An Afternoon with Sylvie Bigar and Darra Goldstein

Join us for an afternoon with Sylvie Bigar and Darra Goldstein for a discussion of Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, and the Stew That Saved My Soul.

This memoir traces Bigar’s journey through the stunning French countryside near Carcassonne as she learns the deeper meaning of authentic cassoulet from her culinary guru, Eric Garcia, founder of L’Académie Universelle du Cassoulet. As the book vacillates between generational family drama and Bigar’s gastronomic training, the reader is engulfed in the simmering smells of the French kitchen, then suddenly thrown in the front seat of the family car, the author’s jealous sister at the wheel.

Award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and is based in New York City. Her writing has appeared widely, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, Food & Wine, as well as many international publications.

Darra Goldstein is the Willcox B. and Harriet M. Adsit Professor of Russian, Emerita, at Williams College and founding editor of Gastronomica. She is author of six award-winning cookbooks, including Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore.