Lisa with the "boulanger principal" in the famous Parisian bakery, Poilâne.

After having had a specialty business in French tarts for five years where I handmade and sold approximately 40 different varieties of both sweet and savory tarts at our local farmer’s market, I decided to take some time to write about and share some of my recipes and experiences along the way.  I never imagined how enthused my customers would be over the centuries old tradition of tart making.  They loved hearing the stories of how the recipes were developed, where the local ingredients came from or about my latest tart tasting trip to France and the many beautiful boulangerie-pâtisserie we visited for inspiration. 

I am currently a caterer for a large Episcopal Church with a rector who is a true gourmand (he went to a cooking school in Florence).  This job is a great fit for me because he (and the rest of the parish) are excited about food.  While I cook all types of food for the luncheons and dinners, the tarts are still a steady item on the menus.  Also, I have the privilege of working in the most beautiful commercial kitchen ever!  The church kitchen has hand painted tiles over the large 12 burner stove and sunny windows overlooking the tropical waterway.  This is a unique situation, and I feel truly blessed.

The seasonality of my catering business (I live in a resort town in Florida that is very busy in the winter and sleepy in the summer) allows me the time for recipe development, which I love, and my interest in food photography.  

I’m a believer in using fresh, local, seasonal and organic produce whenever possible.  For me, living in Florida means taking advantage of the awesome fruit trees....mangoes, lemons, key limes, oranges, grapefruits, avocados, calamondins and list goes on.  We also have amazing tomatoes, strawberries and many other local produce especially during the winter months.  

I am married to a wonderful man who shares my enthusiasm for food.  He is a fabulous cook and we love to cook together for family and friends.  He also makes the worlds best cup of coffee!   We have two children, a precious little girl who is 7, and a handsome young man who is 14.  Both love to cook.  And Daisy, the pound pup, rounds out our family.

I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences and adventures with French tarts and my enthusiasm for food in general!

Lisa McDonnell