Publisher's Weekly Review
In summer 2011, Beddard, a young former ad exec, joins her husband in Paris on his new business adventure and begins one of her own. She was raised in Pittsburgh by a single mother who appreciated a wide variety of vegetables, so while Beddard is in France, she yearns for kale instead of more typical American comfort foods. Given the popularity of kale in the U.S., she's surprised to find how difficult it is to come by in France. With a few hurdles along the way-such as communicating with shop owners in French-she enlists the help of local farmers, and eventually launches the Kale Project. Parisian food writer and chef Bruno Verjus invited Beddard to his restaurant and applauded her efforts; author Elaine Sciolino interviewed Beddard her for the New York Times, giving the Kale Project an international spotlight. Voilà, she brings legume oublié, the forgotten vegetable, back to France. With colorful descriptions of travel and the conversational tone of a best friend, Beddard's story is full and satisfying. Agent: Bridget Wagner Matzie, Zachary Schuster Harmsworth. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Uprooted from her life in New York City and replanted in Paris, Beddard is tasked with overcoming obstacles on the way to finding herself and growing into her new life. Beyond learning a new language and adjusting to a different culture, she is also growing accustomed to a changing dynamic in her marriage as she remains unemployed in her newly-adopted city. Further, she must come to terms with the City of Light lacking one thing kale. Considered her comfort food, kale becomes the impetus that sets Beddard on a path toward bringing the well-known, ubiquitous American green to the French table. She finds purpose in her new goal by establishing the Kale Project. Along the way, she connects with interesting characters, from famers to Michelin-starred chefs, who join her in cultivating this initiative. As the project grows, Beddard realizes her success by bringing this one lost, forgotten green, les légumes oubliés, to Paris. Peppered throughout this memoir are interesting recipes highlighting kale's versatility.--Smith, Becca Copyright 2016 Booklist
