The best Festival for lovers of all things French! End of November marks a very exciting time of the year for all French lovers: “Paris to Provence”, Melbourne French Festival is on at Como House and Gardens (South Yarra). This year, I had cancelled my participation as an exhibitor due to my pregnancy (I’ve just entered the third trimester!), which gave me the opportunity to enjoy the festival as a visitor. You may already have seen some of the Melbourne French Festival pictures that I’ve posted on my Facebook and my Instagram. Talking about pictures, I won second place at the photo … Read More →
FV 029 : Gâteau à la Broche – the Cake on a Spit!
In this episode of French Voices, we’re going to gather around the fireplace the South of France, in the Pyrenees! As you warm up, learn about a very unusual cake, the gâteau à la broche (literally "cake on the spit"). This is a local specialty which I only discovered around two years ago in "Qui sera le prochain grand patissier?", an excellent French patisserie competition on TV. This very unique cake was presented by Bernard Laqueyrie, the man who contributed to revive the tradition of gâteau à la broche. Bernard has accepted to share his story and the history of the gâteau à la broche with … Read More →
FV 028 : Discover New Caledonia (Part 1)
Fasten your seat belt, today we’re flying to an exotic French territory: New Caledonia! Franck, the lovely person in charge of the reception of the Nouméa Tourist Office shares his knowledge of New Caledonia and the local culture. We’ll talk about what there is to see around the islands, travel tips, the traditional dish and local customs and the sense of belonging and identity of the Caledonians. So Franck has also become addicted to French Voices, which is one year old now! So you’ll also hear me celebrate 28 interviews with fascinating people…with a song! Episode Timeline [05 min 30 sec] … Read More →
FV 026 : Caramelicious, Award-Winning Salted Caramel
How does one transition from being a French professional horse-rider to becoming an award winning caramel-maker in Australia? This is Rémi’s unusual story! One thing’s for sure: passion shines throughout his story. In this episode, you will find out how Caramelicious was born and how this small business grew. You’ll also learn about the technical challenges that Rémi (and Breena!) had to work around, and if you are in Melbourne during the upcoming Paris to Provence French Festival in November, drop by and have a taste of the caramel yourself! (If you’re not in Melbourne, don’t worry: you can … Read More →
FV 024 : A Year as an Au Pair in Australia
A working holiday visa is the perfect way to travel and be able to work to finance your trip or simply to learn the language. That’s what Sabine is doing: she is currently working as an au pair in a family in Sydney. Sabine will tell us why she decided to go to Australia, how she found her host family and what her typical day is like. She’ll also share her plans of travelling. If you have some suggestions and tips for Sabine to enjoy the travelling part of her stay in Australia, you’re welcome to use the comment section at the bottom of the show notes. Stay tuned after the interview if you … Read More →
FV 023 : Behind the Scenes of SBS French Radio with Christophe Mallet
Have you ever heard about the Australian radio called SBS? Wherever you are in the world, you can listen to it live or in podcast (so, it’s very good for more French exposure!). SBS broadcasts in many languages including French, and a few weeks ago, I met Christophe Mallet, the executive producer for the French program. He invited me and gave me a tour of the studios. I also attended a live broadcast and got interviewed about French Voices podcast. (You can listen to this short interview too, the link is in the shownotes below). In today’s episode, Christophe and I switched roles and I … Read More →
FV 022 : Marie Aubinais, the Author of “Petit Ours Brun” stories for French Children
Meet Marie Aubinais, author of Petit Ours Brun stories. Every French toddler knows this famous childhood character! Marie will tell us how she became the author of Petit Ours Brun, how she chooses the topics of the stories, what inspires her and also what challenges she needs to take into account when writing for her very young audience. Last, but not least, Marie will also raise awareness about the importance of exposing children to books from an early age. Episode Timeline [04 min 24 sec] History of Petit Ours Brun: the birth of a childhood hero [07 min 35 sec] How Marie started to write … Read More →
FV 021 : Me on the Radio !
This episode is a bit special, because it’s an interview... of myself! In July I was invited as the guest for the weekly French program of a community radio, the Pulse (Broadcast is every Thursday 6-7 pm Melbourne time). This first radio show was a great experience. Here is the recording of our interview – I’ve edited the songs and the commercials for copyright reasons Episode Timeline [04 min 04 sec] How I met my husband [06 min 51 sec] A passion for travelling [07 min 58 sec] A romantic engagement [09 min 30 sec] Facts about my hometown [10 min 27 sec] My studies [11 min 40 sec] … Read More →
FV 020 : French Fashion, Tips and Faux-Pas with Caroline from Fren’CHIC Touch
In today’s episode, we’ll talk about fashion with personal shopper and image consultant Caroline from Fren’CHIC touch. Boys, stay tuned, it’s not only for girls! We’ll try to put words on what it is that makes French fashion so different and so famous all around the world. Caroline will give you her top fashion tips and we’ll also discuss fashion faux pas! At the end of this episode, you’ll also get a special offer from Caroline. Episode Timeline [05 min 18 sec] Where Caroline is from [07 min 14 sec] Arriving in Melbourne [09 min 34 sec] Struggles with English [10 min 44 sec] How … Read More →
FV 019 : Virologist Serge Talks About his Work, the Difference Between French in Quebec and France, and Dancing
Serge is a marine virologist from Quebec now living in Australia. In this episode, we cover a broad range of topics such as Serge’s profession, the differences between the French from Quebec and from France (school system, language, accent, social differences). We also talk about Serge’s involvement with some events organised by Alliance Francaise de Geelong and his hobbies. If you like this podcast, I would love for you to leave a review on iTunes! I’ll read out a few reviews in the next episode. :) Episode Timeline [05 min 26 sec] Quebec and Montreal [06 min 38 sec] Chicoutimi [09 min … Read More →