Susan Holding
The class for croissants and pain au chocolat is very popular. Students leave with plenty of samples.
Paris has a funny way of casting a spell on those who visit. Its magic is something that is not easily forgotten, even long after the trip. And the recent attacks have only renewed the strength of that sentiment in lovers of Paris far and wide.
Author Susan Holding knows these feelings. She transformed them into a sort of Parisian life right in her hometown of North Freedom, Wis., with the establishment of her business, The Little French Bakery, in 1999.
Holding is also the author of The Little French Bakery Cookbook, which was published just over a year ago. She spends most of her life in the garage-turned-kitchen on her property. Stepping into the kitchen, you half expect the ghost of Julia Child to suddenly appear.
Susan Holding
One of baker Susan Holding's apple tarts.
Traditional French bistro chairs surround a welcoming table where cooking class participants enjoy the fruits (or rather, the pastries) of their labor. The fully stocked commercial kitchen is an assemblage of stand mixers, rolling pins and bottles of cooking wine. Customers can also order pastries and pick them up at the bakery, by appointment only.
Holding received professional culinary training at Paris’ famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, and in the late ’90s began to dabble in making wedding cakes. Which turned into teaching cooking classes at her kitchen. Which became a blog, and then, a cookbook.
Holding sold the idea for her book at the UW-Madison Writers’ Institute, pitching to an editor who immediately loved the concept. “The first run sold out the week before Christmas.”
Following the success of her cookbook, Holding organized a “Little French Bakery” trip to Paris this year, in which 23 participants toured markets, visited Le Cordon Bleu and, of course, tasted delightful French treats while Holding played host. “It was so much more fun than I ever expected,” she says. Holding is planning a second trip to Paris for 2016 in conjunction with Burkhalter Travel, and is not letting recent events get in the way. “People are still very interested, and as long as there’s interest, let’s go!” says Holding. An informational meeting will be held at Burkhalter Travel, 6501 Mineral Point Rd., on Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
“It was really fun to show people all these things,” says Holding. She plans to expand the market section of the next tour to do more tasting and visit more shops.
Holding’s cooking classes at her kitchen average around five to 10 sessions a month for about six people. Upcoming classes include “Croissants and Pain au Chocolat,” “French Breads,” “Variations on Eclairs” and “Macarons.” Registration is through her website.
After a croissant class, she says, “people leave with armloads.” And that may be the next-best thing to being in Paris.
The Little French Bakery S5811 Sugar Rd., North Freedom, 608-522-4981, littlefrenchbakery.com, By appointment only
