1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 492 Almonds and Chocolate
The first Provence dessert competition will be held at the end of the month in Aix-en-Provence, the art capital.

More than fifty strong local contestants had to complete dessert-themed works given by the judges within a specified time.

To attract more tourists, the competition was not held indoors, but on Aix-en-Provence's most famous Boulevard Mirabeau. After the competition, the contestants could also display their work for a week on this famous avenue, which is on par with the Champs-Élysées.

Via Mirabeau is a must-see attraction for tourists visiting Aix-en-Provence, bar none. It's safe to say that the entire period from late May to early June will belong to dessert lovers in Aix-en-Provence.

To persuade Ronan to participate in this culinary event tailored for Aix-en-Provence by the Provence Culinary Association, Llorente hinted more than once that Ronan would definitely achieve great results in the event.

Sure enough, before Ronan and the others set off for Aix, the careless Mr. Llorente inadvertently let slip the theme of the competition over the phone.

The theme of this competition is almonds and chocolate.

Making desserts outdoors not only places higher demands on the venue setup, but also greatly impacts the contestants' on-site preparation skills.

While the pastry chef is frantically working on their creation, hundreds of people might be watching you from just a few meters away, and a large portion of them could be 'foodies' from Provence who will score each dessert during the preparation stage.

To ensure everything went smoothly and to participate in the competition in the best possible condition, Ronan and his team set off for Exx two days in advance. They needed to get used to the venue, the equipment, and the feeling of making desserts in front of a large audience.

This should be Ronan's last time personally participating in a food event this year. He won't be personally attending any of the following events, so both the restaurant staff and Ronan himself are taking this dessert competition very seriously.

Ronan and Leah, as the main force, had to go, but in order to ensure the smooth operation of the restaurant, the other women who made desserts could not go to Aix to help. So Luo Tianhai arranged four helpers for them, all of whom were smart, quick-witted, and particularly capable. The first one to take the lead was naturally Isabel.

"Isabel, isn't X your favorite? We're almost there, why aren't you excited at all?"

There were many people going this time, and they also needed to bring a lot of tools that Ronan and Leah were comfortable using. Ronan borrowed a large van to drive. He saw that everyone else was very excited on the road, but Isabel was silent. However, as everyone knows, Isabel has liked X since she was a child, so Ronan took the initiative to ask her why.

Isabel rested her head on the car window and said dejectedly:
"I'll be away for more than a week this time and I'm a little homesick."

"You're already homesick after just getting out?" The girl next to her covered her mouth and said with a big smile, "I think you're just missing people, aren't you?"

Isabel, in a fit of rage, punched her:
"What nonsense are you spouting now!"

The two girls quickly started fighting.

"Alright, stop teasing Isabel," an older woman in the back row said, trying to dissuade them.

"Hmph, I'll give Allen face and not stoop to your level." Isabel continued to lean her head against the window.

The woman named Allen in the back seat secretly glanced at Leah, who was sitting in the passenger seat:
"Lia, Vieri has his high school exams at the beginning of the month, right? How's his preparation going?"

Isabel immediately perked up her ears.

The dessert competition was to be held at the end of May, but the girls would have to stay here for another week to set up their stalls. By the time they returned, Vieri would have finished his exams. Isabel was naturally worried.

Lia will also miss Vieri's exams, but she's in much better shape than Isabel:

"Before he left, I only encouraged him to keep going and didn't ask how his preparations were going. Vieri is so old, what doesn't he understand? I didn't want to put any more pressure on him."

Ronan also visited Vieri before departing:

"Vieri refused to take Louis and Zoe to the examination hall on the days of their exams, saying that they were just two ordinary days and that we should not make a fuss about them."

After saying that, Ronan glanced at Isabel in the rearview mirror:

"I think Vieri is in good condition and has a good mindset, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Isabel's condition visibly improved, and seemingly in an effort to shake off her current emotions, she initiated a conversation about the match:
"The theme of this dessert is almonds and chocolate. I thought it would be something like 'hope,' but I didn't expect them to just give us the names of the ingredients."

