France Education Northwest* held its 6th Annual Celebration of Bastille Day, in Seattle, on July 8th, 11th and 12th.
The festival began with the 1st Francophile Fruit Tart Contest, on July 8th.
This friendly, prestigious event hosted by the Chef in the Hat, Thierry Rautureau, at Rover’s restaurant invited all French and Francophile bakeries and restaurants to participate. The competitors were judged on the following criteria: flavor, texture, craftsmanship, originality and presentation.
And the winner 2009 was… La Boulangerie Nantaise!
The Celebration of France continued with The Bal des Pompiers (the Firemen’s Ball) on July 11th in the Fisher Pavilion at the Seattle Center. The Firemen’s Ball is a French traditional evening of dining and dancing. Because of the culinary influence of Morocco in France, this year the 4-course dinner was prepared by the chef of Kasbah restaurant with “A taste of Morocco”.
On Sunday, July 12th, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, the Bastille Day Celebration unfolded beyond the Fisher Pavilion onto the lawn and into the Center House.
This year's festival featured:
- Live music with renowned musicians and bands such as Pearl Django, La famille Leger, and Eric J Kaiser
- Cooking demonstrations by well known chefs from Seattle restaurants
- Several French wine tastings presented by experts within the wine industry
- Children’s activities to enable young children to learn more about France while having fun
- Artist's workshop for children
- Association exhibitions
- Soccer tournament
- And, AS ALWAYS, great French Food.
