Despite being virtual for the past two years, French Club has decided that this year they will go back to holding their meetings in school and cooking in person. Valerie Finch, the French teacher and French Club sponsor, said she is excited to “get back to our roots.”

“The past couple of years we’ve had to make changes due to the pandemic. This year we’re trying to go back to the format we had before of getting together in the same classroom, making food together and eating it as a group,” said Finch.

During the virtual years, the club had to adapt in many ways to still be able to have the students cook. Throughout last school year, they made Flan Parisien, beignets, pissaladiere, gumbo, king cake, spinach pastries, and yassa chicken. The club would buy groceries and send them off with students who volunteered to be a chef. They would then make the food and tell the rest of the club their thoughts on it during their Teams meetings.

“Participation in person is more productive than remote meetings or the guest chef format we had the last two years. We can come together as a group, cook, eat, socialize, and plan what we are doing. The social aspect is a draw for some students who participate,” said Finch.

The first meeting was on Monday, September 12, and French Club kicked it off by making crepes topped with Nutella, raspberry jam, and powdered sugar. With an attendance of 24 people, the club went through two quarts of crepe batter, leaving Finch hopeful for the future of the club. She plans to have the club make French style breakfast, charcuterie boards, gumbo, and beignets; as well as foods from Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tahiti.