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The first gathering of TSLL members in Paris!
What a special and wonderful occasion (oh! and délicieux aussi!) it was, and I’d like to share with you all about it.
Meeting near the heart of Paris, just about two blocks from the Seine on the right bank you will find Alain Ducasse’s Benoit. A restaurant with one Michelin star, sitting on the corner of a very walkable part of the 4th arrondissement, the head chef is Kelly Jolivet, who became the chef before she turned 30, a goal she was determined to achieve, and she did in January 2022.
The menu is quintessential French bistro fare (have a look at the menu here), and with only one seating each evening for dinner, make your reservation and savor the entire night making your way through the courses and enjoying your company.
Enjoy our company we did! Meeting toward the tail-end of my trip in Paris on March 18th, the staff had reserved an ideally situated 5-top table, located in the main dining area, but against the wall, so we were not interrupted, yet were surrounded by two-tops enjoying their dinner. We rendezvoused at 7:30 (19h 30) and just prior to midnight, we headed out the door back into the city of Light to find our way home (a photo of my walk across the Pont Neuf bridge on my way back to my apartment is shown at the end of this post – a gorgeous night).
I am so tickled to finally have been able to meet each one of the women who joined round the table: Dani, Berni, Mariana and Grace. It was wonderful to meet each of you, to get to know you even better, and for you to meet each other. While of course, I will keep our table conversation’s content private to those at the table, it was easy to see why the time flew as we had so much to share, discover and provide encouragement as each woman shared various hopes, as well as discoveries, and we then got to know what each was passionate about, curious about, but also what they had done, learned and how they each had triumphed.
The waitstaff let us enjoy our courses at our own pace, and what a gift, but also, that is France – food is meant to gather and not to be rushed, and so I knew we were in good hands, and we were. You will see a few photos below – the entrée (first course) for me which was a pâte en croute, and then all of our desserts as well. The other courses, well, we enjoyed them, and I forgot to take photos!
I want to thank each of the Members who made the journey across the pond and the channel, made the time, took the train and rushed back to Paris as was the case for one member who was in the middle of her workweek, but made a special effort to join us, and I am so glad she did, because you each were the reason this will forever be a memory I cherish. The chemistry at the table amongst you all is hard to put into words, and I am grateful to have been present. I hope you too had a wonderful time, and thank you for making this inaugural Paris TSLL gathering the special occasion that it was.
~Round the table from lower left-hand moving clockwise: Dani joined us from Quebec, Berni from Britain, Mariana who lives in Paris and Grace who is also from Britain, then me in the lower right-hand corner.~
Upon walking back home to La Place Dauphine which is just over the bridge that I am about to walk over with a view of Pont Neuf (seen below), this sight greeted me. *sigh*. The second photo was taken after crossing the bridge also looking at Pont Neuf with La Samaritaine in the background on the corner of the bridge.
Paris you are stunning at night. Bonne nuit et jusqu’à la prochaine fois.
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I love the photographs of the lovely meal/meeting that you all enjoyed. The table setting is so gorgeous, and I love the resting place for the fork and knife. So high-end! That is a memory that you will all share forever.
How gorgeous! I love your pictures. It looked like a wonderful evening in Paris! Great food and great company. Fantastique!
A memorable evening I will forever cherish! I want to also add that it was such a pleasure to meet you, Shannon, in person, as I have been following your journey and have sought inspiration from you for many, many years. You are as delightful and genuine in real life as you are on this blog and through your videos. Thank you again for making this evening possible ❤️
Another example of what this lovely community is about . . . . possibility, inspiration, and kindness, always. Thank you, Shannon for sharing not only your own journey, but for inviting the community to come along as well. What a fabulous week!
What a lovely comment, and you are correct we are a community that can share our thoughts and ideas which keeps me coming back every week.
What a beautiful space and lovely group. The Paris by night photos are entrancing! Wonderful memories, many thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your lovely meal and environment with us. Everything looked amazing…the atmosphere, the food, the companionship. And I must commend you on your photography, you share such lovely photographs with us.
How utterly delightful, to be in person with you Shannon and fellow members of this lovely community! I really can’t imagine how fun that would be because I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone in person with whom I have a relationship such as these within TSLL…thinking about how it must have been to share and speak together for the first time in person reminds me again how very special a place you have created, Shannon! What a beautiful table which gathered together your collective sensorium in one magical set of moments. Thank you for sharing this!
What beautiful pictures and you ladies look lovely. How wonderful to dine with Shannon! Thank you for sharing that special time.
Dear Shannon and friends,
What an absolutely lovely dinner and meet-up. I was trying to soak up all the details. You ladies looked absolutely marvelous. I was enthralled with the china and table setting. So beautiful and classy!
Thank-you for sharing a sneak peak of your lovely meal!
It was indeed a truly beautiful evening and I feel so privileged for having been able to be involved! Benoit was a superb choice and is such a wonderfully French venue with an amazing ambience. The food was exquisite!
Thank you again Shannon for being such a perfect host; we had such a lot to talk about, again thanks to you for your inspirational discussion ideas. We talked all evening and the time just flew!
I feel blessed in meeting such a wonderful group of francophiles; I feel I’ve made friends for life! Warmest wishes, Berni 😘
Such lovely ladies, a beautiful restaurant and a delicious meal to be savored! I’m sure this is an experience that will be forever cherished! Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience!
What an amazing evening you lovely ladies had with Shannon! I imagine the food was divine and the ambience looked beautiful, but the connection you all made will not be forgotten. Simply beautiful!
What a wonderful venue for the ladies of TSLL to meet! Surely a special memory for all to cherish. The opportunities provided by this community are something I would never have dreamed would occur in my lifetime, but the famed and often infamous social media has created an entire realm where we can learn and study and discover that our world, as large as it is, is really rather small. In addition, I think we are all more alike than we would have guessed. We want to live well no matter what our circumstance, and we want to be kind and thoughtful. We have found that here, and your lovely photo in such a fantastic restaurant proves just that. Thank you ladies for sharing your evening with us.
What a wonderful evening this must have been. The table setting is gorgeous to start with. I can so understand how you talked and enjoyed each other all evening. This is such a fabulous community Shannon has built. It attracts such interesting women and I am delighted to be part of it.