Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table: Savoring the Olde Ways: Book Two

Join Carole Bumpus as she continues the culinary journey of Book One in Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table, with her incomparable guide, Josiane, as they head north from Paris to Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Normandy, and Brittany, then drop into the Loire Valley before ending in the Auvergne.

Sample family favorites and regional delights such as Flemish Potjevlesh, Algerian-influenced chicken tagine, moules (mussels) in cider and cream, salt-encrusted Lamb Grevin, Far Br ton, and P t de Pomme de Terre. Enjoy the music and antics of local festivals like La Bande de Pecheur (Gang of Fisherman), Feast of St. John, and the Blessing of the Fleet. Discover the wonder of troglodyte caves, wineries, and truffle farms in the Loire Valley. Then travel to Josiane's family home, where you, too, can discover why food and family time are considered sacred in the Auvergne. And, all along the route, witness the impact WWI and WWII on the families profiled. Even seventy-five years later, the legacy of war remains--and yet, incredibly, the gift that each generation has handed down has been gratitude and a deep understanding of the importance of family.

A compilation of personal stories, memorable moments, family secrets, and mouth-watering recipes, this French culinary travelogue is sure to find a prized place on the bookshelf of readers who love France--its food, its people, and its history.

--Access to large writers club: The author is a long-standing board member of the California Writers Club, which has 2,100 members state-wide.

--Special interest travel and culinary books continue to sell: Sales of travel and cookbooks continue to rise as people seek a certain sense of nostalgia and adventure in a politically charged time. And from Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential to Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone, there is clearly an appetite for cooking and food memoirs.

--Author has established fan base: Through her two award-winning and best-selling books A Cup of Redemption, Recipes for Redemption: A Companion Cookbook to A Cup of Redemption.

--Strong reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Pink Pangea (travel outlet), Living France magazine: Book One in the series, Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table, has received strong trade reviews.

"Both a regional history and a cooking memoir, this is even more than the sum of its parts, and a celebration of living life every moment. Francophiles, history fans, and foodies will love this book." --Booklist ". . . engaging. . . . Bumpus's writing is perspicuous and economical. . . . The recipes, too, are enticing and detailed, and the book as a whole should appeal to Francophiles and ambitious cooks. A culinary adventure that's enhanced by familial and regional histories." --Kirkus Reviews "The book is peppered with descriptions of regional and family dishes . . . and is a wonderful ride through four regions of France, generating great excitement for its follow-up." --Foreword Reviews

--Cookbooks and cooking shows have skyrocketed in popularity: People who love cooking, people who cook at home in order to gather family together, and people who watch cooking shows will be compelled to read the stories and recipes offered here.

--France is the third most popular country for traveling Americans: Many travelers will splurge on food and drink experiences. According to The Local in April 2019, France had a record-year in tourism in 2018.

An intimate peek inside the homes and lives of the French, a collection of traditional French recipes (cuisine pauvre--"peasant foods"), and a compendium of culinary cultural traditions, sprinkled with historical anecdotes and spiced with humor and deliciously candid memories, this culinary travel memoir--the second of the Savoring the Olde Ways series--reveals French families at their best and at their own dinner tables.