Coming Soon from Silverback Books
Tales from the Table"Dordogne Stories"
Chasing fairytales-
The post card in my mailbox nearly 15 years ago was of the most beautiful village I had ever seen. Nicole and Claude, a couple my husband and I had met outside of Paris, said they were intrigued by our adventuresome spirit and love of France, and sent it to us to tempt us into venturing further and deeper into “the hexagon”, as the country is often referred to. The village in the postcard teetered on the river’s edge with a dilapidated boat at its shore. Cream-colored stone houses seemed carved from the hillside and peered over a dark blue river enveloped in mist and fog. If fairytales had dreams, this is what they would look like. The small print on the back of the post card said ‘Le Rogue Gageac, Dordogne’. I knew I had to find this place.
I have been returning to the Dordogne for 15 years now. With books, a magnifying glass and a collection of maps, I have scoured the region from top to bottom, inside out. Along the way and over the years, I discovered a land of unspoiled beauty that has spoiled me rotten and in seeking a postcard, I have created a beautiful portrait that hangs in my heart and memory.
Down each aimless path, and over each rocky and rolling landscape, this painting came to life. I was often unsure of my destination but never disappointed in the journey. Nothing can compare to the take-your-breath-away emotion you feel the first time you see a 500-year-old chateau clutching the side of a cliff above a winding river valley. And I never get bored of seeing sunlight twinkle on grape leaves, knowing that it looked the same hundreds of years ago. My countless scavenger hunts through storybook villages and medieval bastide towns have yielded great finds, from old recipe books to new friends, as well as an appreciation for a history as old as mankind itself. After each visit, I was more reassured that I had found a unique corner of the world.
But the most important element of my masterpiece was the color--a vibrant palette of sumptuous hues that could only have come from knowing the people and tasting the cuisine of the Dordogne. For me this fairy-tale setting, as stunning as it was, was merely a façade without the
personalities and flavors that bubbled behind the ancient doors. As a professional chef and caterer for 25 years, I was not only in awe of the fresh produce at the markets and the array of choice but was also astounded at the resolve of these ‘marketers’. Their life is a hard one; much harder than my years in professional kitchens. (The jury is still out on whether or not working with brides is more challenging than enduring the elements at an open-air market). Year after year, I was greeted with the warm reception and generous smile reserved for an old friend, and, of course, a kiss on both cheeks. As I roamed the markets that occur everyday in some cobble-stoned corner of the Dordogne, I was yearning to talk to the local producers and get into the restaurants to see what was happening in these kitchens.
After years of frequenting the same restaurants, markets, hotels, shops and villages for years, these gracious people invited me into their lives and kitchens and created a vivid and tangible connection to a region that has truly cast a spell over me, and will keep me coming back for years to come. From families who cultivate the same fields as their great grandparents did, to the new arrivals that sprinkle a foreign seasoning on the local ways, there is one common thread: passion. Passion for the present, passion for the past, and a passion for the paradise they now call home.
Sitting down at the table with these convivial people, many of whom I now proudly call friends, has revealed more in one duck confit dinner than all my wrinkled maps and glossy brochures ever told. Old traditions are making way for new trends, and foreign influence is on the rise not only in real estate but also in the kitchens around the Dordogne. It is here that your own once-upon-a-time begins.
I met writer Kimberley Lovato about five years ago in Dordogne. A freelance journalist and aspiring travel writer, she kept telling me that every person has a story to tell. You’d be surprised what you can learn about a person by simply asking. Kimberley’s thirst for adventure and enchantment with the people was motivating and we became instant friends. The idea of the book was born from our mutual love for the food, and nosiness to know more about the lives of the people we met along the way.
We invite you to pull up a chair on this edible journey through an enchanted land rich in history and tradition, yet brimming with contemporary new taste. Tales From The Table is a small but insightful glimpse inside a world that seemlessly blends the old and new, the past and the future. From a family matriarch who long ago stopped writing her recipes down, to a young chef who is making big waves from his small town , the characters you will read about are as delightful and tempting as the recipes themselves. Through their stories, you will discover a land that is more than just a picture on the front of a glossy card. It is a living, breathing tapestry woven with the thread of ancient flavors, new traditions and dyes from the colorful people of the Dordogne.
In case you’re wondering, I found the image on the post card that tempted me all those years ago. My husband and I were weaving along the river roads, contorting our heads in an effort to see the chateaux and villages perched above, and then we saw it. The sign, so familiar now, with simple black and white lettering that read, ‘La Rogue- Gageac’. Before us the fairy tale photo had come to life. The village was real and as I recall, there was even a worn rowboat slapping at the shore. After all these years,
my postcard image was bent and creased with age, yet the real thing seemed untouched by time.
It was then I knew we had found a very special place.
Enjoy your journey.
