After 13 years as a pastry chef at the legendary Chez Panisse and several more years as a cook book author specializing in the sweet endings of a meal, David Lebovitz needed a radical change. He “shook the etch-a-sketch” of his life and moved to Paris.The Sweet Life in Paris is an account of his experiences as a resident, not a tourist, as he makes his way through the fish markets, chocolate shops and department stores of this legendary city. His humorous, mini-essays about the challenges of living in a foreign culture are full of love and goodwill even when complaining how Parisians are aggressive about cutting in line. He attempts to be understanding when faced with the daunting challenge of finding shoelaces, with a myriad of sizes on display except the necessary 110 centimeter laces. And he is baffled when clerks demand exact change, feigning an absence of the crucial centimes to return. At the end of each essay he includes a recipe for something delicious – sweet or savory. Each recipe sounded more scrumptious than the last. I kept thinking, “That’s not so hard, even I could make that” as I flagged recipes that seemed especially mouthwatering like “Carnitas” – caramelized pork, or Chocolate Macaroons. My friends, true chocoholics, loved the Chocolate Macaroons, small morsels of almond chocolate meringue filled with an intense chocolate filling. Each recipe has a short intro that gives some insight into why David includes it in his book. He provides cooking tips developed through testing the recipes in his miniscule apartment kitchen with counter-tops that are too high and storage space that is practically non-existent. So, if you can’t make it to Paris soon, immerse yourself in this book. Whip up one of his savory or sweet recipes, have some friends over (or not), close your eyes and imagine you are part of the sweet life of Paris.  ~Gretchen Echols

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