Francophiles’ 18th season of events off to a rousing start

 

Pat Smith

In 2000, a small group of Francophiles (lovers of all things French) met at the home of Bill and Suzanne Brown to discuss how to appropriately celebrate their common passions of French cuisine, French travel and French culture. Thus the SaddleBrooke Francophiles organization was born, and it has evolved over the years into an extremely active group of individuals, enjoying each other’s company and celebrating French holidays and traditions. For the 2017-2018 season of events, the Planning Committee has scheduled a wide variety of activities for our group of avid enthusiasts to enjoy.

On September 21, Bob Kramer and Jean Labovitch hosted our annual wine tasting event; Bob and Frank Hartley selected a variety of reds and whites for the tasting, educating the members and guests present on each wine and their complimentary pairings.

The Willcox Wine Country Festival was our next destination on October 21. A very happy group of members and guests traveled to this popular event on a luxury tour bus, sampled and compared a variety of Arizona wines, enjoyed lunch at one of the popular restaurants in town and returned thoroughly sated. We all had a wonderful adventure and look forward to the next one.

Julia Child and Jacques Pepin were front and center with their wonderful recipes and cuisine for our annual Progressive Dinner on November 18. Once again, our members displayed their culinary skills by creating savory hors d’oeuvres, a variety of main and side dishes and delicious desserts, all pulled from the cookbooks of these famous French chefs. Pat Dawydowych chaired this very elegant affair.

On December 9 the Francophiles will be celebrating the season with our first ever Holiday Walk. Members will congregate on a very special street in SaddleBrooke and travel from one of five host homes to another. A variety of holiday treats and beverages will be offered at each home; this will be an excellent way to Make Merry with Holiday Cheer!

The New Year will be off to a great start on January 6 with our Feast of Kings; the Mardi Gras themed party will feature a variety of hearty hors d’oeuvres and King Kakes. Each King Kake contains tokens which, when found, will signal the surprise crowning of our King and Queen for the evening. Champagne toast will honor our royalty as well.

On February 10, La Chandeleur Crepe Party, one of our most popular celebrations, will feature savory and sweet delights to fill hundreds of mouthwatering crepes. Next on our agenda is the Foods and Wines of the Regions of France on March 10. This event will feature foods and wines of at least three regions in France; members will create entrees and desserts from one of the selected regions. Our members really shine with their creativity for this party. On April 14, the Spring Fling will feature a variety of foods, wines, games and music to finish our season with a bang.

Mylinda Guillen will be chairing the Diners a la Maison, an opportunity for members to host an intimate dinner party and share food, fun and friendship. Dates for these affairs are January 18, February 15 and April 19.

The SaddleBrooke Francophiles have a full and exciting series of events this season; if you would like further information, contact Pat Smith at 825-2409. All SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents are welcome to join. Vive La France!