major life change, while Kendall was exploring French life, Marge was running what sounds like the sweetest little restaurant in Phoenix called Ruby Beet. With only 20 seats, Marge cooked the food she wanted to cook, which of course was French country-style cooking.
She also held occasional cooking classes at her little restaurant and realized that’s the part she really loved, and so the die was cast. You’ll have to read the book to get the rest of the story, or listen to this episode of the Cherry Bombe podcast to hear the two women tell it in their own words.
I guess you could say this book is a little old-fashioned, but in a good way. I come from ’90s magazine culture, so my tastes in photography and cooking are a bit traditional (to that era, anyway). The photographs in this book instantly transport you to the authors’ beautiful world, and remind me of the kind of photography and storytelling we strove to achieve at Martha Stewart Living.
This book is as much about French living as it is about French cooking. As the kids would say, “It’s a vibe.”
The cooking classes they offer are an immersive experience, and sometimes the classes take place at Kendall’s gorgeous home instead of their beautiful school and culinary boutique, The Cook’s Atelier. I want to go! I haven’t yet visited Burgundy, but it’s on my list, even more so now. I was recently ogling the Instagram of a friend who was visiting the region, and it looked so charming.
“After seventeen years in business, we still pinch ourselves every day because the mother-daughter dream we fought so hard to bring to life is now our reality. It started as such a small spark so many years ago, on walks together in Phoenix, and today, it has far outstripped our expectations. The original magic of the Atelier remains the same. Even in a larger space, our classes have the same feel they had on rue Maufoux, with the same energy and intimacy. We still welcome just ten guests at a time, as it’s just the right size for a cooking class and the perfect size for a dinner party.”
Even if you don’t plan to make the trip to Beaune, I guarantee this book will transport you to this special world. Now who wants a copy? Just tell me in the comments why you want this book in your life for a chance to win, and I’ll pick a winner Monday morning (5/12). I’ll notify you by DM and email, so keep an eye on your inbox! You must be a paid subscriber and a U.S. resident age 18 or over to enter. See the bottom of this post for the giveaway fine print1 and click the button below to leave your comment.
On to the recipes. I love the concept of the “Salades Râpées” we are featuring today. When I first traveled to France solo back in the ’80s, it was one of the first things I timidly ordered (back when few people spoke English in Paris). I was immediately in love, and have been grating vegetables ever since. If you have my book, Veg Forward, you might have seen my slightly over the top version, the French Vegetable Salad with Pickled Shallot Vinaigrette. I make some version of this for lunch on a regular basis, often grating a few days’ worth of beets and carrots at once to save time. As soon as I saw this recipe (or group of recipes, actually) in French at Heart, I knew I wanted to share this riffable idea with you. It’s perfect for the season of produce that’s just kicking off.
“This book, French at Heart, takes a more intimate look at our life at home, showing how to create simple, joyous family meals around your own table, in whatever place you call home. These are the recipes that make us fall in love with France all over again every time we eat them: things like Salade Niçoise, Duck Confit, Rabbit with Mustard, and Tarte Tatin. They’re simple recipes that we often cook for our own family, typically after a long day of teaching, and they reflect our take on familiar French favorites, with an occasional nod to tastes we miss from the States (see Duck Confit Tostadas) and new flavors we’ve adopted here (see Tataki-Style Beef Tenderloin).”
Salades Râpées
Excerpted from the new book French at Heart: Recipes that Bring France Home by Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini with Jess Thomson. Photography © 2025 by Anson Smart. Published by Abrams.