Carlson - Pancakes in Paris: living the American dream in France

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Copyright 2016 by Craig Carlson

Cover and internal design 2016 by Sourcebooks, Inc.

Cover design by The Book Designers

Cover images Kamenetskiy Konstantin, VectorShots, squarelogo, Velizar Simeonov, somchaii/Shutterstock

Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systemsexcept in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviewswithout permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

All photographs Craig Carlson, unless otherwise indicated.

Photograph on by Will Plyler

Illustration on by Philippe Tilikete

Photographs on by Craig Carlson and Tom Craig

Illustration on by Sylvain Deboissy

Photograph on by Brian Downie

Photograph on by P. Alexander Chodak

Photographs on by Craig Carlson and Cedric Roux

This book is a memoir. It reflects the authors present recollections of experiences over a period of time. Some names and characteristics have been changed, some events have been compressed, and some dialogue has been re-created.

All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Carlson, Craig, author.

Title: Pancakes in Paris : living the American dream in France / Craig Carlson, owner of the Breakfast in America restaurant chain.

Description: Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks, [2016]

Identifiers: LCCN 2016008292 | (pbk. : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Carlson, Craig. | Restaurateurs--United States--Biography. | Breakfast in America (Restaurant chain) | Diners

(Restaurants)--France--Paris.

Classification: LCC TX910.5.C296 A3 2016 | DDC 647.95092 [B]--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016008292

In loving memory of my grandma Lizzy and her delicious scrambled eggs.

Breakfast in America, Paris.

I dont think I knew happiness until I opened the Breakfast in America menu.

Stephanie, a homesick American customer

MENU

Notre Dame as viewed from the pont de la Tournelle.

PROLOGUE

I have the best commute in the world. My scenic walk to work begins on the Left Bank of Paris, where the original Breakfast in America (BIA) restaurant is located, and continues on to the Right Bankhome of the second BIA. Along the way, I get to cross the lovely Seine not once, but twice, thanks to one of my favorite places in Paris, an island located smack in the middle of my routele Saint-Louis. With its narrow streets full of quaint shops and restaurants, this tiny island paradise always makes me feel as if Ive been transported back in timefrom the hustle and bustle of a modern city to a sleepy, medieval village somewhere in the French countryside.

But by far the best part of my commute is the view of the Notre Dame Cathedral from the first bridge I cross, the pont de la Tournelle. In my humble opinion, Notre Dame looks best from this angle. With its majestic spire reaching toward the heavensin sharp contrast with its flying buttresses keeping the heavy stone walls from collapsing to the groundNotre Dame always reminds me of that mysterious interplay between heaven and earth, between the seen and the unseen.

No matter how much of a hurry Im in or how bad my day has been, I always take a moment to stop and gaze at this architectural wonder. Theres something about staring at a structure from the twelfth centurystill standing strongthat puts things into perspective.

Im reminded, once again, of what it is that Ive always loved about Paris. And what brought me here in the first place

How many people have imagined running off to the City of Light, opening their own caf, and starting a whole new life in the most beautiful city in the world? Well, I actually did it. Me, a former Hollywood screenwriter who used to read scripts where the main character dreamed of doing what I didno small feat considering that I had never owned a business before, let alone a restaurant, with their notoriously high failure rates.

And if that werent crazy enough, I decided to open my restaurant in a foreign country with a foreign language and in a city that just happens to be the culinary capital of the worldParis. But my restaurant wasnt just any restaurant; it was an American diner, the first of its kind in the city. Yet despite all the odds against me, my little dive, my greasy spoon, became a great success, with lines of customers stretching down the block.

Before I knew it, my diner, Breakfast in America, started appearing all over the national and international press, including CNN, the New York Times , BBC, French television, and more. Heres just a sample of what they were saying about us. NBCs Today Show raved on its website, Breakfast in America is the American place in France. Frommers called us Pariss most famous American diner. T: The New York Times Style Magazine said, The early trendsetter was Connecticut-bred Craig Carlson. (Imagine that me , a trendsetter!) And last but not least, Lets Go Paris proclaimed, It doesnt get more American than this.

No, it doesnt. And neither does my story. After all Ive been through, I could practically be the poster child for the American Dreamexcept for one petit detail:

In order to live the American Dream, I had to move to France.

Whenever people hear about Breakfast in America for the first time, they always ask me the same questions: How did you come up with the idea? Had you ever owned a restaurant before? Do you speak French? Is doing business in France complicated? Are most of your customers French or American?

On the political side of things, a lot of people want to know if Ive experienced any anti-Americanism. Or if Im a socialist. My favorite questions come from those who harbor dreams of moving to France and opening an establishment of their own. Questions like: Is it hard to find the right ingredients? Whats the most popular item on the menu? Do you have to adapt your food for French tastes? Do you miss the States? And the biggie: Are you going to live in France forever?