I love a good success story, especially when it's from one of your friends. A story that you were able to follow its progress over emails, blog posts and of course, conversations over margaritas. Once it finally comes together, there is a sense of pride that you hold for your friend who you watched spill all of their time and passion into the dream that became a reality.
In a city that doesn't exactly celebrate thinking outside of the norm, my blogger friend turned real-life friend Kristen single handedly - with the help of her French farming posse - brought the first kale to Paris (I repeat: First Kale in Paris) with the launch of The Kale Project.
The Kale Project follows the journey of a young woman's mission to bring this supergreen that she holds dear to her heart to The City of Light, and spread the knowledge of its long list of benefits and creative ways to incorporate it into everyday cooking. Definitely one of the more original ways I've heard of an expat spending their days making Paris their home.
In the hopes of making kale the next household green, next to the bag of prepackaged roquette that the French just adore, Kristen has been visiting farms outside of the city, volunteering at farmer's markets, and sharing her favorite recipes to get the kale movement going!
And it's working...
To celebrate the start of a very promising project that I am sure will lead to lots of press, a cookbook, and perhaps even an action figure, Kristen hosted a kale themed dinner party at Paris hot spot Versjus to officially introduce kale to Paris. The turnout of fellow bloggers and foodies was only proof that The Kale Project is really taking off!
Kristen's Raw Kale Salad Recipe!
The package even came with little seeds to grow our own kale!
I think my personal kale project will be to not kill it.
I don't exactly have une pouce verte...
Growing up with
swiss chard, escarole, and of course, brocoli di rabe in our Italian
house, we never
branched out (no pun intended) to the world of kale. It wasn't until I
met Kristin through her blog that I even gave kale a second thought. So while I was
back in the States waiting for my visa to come through, I wanted to see what all of her excitement was about,
and headed over to Whole Foods to pick up two bunches of her beloved green.
Well this is what this little coquine did with her kale...
...I made booze.
Homemade infused vodka which I experimented with kale, balanced with strawberry to take the bite off, and sprinkled with love, to be exact. This was actually a gift from Séb and I (that took us almost three weeks in the States to infuse), that we presented to Kristen and her hubby as a
thank you gift for hosting a fabulous summer soirée. Of course I turned something as innocent and healthy as kale into a sinful and naughty elixir. The CoCocktail went down like strawberry moonshine, and served as the perfect nightcap before we left The Lancelots with the sun was rising over Paris.
Congratulations to Kristen for an impressive project that is on the rise. It ain't easy being green, but with the power of The Kale Project, it's going to be a bountiful autumn after all, now that this leafy lovely is accessible! I can't wait to see what happens next!
For updates on all things kale in Paris, The Kale Project can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and the official Kale Project site.
and to everyone else...Bon week-end!
What happened a year ago today? My mom and I almost got arrested here!