Ronan had also thought about this question before and shared his understanding:

"This dessert competition was specially designed for Aix-en-Provence by the Provence Culinary Association, with the aim of adding the title of 'the dessert capital' to Aix-en-Provence. When it comes to desserts in Aix-en-Provence, the first thing that comes to mind is caliceson made with almonds. Besides caliceson, chocolate is the most common pairing with almonds, so this makes sense."

Isabel muttered to herself:

"Why not call it 'Almond Capital' or 'Chocolate Capital'? What's so great about calling it 'Dessert Capital'?"

Ronan smiled and shrugged:

"Because the titles of 'Almond Capital' and 'Chocolate Capital' have already been claimed, there aren't many options left for other cities."

In Europe, Javier in Spain is recognized as the 'almond capital', while when it comes to chocolate, Europeans first think of Bruges in Belgium.

Allen asked Ronan in amazement:

"The event can be customized? Just for another title?"

Ronan pursed his lips:

“If a place has a well-known title, it will attract a large audience, which is very important for cities and villages. I heard that the government of Aix has invested a lot of money and resources in this dessert competition. Their goal is to make it a continuous local food event, not just something to do for one or two sessions.”

Isabel sat up straight and asked Ronan:
"Are you ready for such an important event? Have you decided what desserts to make?"

Ronan tapped the steering wheel with his index finger:
"Lia and I have already discussed it, and we have a lot of ideas and thoughts. We probably won't just make one piece."

"I heard there are only 90 minutes left. Is that enough time?" Allen asked worriedly.

The main tasks of these women who came to help were to do the preliminary preparations, equipment debugging, odd jobs, and the later booth display. During the competition, only the contestants were allowed to operate the equipment.

Ronan smiled and pointed at Leah:
"I'll go to the competition with Leah. The two of us will definitely have enough time to coordinate."

"Is Leah going to the competition too?" A group of women in the car erupted in a sharp, loud shout.

Everyone knows that the organizing committee invited Ronan, an artist specializing in dessert art. Without this background, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to come to Aix-en-Provence.

Moreover, before coming, Ronan told everyone that the other contestants in this competition were either Michelin-starred restaurants or famous local dessert shops, or at the very least, established bakeries that had won bread competitions. Including Ronan, everyone was a true star in the Provençal dessert world.

You're telling me now that Leah is on this list too? It feels as shocking as hearing that your neighbor, old Charlie, has been invited to carry the Olympic torch.

Ronan gave Leah an encouraging look and said firmly:
"This time, Leah and I will participate as a team. Leah will be responsible for the preparation of the dessert base, and I will assist her. I will take the lead in the later styling, and she will assist me. We have worked together several times before and are already very skilled."

In France, the format of participation in culinary competitions (individual vs. team) depends primarily on the competition rules, the level of competition, and the nature of the theme.

In the earliest days, culinary competitions in France only allowed individual competitions, purely based on individual skill.

However, in the early 80s, a famous French chef made a statement on television: "One person can go fast, but a team can go far." Since then, teamwork has become the new standard for formal culinary activities.

The Aix Dessert Competition is a local event with commercial aspects, and it is not a formal food competition. The organizing committee does not have mandatory requirements for individual or team participation, but the number of team members cannot exceed 2, mainly due to the limitations of the outdoor competition venue, which cannot support too many participants.

Ronan had previously consulted with Llorente, and it turned out that the vast majority of the contestants had registered under the names of restaurants, dessert shops, or bakeries. It seems that everyone shares the same goal as Ronan.

In that case, Lydia can certainly participate.

Ronan was in charge of the 'form' part. Although Leah had been cramming for a month or two, she was still quite far behind Ronan in terms of styling.

Lia is in charge of the 'flavor' part. With her experience and ability, she can definitely create the dessert base flavor that will drive Provençal people crazy.

After receiving the competition theme, Ronan and Leah began to work together.

The two people each perform their duties and cooperate with each other to strive for a result greater than 2.

