Tea time with Laura Calder

Recently, I met Laura Calder, a vibrant author turned chef and expert in French cuisine after several years spent in France (Paris, and Burgundy). For our second meeting, she had kindly invited me to her place for tea. I was not expecting anything in particular, but two elements I thought I would find at Laura's place were elegance and humour. I was not disappointed! What a treat for the eye, ...and the mouth! She is a real pleasure to share anecdotes and deeper reflections with. She is obviously knowledgeable in the cooking field but she is also effervescent and reaches out to many a subject that catches her attention, and on this point we really get on well...

Check out her shows and browse her recipes on the Food Network, you won't regret it!


I also recommend that you read her interview with Gremolata for more details.
Now, as she has just moved back to Canada, Toronto in particular (great choice!), she is still sharing her continental expertise in her shows for the Food Network, and working on new projects that take into account her newly regained Canadian lifestyle. But "motus et bouche cousue", her projects are confidential...

Laura is a wonderful hostess, indeed! And to prove it, let me show you the pictures I took at her place while sipping a delicious black tea, regularly shipped by her parents in New Brunswick, and savouring a tasty banana cake. Laura was not too happy with that cake recipe that she had just tested... She actually found it boring - well, even if I see what she means, I still enjoyed it a lot. For a failure, it was quite a success!

On a large windowsill in the living room, white candles, holly and pine boughs are displayed to fill the air with their delicate holiday fragrance.

This decorative deer was offered to her as a joke by a friend, to welcome her back to Canada. I found it very appropriate to the setting!

Beautiful arrangement of roses and a cedar-fragranced candle; even unlit, this candle was exhuming its subtle notes of cedar wood from the table...

I loved this eclectic corner on the couch: there is humour in the quirky cushion, adventure with A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (I am curious, I'll have to ask her for that read!) and high-brow literature with the New Yorker.

In this antique mirror that she had revamped, one can see the reflection of her kitchen, where the magic happens!Ciao, bella Laura. Au revoir, and thank you so much for that beautiful tea time! I enjoyed every minute we shared together. Our next meeting should see us celebrate the new year with a couple of friends.

But I do not forget that she also asked me to take her on a shopping expedition. I will suggest that we invite my husband and his twin brother as style experts to guide us through our journey. That might well be the subject of a new post on my other blog, Christine Rochet-Jacob. To be continued in 2010...

Wishing you all a lot of friendly tea times for the holiday season!