Cassoulet Confessions: Food, France, Family and the Stew That Saved My Soul

Cassoulet Confessions is an enthralling memoir by award-winning food and travel writer Sylvie Bigar that reveals how a simple journalistic assignment sparked a culinary obsession and transcended into a quest for identity. Set in the stunning southern French countryside, this honest and poignant memoir conveys hunger for authentic food and a universal hunger for home. In Cassoulet Confessions, Sylvie travels across the Atlantic from her home in New York to the origin of cassoulet – the Occitanie region of Southern France. There she immerses herself in all things cassoulet: the quintessential historic meat and bean stew. From her first spoonful, she is transported back to her dramatic childhood in Geneva, Switzerland, and finds herself journeying through an unexpected rabbit hole of memories. Not only does she discover the deeper meanings of her ancestral French cuisine, but she is ultimately transformed by having to face her unsettling, complex family history.

Sylvie's simple but poetic prose immerses us in her story: we smell the simmering aromas of French kitchens, empathize with her family dilemmas, and experience her internal struggle to understand and ultimately accept herself.

- “Deliciously weaving her story and memories into one of the most classic and unforgettable dishes in French cuisine–the cassoulet, Sylvie's book feeds the mind, spirit, and stomach.”
–Dominique Ansel, chef/owner, Dominique Ansel Bakery

- "Like its eponymous dish, Cassoulet Confessions is a delicious slow-simmered concoction. Sylvie Bigar blends personal memoir with culinary research, history, and lore and the result is a heartfelt ode to terroir, family, and all the places we call home."
–Ann Mah, bestselling author of The Lost Vintage and Mastering the Art of French Eating

“Sylvie is an eloquent writer who fervently weaves her culinary adventures with tasty moments of her life.”
–Daniel Boulud, chef & restaurateur

“Sylvie Bigar tripped my trigger. As a lover of food, travel, family relationships and unique memoir I loved the journey Sylvie takes us on. Throw a log on the fire and get out your favorite cassoulet recipe!”
–Andrew Zimmern, chef & author