For the love of taste and the passion for great food
 
WHAT IS GOURMET?
 
Do you remember when people heard the word gourmet and ran the other way? Or, when you had to drive thirty miles to find a gourmet shop? Those days are OVER!
 
Gourmet is no longer a small niche and following. Gourmet is a global enterprise—one of the most notable conversations around food. The interest in gourmet food is at an all-time high internationally and here in the US.

Bon COOK is about creating a gourmet boutique right at home in your Pantry. No need to spend a day in one market after the other! We have done the work for you and curated the best from France. We understand the demand placed on you to find the suitable components of sauces, condiments, herbs, oils, and blends vital to cooking for experiencing the perfect marriage of ingredients and enhancing the overall cooking experience.
 
Today, we find gourmet corners in farmers' markets stocked with traditional and non-traditional gourmet ingredients. The norm has shifted, and even the largest and most commercial supermarkets house not one but several gourmet stations and sections at every turn. Even with this exposure, we have found that most shoppers are unsure of flavor combinations and how to marry flavors to achieve the best taste.
 
When we speak of gourmet ingredients, we discover that it is no longer an unusual request in everyday cooking, nor is it an occasional ingredient stop very few people make. The new gourmet is every day! Gourmet is the conversation of the times. The twenty-something food enthusiast has us all jumping for gourmet ingredients with a raised level of awareness and the introduction of new foods! The statistics of gourmet shoppers have a significant growth alongside this new learning curve. They are shedding light on why people are always talking, photographing, taste testing, and enjoying new profiles of ingredients and tastes.
 
An article I read by A. Elizabeth Sloan titled Demographic Disruptors in IFT.org July 2019 is fascinating and explains the shift perfectly. While older Gen Zers aged 18–24—the first generation of foodie parents—had the highest proportion of specialty/gourmet food buyers last year, the older demographic subsets are keeping pace. In 2018, 67% of Millennials bought gourmet foods, 65% of Gen X, and 60% of Boomers (SFA 2018).
 
People are increasing their level of awareness around ingredients and are trying new ways to improve quality and overall taste.

It is the kitchen ability and knowledge that people are craving to increase their success in cooking. With a desire to learn, build their knowledge and elevate their everyday experience around taste, cooking has become something people want to master!
 
Everyone has experienced a new world at home. In it, the aspiration to gather, discover new tastes, and enjoy the company of friends has taken on a whole new meaning.

Gourmet is delicate with fine ingredients curated to satisfy the expectation of challenging the palette without being complicated or extravagant.
Making a conscious effort of not masking one flavor by another, a simple way of enhancing flavor not overwhelming the taste buds. A simple form, an enhancement that brings out the best in every bite!
 
Gourmet is no longer trendy. It is trending! A new way of life, a bon life!
To use simple ingredients and create extraordinary taste, one must explore how to bring each element together for excellent tasting food.
 
I believe that challenging the palette is about alluring and romancing to define a taste like none other. For me, the ultimate gourmet experience is one you cannot stop reminiscing about, much like a great love, never forgotten.
 
Now, may I ask, what is gourmet to you?
 
French Pantry inspires every cook and entices the palate at every bite. To explore quality ingredients imported from France, visit bon COOK at www.boncook.com
 
Cindy Juncaj
CEO /Partner
bon COOK

Photo Credit Lindrik dreamstime.com
French Inspired Dinner Party
What is it that sets a French Dinner Party at the top of many wish lists? Immediately you may believe it would be the food, though not necessarily so. Because no two dinner parties are alike, the experience speaks for itself! So, would you like to create your very own French-inspired dinner party this holiday season? With a few tips and a simple plan, you'll share the words bon Appetit!

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

1. Choose a menu that allows you to prepare before your guests arrive
2. Shop farm to table no trend; it is a way of life, simple and chic
3. A chic table is a scape that exemplifies effortless beauty
4. Use fresh flowers from your garden if unavailable, choose from your local florist or market, make your bouquet small, and put it together using what you have at home, whether it's a bottle or container, make it simple, and it becomes chic!
5. A favorite is to start with table linen (I prefer white). Easy to clean.
6. Add anything as your POC (Pop of Color), napkin, flowers, a ribbon down the center of the table. Keep it simple!
7. The best dinner party consists of 10 to 12 guests and, most importantly, choose people from different groups of friends and different walks of life, this keeps the interest high and the conversation rich.
8.  A French dinner party guests are people from different professions, ages, and interests. This mix keeps the party exciting and full of new conversations and experiences.

APERITIF:

1. What is(Aperitif)? - A French aperitif contains small bites accompanied almost always by Champagne. An Aperitif teases the senses to ready guests for the main course, which means not moving from hungry to full!
2. Keep your guests hungry! Don't overdo the small bites. Less is more! One mistake made is preparing too much, because guests will eat what you serve, and if it is too much, they won't enjoy the fantastic simple meal you've prepared.

 
CHAMPAGNE or COCKTAIL
Kir Royale is a traditional French favorite, made with Champagne or sparkling white wine mixed with Crème de Cassis. Another French Favorite is the Apero Spritz, a mix of Apero, Perrier and, Champagne.

What to Serve:

1. Your French Inspired main course is simple and good, never fussy, and you always serve wine and water with dinner. Not a time to over impress with a one-of-a-kind bottle of wine. Choose red and white wines that are good everyday wines that compliment your meal.
2.  Prepare as much as possible beforehand, not a time for new recipes. Do what you know well.
3.  Choose a dessert that is your signature. Homemade is best, and store-bought is acceptable.

GUESTS ARRIVING:

1.  Greet everyone with a smile! A pleasant greeting sets the tone for the evening. Overwhelmed, Please don't show it; you are the host and must enjoy the time with friends to set the tone, so all guests enjoy the dinner party!
2. As people arrive, don't wait for the latecomers to serve the small bites and Champagne; start immediately with your very first guest.
3. Play relaxing music, I suggest a "French Cooking" Playlist.
4. Focus on enjoying your guest and keeping the conversation going
5.  Be the host everyone connects with and enjoy the dinner party because you are not overwhelmed in the kitchen.

Don't overthink or underestimate yourself: 
You can hold an inspiring dinner party and create an experience like none other because it is you, simply Chic YOU!

bon COOK would love to hear from you, comment on your dinner party, or share your love of cooking where it counts, at your table where you cook to gather and gather to cook!
Cheers to your success!

Cindy Juncaj
Partner, bon COOK