little time off

I repeat, Vaugirard is harsh! I'm so tired after my days, I think I'm just giving much more energy into it. It's good, but I'm also stressed by my chef Sébastien, who is my age I might add. He's a maniac, I really don,t get how he got this good at his age. Anyway, he's a little cocky, but professional, and I'm learning a lot from him, so that's the whole point. Anwyay,
So after working 5 days a week, roughly 9-10 hours a day since september, I finally get a week off! So I'm heading for Budapest for 3 nights in a nice hotel(my mom decided to treat ourselves!) and then back here and off to Geneva the next day with the roomate for 4 days of skiing. We're staying at her boyfriends place at the french border, and renting a car to explore different stations everyday. Should be good.

Vaugirard

Today was my first official day at Vaugirard. Vaugirard, compared to Bonaparte is where they do everything, they make the montage of the cakes, macarons, pâtes de fruits, EVERYTHING. At Bonaparte, I was making the tarts, but a lot of the components were comming from Vaugirard. Anyway, I think I'm going to learn much more, and well it's going to be more interesting and challenging then making tarts for another 2 and a half months. It's big production, it's crazy the amount of stuff we get done as a team. It's hard physically, but I guess I'll get used to this new beat, again. argh, my legs could fall off and it would actually feel good. But it's weired, it's not that much more hours of work, I just think it's more stress and a quicker beat. I'm dead beat.

oh, yeah, little detail, M. Hermé actually said:Bonjour STEPHANIE, for the first time today! hihi

Pastry tour 16th

The 16th arrondissement is one of the posh residential areas in Paris... There's nobody in the streets, except for old ladies walking their funny looking little dogs, not picking up their pooh... so be carefull where you walk! Anyway, this is beside the point... I went to have a look at one of the oldest pastry shops in paris, circa 1827, maison Boissier. Bélisaire Boissier is the one who invented the 'bonbon-boule', and the marron glacé! A selection of jams,tea, chocolate, cakes, bonbons and marshmallow. The place was nice, with old wood decorations, with a nice salon de thé that is unfortunetly closed since june... Their apricot, lemon and strawberry marshmallow are really good, better than the chocolates... On the other hand, the banana-chocolate jam is interesting. The 'pétales' of 8 diffent aromas of dark, white and milk chocolate are very pretty but a little too floral for my taste: Jasmin, tea, lavander...
184, avenue Victor-Hugo
75116