About Chocolate & Zucchini

Chocolate & Zucchini is a blog written by Clotilde Dusoulier, a 31-year-old Parisian woman who lives in Montmartre and shares her passion for all things food-related. Here you'll find recipe ideas and cooking inspiration, as well as musings on quirky ingredients, cookbook acquisitions, nifty tools, and restaurant experiences.

The blog was created in September of 2003 as an outlet for someone who feared her friends might tire of hearing about what she had cooked/eaten/baked/bought, although they never seemed to mind being fed dinner. One thing led to another, a bit of media attention was received, articles were submitted to and published by newspapers and magazines, a book deal was signed, a dayjob was quit, and a new life as a full-time food writer began.

A few frequently asked questions:

 

Why Chocolate & Zucchini?

It is a good metaphor for my cooking style: the zucchini illustrates my focus on healthy and natural eating: fresh produce, artisan goods, and a preference for organic and local ingredients. And the chocolate represents my decidedly marked taste for baking in general, and chocolate, glorious chocolate in particular.

Although I didn't initially think about it, I later discovered that the two ingredients make quite the happy couple, in both sweet and savory recipes.

How do I subscribe to Chocolate & Zucchini?

There are two easy ways, both of them free.

You can also follow me on Twitter, or join the C&Z Facebook page.

How can I contact you?

You can leave a comment at the end of a particular post if you'd like to add your two cents, or use the contact form about anything else. I do my best to reply to the messages I receive, but sometimes life gets in the way. I apologize in advance if that happens.

Are you French or American?

I am 100% French, born and raised in Paris, but I lived and worked for two years in the San Francisco Bay Area after I graduated from college. It is in California that I started to get interested in food and cooking -- although this may be surprising to some, it really isn't when you know how fresh and varied the food is in that region -- and my cooking was certainly influenced by this experience.

Why do you write in English?

When I first started C&Z, the handful of blogs that existed were mostly in English. And because there is a nice sense of community between bloggers, I naturally wanted the ones whose writing I enjoyed to be able to read mine. I was also coming back from two years in the US, and writing in English was a good way to stay fluent.

Is there a French version of your blog?

Yes, there is! It was started after four years of C&Z so not all the archives are translated, but my ambition is to provide a French version for most posts and recipes starting from the fall of 2007. Posts for which a translation is available are indicated by a little French flag (Reminder, this is what the French flag looks like: ) at the bottom of the page.

Are you professionally trained?

The bulk of my cooking education comes from observing my mother and teaching myself. I did take a one-year weekly class in traditional French cooking (you can read about it here), but my college education was in computer science, and I worked for five years as a software engineer in California and Paris.

Where can I find your books?

Why, thanks for asking! My first cookbook (below at left) was released in May 2007. It is available in an American edition, with cups and spoons measurements, and a British edition, with metric measurements. A French version was published by Marabout in March 2008; it is called Chocolat & Zucchini.

I have also written a book on Paris restaurants and food shops called Clotilde's Edible Adventure in Paris (below at right). It was released in the US in April 2008, and you can find out more about it, including excerpts, maps, and reviews, on the book's mini-site.

   

How can I get my book(s) signed?

You can either attend one of the booksigning events that are regularly scheduled by my publishers and myself, or, if you're unable to do so, you can order signed bookplates.

Who takes the pictures on Chocolate & Zucchini?

The pictures on Chocolate & Zucchini are all by me, unless indicated otherwise. They are also protected by copyright and all rights are reserved, which means you can't use them without my permission. This is true of the writing and recipes on the site as well.

Is there a list of your recipes somewhere?

Head over to the recipe index, where C&Z recipes are organized by date, name, and category.

How do I find my way around your archives?

You can browse the C&Z archives by date or category (links on the left navigation bar), by picture, or randomly, by clicking on the archive pick, in the right column of the front page.

I don't understand grams and liters and stuff. Can you help?

Most of the recipes on C&Z are published in both the metric and the cup/spoon system, but some of the early ones weren't. You can check the conversion page to clarify those.

I have spotted an offensive comment on your website. What do I do?

This is most likely comment spam, the blog equivalent of the lovely spam you receive in your inbox. I usually catch them, but if I've missed one I would be grateful if you could report it to me, telling me which blog entry you've seen it on.

What tool do you use for your blog?

C&Z is powered by Movable Type; the design is home brewed.

What else?

Visit the C&Z forums to chat with other readers, check out the moblog on which I post pictures taken with my cell phone, subscribe to the monthly newsletter that contains news and a digest of recent entries, use the food glossary for French-to-English translations of food terms, and play around with the plat du jour feature that generates random dish ideas.

Photography above by Maxence Bernard.
Nifty icons here and there by Mark James, Liam McKay, and Dry Icons.