Every month in France-Amérique,
discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States.

Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States • Authors’ perspectives on America • Portraits of artists, entrepreneurs, and other French-American personalities • The best of Francophone literature translated into English • French movies and series in theaters and online • French habits and linguistic subtleties • Unique places to visit in France • And so much more…

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October 2022

A Smorgasbord of French-American Talent

A table! This October, we invite you to a dinner party – a roomful of transatlantic talent like Thomas Chisholm, the French-American chef shaking things up in Paris, New York-based French philanthropists Olivia and Jean-Pierre Chessé, and the team at Bragard, the French house that has been dressing chefs since 1933! Also in this issue, read how Rousseau inspired not one, but two revolutions; travel to Camargue (“the French Wild West”); and meet French vanlifer Ben Quesnel, who left his job at Facebook to travel up and down the West Coast in a Volkswagen bus and turned his itinerant lifestyle into a company.

Featured Articles

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THE OBSERVER

CLOTHES MAKETH – OR UNMAKETH – THE POLITICIAN

Type the name “Eric Ciotti” into a search engine, and up pops the associated word cravate, or necktie. Never mind that Mr. Ciotti is a right-wing politician known for his hardline stance on immigration and crime. What has fired up the online chatterati is Ciotti’s indignant demand that tie-wearing be made mandatory for men in the French Assemblée Nationale.

By Anthony Bulger

HERITAGE

CAMARGUE

The French Wild West

Far from the bustle of modern life, this oasis formed by the delta of the Rhône River has retained a charmingly untamed ecosystem. An isolated, preserved region staunchly attached to its traditions, much like a French version of the American Wild West!

By Jean-Gabriel Fredet

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STYLE

YMER&MALTA

A Design Studio Descended from Versailles

Since the reign of Louis XIV, French artisans have excelled in the field of decorative arts. Following in the footsteps of the extravagance of Versailles and the refinement of the Art Deco period, Parisian design studio YMER&MALTA has become a major new player in furniture, lighting, and art objects.

By Marielle Brie

BEYOND THE SEA

ADOLPHE & OLGA DE MEYER

The Downfall of the Café Society’s Most Eccentric Couple

Baron Adolphe de Meyer was a leading photographer in the first half of the 20th century. As a couple, he and his wife Olga were as improbable as they were feared. Renowned for their luxury tastes, greed, and ingratitude, they imposed their viperous company upon both sides of the Atlantic, trailing a whiff of elegance and scandal in their wake.

By Jérôme Kagan

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Table of contents

FROM THE NEWSDESK

The European Single Currency Dips Below the Dollar. By Anthony Bulger

COME ON OUT

French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick

EDITORIAL

Good News: Facebook Is in Decline. By Guy Sorman

INTERVIEW

Rousseau, the Other “Hero of Two Worlds.” By Guy Sorman

THE OBSERVER

Why Fashion Is Inherently Political. By Anthony Bulger

ENTREPRENEURS

Olivia & Jean-Pierre Chessé: A Recipe for Change. By Benoît Georges

HERITAGE

Camargue, the French Wild West. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet

PERSPECTIVES

France, a Nation of Sports. By Dominique Mataillet

ALBERTINE DIARIES

Nacera Belaza: Road Trips, “Wonderful Experiences Suspended in Time.” By Clément Thiery

BON APPÉTIT

Thomas Chisholm: The Chef with a Lot on His Plate. By Clément Thiery

Recipe: S’mores

STYLE

Ymer&Malta: A Design Studio Descended from Versailles. By Marielle Brie

BEYOND THE SEA

Adolphe & Olga de Meyer: The Downfall of the Café Society’s Most Eccentric Couple. By Jérôme Kagan

FRENCH AMERICA

Mount Herard, Colorado. By Anthony Lacoudre

PORTFOLIO

Ben Quesnel: Doing #Vanlife the French Way. By Juliette Démas

ICONIC

Bragard, Iconic Chef’s Whites. By Guénola Pellen

BOOK REVIEW

Annie Ernaux & Edouard Louis: Writing as a Political Act. By Sophie Joubert

THE WORDSMITH

Anthropocene, Anthropause, and Pyrocene. By Dominique Mataillet

© Ben Quesnel