The 4-14 Festival of Dijon

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The 4-14 Photo Album

Here are several photos that I hope will inspire you to come to Dijon in 2011 to join the fun!

SATURDAY, 10 JULY

Place François Rude

City of Dijon Mascot
© Discover Paris!

Booths around Les Halles
© Discover Paris!

NOLA
© Discover Paris!

Watching the Band
© Discover Paris!

Children Dancing
© Discover Paris!

Festival Assistants
© Discover Paris!

Dooky Chase - Preparing for the Crowd

Chef Matt Murphy's Table
© Discover Paris!

Gourmet Nibbles from Herbsaint
© Discover Paris!

Burgundian Cheeses
© Discover Paris!

Tasting Crème de Cassis
© Discover Paris!

Place François Rude at Nightfall
© Discover Paris!

Crowd Watching Big Sam's Funky Nation
© Discover Paris!

Trumpeter from Big Sam's Funky Nation

SUNDAY, 11 JULY

Singall Gospel Flier
© Discover Paris!

Praising the Lord through Song
© Discover Paris!

Inside the Central Market
© Discover Paris!

Tossing the Shrimp
© Discover Paris!

Making Bananas Foster
© Discover Paris!

Watching the Demo
© Discover Paris!

Tasting the Results
© Discover Paris!

Poised for the Pitch
© Discover Paris!

Itinerant Musicians
© Discover Paris!

French Couisine
© Discover Paris!

Simple Men Blues
© Discover Paris!

The Jazz Collectors
© Discover Paris!

Leaving the Festival
© Discover Paris!

See you next year!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Today we had the opportunity to talk with Alex Miles, organizer of the 4-14 Festival. Overall, he was pleased with this year's festival. Because of the hot weather (90+ degree temperatures), only 10,000 persons attended, as opposed to 15,000 last year. But the crowd seemed very pleased with the food and music throughout the weekend, and Alex received positive comments from many of the chefs and bands that participated.

Happily, Alex plans to hold a third annual event next year! It will be organized much along the same lines as this year's festival, i.e., it will feature music and food from France and the U.S. There will be a few changes though. For example, Alex plans to invite chefs from beyond the Burgundy region to participate alongside their Burgundian counterparts next year. As for the American side, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. are in the running to represent the U.S. in the 2011 festival. The opening charity dinner will be presented in private homes, giving the chefs a better opportunity to showcase their talents. And there are plans for an official event for Sunday evening.

Mark you calendars for July 9 and 10, 2011!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Gourmet Snacking!

There were a couple dozen French and American restaurants installed in booths around the central market. For a complete list of the restaurants, click here.

For 3€, one could purchase their specialty dishes. The following photographs illustrate the types of food that we sampled:

Huîtres en gelée
By Marc Meneau of L'Espérance
© Discover Paris!

Salade de crevettes barbecue de la Nouvelle Orléans
By Edgar "Dooky" Chase IV of Dooky Chase
© Discover Paris!

Croustillant de volaille à la panure Panjo
Mini-flan de carottes
Petite terrine de taboulé orientale
By Daniel Ginsberg of Nouvelle Cuisine de la Ville de Dijon
© Discover Paris!

Dickie Brennan's Mock Turtle Soup, PoBoy, and Lyonnaise Salad
© Discover Paris!

Quatre-quarts aux figues et au Parmesan
By Jennifer Hough-Loos of August
© Discover Paris!

And there was no lack of New Orleans decor!

Jeff Tunks' Table
© Discover Paris!

But the Bourguignons were not to be outdone. They have their pride too!

We Tried Our Hand at Baseball

The local Comité Départemental de Baseball set up a batting cage to stimulate interest in the sport and to recruit players.

When we learned that it was open to persons of all ages and abilities, we decided to take a few swings. It felt good when the bat smacked solidly against the baseball, sending it to the far side of the cage. A home run!