Leah is no longer the timid, hesitant, and self-denying housewife she was last year. She is a role model for the women of Lourmaran, the best of them all.

When Leah learned that Ronan wanted her to participate in the competition, she agreed without hesitation. It was her responsibility to live up to Ronan's trust and her family's encouragement.

Faced with new challenges, Leah's attitude is to confront them head-on and never run away:

"Let's head straight to Mirabo Avenue and see where we are first."

Ronan looked away from Lydia's face.

Although it's not quite appropriate to say it like that, he saw Zoe's shadow in Leah.

Indeed, confidence is a woman's greatest charm.

Ronan took a car full of people directly to Mirabeau Avenue.

The dessert competition is still two days away, but the avenue lined with forty-four towering sycamore trees on both sides is already filled with the atmosphere of the competition.

The designers of Via Mirabeau were obsessed with numbers; the width of the street had to match the height of the buildings.

Whether it's the cafes, restaurants, hat shops, and bookstores on the south side, or the law firms, banks, real estate agencies, and judges' buildings on the north side, they all strictly adhere to this rule.

The other elements along the entire avenue further highlight the magic of numbers.

Mirabo Avenue is 444 meters long and 42 meters wide, lined with 44 plane trees and has four fountains.

According to previous information, the dessert competition will be held near the last fountain, but a large amount of promotional materials for the competition can be seen near the first fountain, the 'Garden Pavilion Fountain'.

Ronan stood in front of a billboard and noticed five or six sponsor names below the match announcement, clearly indicating that the event was a great success.

I wonder how many of these customers, like Bernard, were attracted by Ronan's name.

"If only my name were this useful every time, then Lourmaran could attract sponsors for events in the future," Ronan remarked.

The expansion of Lourmaran includes the construction of professional event venues, and once the venues are completed, the issue of hosting events will be considered.

Ronan was worried for Blanco.
Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the loud talking of the women behind him.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that two people were arguing about who was depicted on the fountain in the garden pavilion.

The men of Luberon only had the opportunity to visit Aix or Apte once every year or two unless there were special circumstances, and some of the women had only visited a few times from childhood to adulthood, which is why Isabelle longed for Aix so much.

I haven't been here often enough to see everything in Aix-en-Provence, so naturally I don't know the history and meaning of each fountain.

Seeing Ronan approach, Allen pulled him aside and asked:

“Ronan, these three at the very top are the gods who govern justice, commerce, and agriculture, don’t you agree?”

Another woman gave the version she heard:
"They are the gods who govern architecture, art, and trade—yes, those three!"

Ronan looked up at the 12-meter-high fountain, and the things Zoe had once told him came to mind.

A year ago, Ronan sent Zoe to Aix for further studies. The two were reluctant to part and sat under this fountain for a whole afternoon, chatting about everything under the sun.

It was that experience that made Ronan realize he had fallen for this girl from Provence.

"The circular base of the Round Pavilion Fountain is 32 meters in diameter, surrounded by four pairs of lions, and topped with three marble statues, each sculpted by a different artist, facing a different direction." Zoe's description of the fountain is still vivid in Ronan's mind; he even remembers what she was wearing and what accessories she was carrying. "The statue facing Boulevard Mirabeau symbolizes justice; the statue facing Boulevard Belgian leading to Marseille symbolizes trade and agriculture; and the statue facing Boulevard Napoleon Bonaparte leading to Avignon symbolizes art. This fountain is also known as the Fountain of the Three Goddesses."

Everyone believed Ronan's explanation without a doubt, especially since he provided so many details.

“Ronan is amazing, he knows everything.” Allen smiled at Leah, “He’s even more knowledgeable than us Provençal locals.”

Ronan smiled and continued walking forward:
“I’m not very good at this. There are many things I don’t know, especially about history and geography. Zoe told me about these things. She told me a lot about the story of this fountain, but I only remember a little bit of it.”

He turned around and said proudly:
"My goddess is the most amazing."

Leah couldn't stop smiling.

Ronan is such a good kid, so good!
We need to give it our all in the competition!!

(End of this chapter)