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Galler: A Belgian Chocolate Factory Outlet
I could smell the chocolate before we even opened the door. Its luscious scent wafted around us as we approached the entrance of the Galler Chocolatiers Factory Outlet. It gently guided us inside, we willing participants in this little shopping spree. My companions and I had just finished a week-long rowing tour of northern France and southern Belgium. And now we were being shuttled by one of their fathers to his home in Liège. Here we would spend the night before going our separate ways. But first, it was time to partake in what I gathered was somewhat of a local family tradition: chocolate shopping at the Galler factory outlet.…
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Discovering the Secrets of Macarons
While planning a recent visit to Paris I was looking for a more unique way to experience an authentic piece of that wonderful city – one that would help satisfy my interest in French cuisine. That got me wondering if Le Cordon Bleu, the world-renowned culinary arts school founded in 1895 by journalist and culinary magazine publisher Marthe Distel, offered classes to amateurs. A quick search of their website confirmed that indeed they do. Delving a little deeper, I discovered that one of the courses offered is called ‘Les secrets des Macarons‘ – The Secrets of Macarons. It seemed to me that one could not get much more Parisian than to bake macarons,…
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Ladurée Has Arrived!
What better way to inaugurate my new blog than with a visit to the new Ladurée pâtisserie in Toronto! If you have ever visited Paris and enjoyed the sweet and savoury pleasures of Maison Ladurée, you, like me, have longed for a location in our fair city. Thankfully, our prayers have been answered! Ladurée opened it’s premier Toronto location last autumn in the prestigious Yorkdale Shopping Centre. I recently had the opportunity to visit this Parisian icon and was greeted by their signature canopy and store front, instantly feeling transported back to the City of Light. I visited on a weekday afternoon, a great time as the shop was quiet and free of…