Laura Schmalhorst with Kimberley Lovato
The post card in my mailbox nearly 15 years ago was of the most beautiful village I had ever seen. Nicole and Claude, a couple my husband and I had met outside of Paris, said they were intrigued by our adventuresome spirit and love of France, and sent it to us to tempt us into venturing further and deeper into “the hexagon”, as the country is often referred to. The village in the postcard teetered on the river’s edge with a dilapidated boat at its shore. Cream-colored stone houses seemed carved from the hillside and peered over a dark blue river enveloped in mist and fog. If fairytales had dreams, this is what they would look like. The small print on the back of the post card said ‘Le Rogue Gageac, Dordogne’. I knew I had to find this place.
I have been returning to the Dordogne for 15 years now. With books, a magnifying glass and a collection of maps, I have scoured the region from top to bottom, inside out. Along the way and over the years, I discovered a land of unspoiled beauty that has spoiled me rotten and in seeking a postcard, I have created a beautiful portrait that hangs in my heart and memory.
Down each aimless path, and over each rocky and rolling landscape, this painting came to life. I was often unsure of my destination but never disappointed in the journey. Nothing can compare to the take-your-breath-away emotion you feel the first time you see a 500-year-old chateau clutching the side of a cliff above a winding river valley. And I never get bored of seeing sunlight twinkle on grape leaves, knowing that it looked the same hundreds of years ago. My countless scavenger hunts through storybook villages and medieval bastide towns have yielded great finds, from old recipe books to new friends, as well as an appreciation for a history as old as mankind itself. After each visit, I was more reassured that I had found a unique corner of the world.
But the most important element of my masterpiece was the color--a vibrant palette of sumptuous hues that could only have come from knowing the people and tasting the cuisine of the Dordogne. For me this fairy-tale setting, as stunning as it was, was merely a façade without the
personalities and flavors that bubbled behind the ancient doors. As a professional chef and caterer for 25 years, I was not only in awe of the fresh produce at the markets and the array of choice but was also astounded at the resolve of these ‘marketers’. Their life is a hard one; much harder than my years in professional kitchens. (The jury is still out on whether or not working with brides is more challenging than enduring the elements at an open-air market). Year after year, I was greeted with the warm reception and generous smile reserved for an old friend, and, of course, a kiss on both cheeks. As I roamed the markets that occur everyday in some cobble-stoned corner of the Dordogne, I was yearning to talk to the local producers and get into the restaurants to see what was happening in these kitchens.
After years of frequenting the same restaurants, markets, hotels, shops and villages for years, these gracious people invited me into their lives and kitchens and created a vivid and tangible connection to a region that has truly cast a spell over me, and will keep me coming back for years to come. From families who cultivate the same fields as their great grandparents did, to the new arrivals that sprinkle a foreign seasoning on the local ways, there is one common thread: passion. Passion for the present, passion for the past, and a passion for the paradise they now call home.
Sitting down at the table with these convivial people, many of whom I now proudly call friends, has revealed more in one duck confit dinner than all my wrinkled maps and glossy brochures ever told. Old traditions are making way for new trends, and foreign influence is on the rise not only in real estate but also in the kitchens around the Dordogne. It is here that your own once-upon-a-time begins.
I met writer Kimberley Lovato about five years ago in Dordogne. A freelance journalist and aspiring travel writer, she kept telling me that every person has a story to tell. You’d be surprised what you can learn about a person by simply asking. Kimberley’s thirst for adventure and enchantment with the people was motivating and we became instant friends. The idea of the book was born from our mutual love for the food, and nosiness to know more about the lives of the people we met along the way.
We invite you to pull up a chair on this edible journey through an enchanted land rich in history and tradition, yet brimming with contemporary new taste. Tales From The Table is a small but insightful glimpse inside a world that seemlessly blends the old and new, the past and the future. From a family matriarch who long ago stopped writing her recipes down, to a young chef who is making big waves from his small town , the characters you will read about are as delightful and tempting as the recipes themselves. Through their stories, you will discover a land that is more than just a picture on the front of a glossy card. It is a living, breathing tapestry woven with the thread of ancient flavors, new traditions and dyes from the colorful people of the Dordogne.
In case you’re wondering, I found the image on the post card that tempted me all those years ago. My husband and I were weaving along the river roads, contorting our heads in an effort to see the chateaux and villages perched above, and then we saw it. The sign, so familiar now, with simple black and white lettering that read, ‘La Rogue- Gageac’. Before us the fairy tale photo had come to life. The village was real and as I recall, there was even a worn rowboat slapping at the shore. After all these years,
my postcard image was bent and creased with age, yet the real thing seemed untouched by time.
It was then I knew we had found a very special place.
Enjoy your journey.
Laura Schmalhorst with Kimberley Lovato
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