The PB Murals: The Countryside Wall

The corner showing the market wall and the countryside wall, above the boulangerie

The final wall in my series of murals at PB Boulangerie Bistro, in Wellfleet, MA, is all about the countryside surrounding Lyon and some very important players in the gastronomic life of the city.

 It's fair to say that wine is at least as important as food, in this region of France. While Lyon lies between Beaujolais, Burgundy and the Rhône-Alpes (and is technically situated in the Rhône-Alpes region), Beaujolais is the prevalent wine in the area, so I painted vineyards of Gamay grapes, the primary grape used in the production of this wine. Here, workers are picking the grapes to go into the season's vintage.

The gamay grape is deep purple at it's ripest. I painted my grapes a little brighter so they would show up from a distance.

The rooster is one of the most common symbols of France, but it also means good luck for a chef to have a rooster in his restaurant.
The signs point to the two big wine making regions around Lyon.

Joseph Rispoli, father of Chef Philippe, along with eleven of his buddies - all of whom are movers and shakers in the world of French food and wine - got together and bought a vineyard in Régnié, which has just begun to produce wine. The vigneron (winemaker) is Patrick Péchard, one of the twelve gourmet pals. The bottle pictured on the barrel is their wine, a Beaujolais-Villages called Cuvée Croix Penet. (I am writing a separate post about this group and their wine - coming soon.)

 

The goose who has wandered up to Joseph is a foie gras producing goose. Not only is foie gras adored all over France, but it is a staple of Chef Philippe's menu at PB Bistro. I personally can't get enough of his Seared Foie Gras with Tarte Tatin and Candied Nuts, deglazed with Sherry Vinegar. It is sweet, salty, savory, nutty, crunchy, smooth... rich and earthy, piquant and unexpected - every bite a delight for the senses! (I'll have to order it again soon, so I can take a picture to share - how's that for an excuse?!)

The pigs are so important for the vast array of charcuterie that comes from France, especially Lyon. From pâtés to sausages to hams, charcuterie in all its forms can be found on every restaurant and home table. Chef Philippe makes his own charcuterie at PB Bistro.

 The best beef in France comes from the cattle raised in and around Charolles, in the Bourgogne region, near Lyon.

A fun video of Charolais cattle being shown off at an annual festival - French pride in their animals is clearly evident!

Dotting the hillsides behind the cows are sheep and goats. Cheeses from this region come from the milk of all three animals. Some cheeses are made with a mixture of two.

Rolling hillsides with charming red-roofed towns dot the landscape. The red roofs originated with the Romans, who created terra cotta here. Almost every town has its own little antique church. Often, unexpected treasures of art, such as murals, can be discovered within their walls.

The Romans occupied this area as long ago as 43BC and Roman ruins are still plentiful in the countryside around Lyon. Here, I have painted the remains of an aqueduct, built by the Romans to carry water from local rivers to the towns, as well as to vineyards and fields for irrigation. And yes, the Gallo-Romans planted vines for wine here, all those centuries ago. Fragments of pottery found in an ancient vineyard near Gevrey-Chambertin date it to the 1st century BC.

The PB Murals: The Wine Cellar Wall

Naturellement, wine is a big part of life in and around Lyon, as the city is located between two of France's most productive wine regions - Burgundy and the Rhône valley. This cave (cellar) shows barrels of Beaujolais being aged, and the vigneron (winemaker) tasting a barrel sample, just to see how the wine is progressing (which he needs to do quite frequently, of course!)

Jack and I have met many such characters over the years - passionate about their wines and willing to share them with anyone who is likely to appreciate them. We have passed many happy hours in conversation with red-nosed and -cheeked winemakers, tasting samples from their barrels as early in the day as breakfast. Imagine - this is what they do every day!

For the story in the murals, I imagine that this winemaker is a family friend of Philippe's, and wears his PB Boulangerie Bistro apron with pride and great memories of his trip to Cape Cod.

The wooden cases of wine in front of the cave represent a variety of French wines, including some of France’s most highly prized selections.  The Pétrus is from Bordeaux in western France, but the Louis Jadot and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are from Burgundy, north of Lyon, while Châteauneuf-du-Pape is from the Rhône valley, south of Lyon.

I have had the good fortune to have tasted all of these wines, over the years, at various different meals. I was once served a Château Pétrus from 1955. (Our host had wanted to serve something from my birth year, but 1956 was a lousy year for French wines, and he had no wines from that year in his cellar...I reminded him that I had been conceived in 1955!) Known as the world's most expensive wine, I like to think I really did enjoy it for all it was worth.

The antique bottle of crème de Cassis is here because this wonderful black currant liqueur comes from Dijon, just North of Lyon. This is the special ingredient in a Kir cocktail, which also originated in this area. I adore crème de Cassis liqueur, and have made it several times at home. In fact, for many years, I had a black lab named Kir.

The very elegant mademoiselle can be clearly identified as a Parisienne, by her chic Chanel style clothing, Hermès birkin handbag and impossibly high heels. She is walking Chef Philippe’s dog, Krusty, a French black cocker spaniel.

The real Krusty (above) is totally adorable!