‘Breakfast Lunch Tea’ is down to earth in its spirit. Its name, photography and art direction demonstrate a simple way of living. ‘Life is improved by great good and great food can be achieved by everyone’. A cookbook debut of Rose Carrarini, it is a collection of her ‘many little meals’ in Rose Bakery, Paris.
Steering clear from the fanciful ingredients and cooking techniques, the self-taught cook Carrarini demonstrates ‘silly’ (p.52) menu such as ‘perfect scrambled eggs’. Carrarini does not overrate organic ingredients, but more on the ‘feel good’ factor: The way you handle the ingredients, the timing, and the overall feeling of it. Most importantly, the connection one establishes with the ingredients and the food one creates. Jean-Charles, her husband, is known as ‘Monsieur Bakery’. He makes friends with his customers and perhaps the most significant of them is Rei Kawakubu. The friendship is the catalyst for Rose Bakery to open on the top floor of Dover Street Market. Rose Bakery pays homage to Rei in the ‘acknowledgements’ of the cookbook. The admiration is believed to be mutual, for both are creators of beautiful things in this world.
Text: Carmen Lee | Translation: dilettante
Photo: Chan Kin Wai
Update: 20 Mar 2009
