Discovering the white gold of Limoges

I’m still dazed, as if in a dream, as I continue on my journey in search of everything good and beautiful.

Last week, you joined me as I got my hands on savoring and preparing Tuscan food, as well as indulging in the hospitality and old charm of Italy.

Today, we fly off to trés chic and trés romantic France. If this were just a dream, just leave me be. I’ll be fine, believe me.

In reality, my sojourn to France was the culmination of a series of discussions between me and the creative team of my weekly television program, A Taste of Life.

We wanted to share with our viewers a taste of life from the other side of the world, to give them an insider’s view of its beauteous sights and timeless appeal.

Of course, there just had to be a valid reason for us to make the trip. We all just had to step on French soil, get drunk in its splendor, and if we could bring home a breath of France in a plastic bag, we would! I’d just as much be contented breathing in its chilly air while we had the chance.

The sad truth is as much as I can regale you with our adventures and misadventures, as I take you on a firsthand tour, the best thing to do to discover France is simply to be there. I just hope you get tickled pink with enthusiasm with my tale and not turn green with envy.

In this fast paced world of business and technology, where everyone wishes to get ahead, you spend a majority of your time by working. You can’t help but discuss possible projects with friends so you can mix business with pleasure. What would make it even more interesting is if work takes you to that fascinating Old World charm of France. That’s right, gay Paris, where everyone seems to be having fun and yet gets lots of work done.

After several months of planning, convincing, budgeting and the like, the IBC-TV 13 television crew, composed of my director Khryss Adalia, producers Tessie Taylor and Lorna Feliciano, our cameraman Rommel Fullente, together with the affable Mitos Juarez of Deco Centrum, took off in style via Air France’s direct flight to Paris. We were unmindful of the 12-hour flight ahead of us because the trip proved to be a pleasurable experience.

Air France’s wonderful flight crew gave us the royal treatment. Seats were amply spacious and luxurious, and there was a wide selection of audio and visual entertainment to suit everyone’s taste.

The round-trip business class tickets of the coverage team were through the kindness of Air France Philippines general manager Louis Vergeon, with the assistance of sales manager Gabriel Braganza III and customer relations officer Tanya Taylor, who all made this wonderful and enlightening trip possible.

I’d hate to ponder over what autumn would be like in Paris, considering that we were shivering underneath layers of garments even if it was still summer. But with the temperature going down to 10° C, I wonder. With the occasional drizzle freezing us to death, we were kidding each other over how we would turn into frozen delights by the time this trip was over. It is no wonder why France is a country of affectionately expressive people, where you could occasionally spot couples snuggling in the streets – for want of warmth, I guess? Well, this would be a valid reason to find a partner to snuggle up to. Hmmm…

It was also a good excuse to shop for clothes. With all the haute couture shops in the city, this was going to be great. That was until Mitos handed us our itinerary.

Reading through the schedule, I quickly asked, "So, when do we shop? And you forgot to write where we would exhale in between takes."

Before I could get a reasonable reply, we were on the next train to Limoges. We took the train from the Gare d’Austerlitz, which is the train station heading south from Paris to Limoges and Lourdes and all the way down to Spain. We also learned how to punch in those train tickets before getting in, which was something we needed to know since we would be traveling on trains a lot.

The first class cabin seats made the three-hour trip comfortable. We had enough privacy for some briefing on Bernardaud, the company we were visiting which produces porcelain of the highest quality. Where else is the company based but in Limoges, France, the region that provides France with koalin, that white fire-proof and malleable clay, which gives porcelain its fineness and durability?

By this time, we had worked up an appetite for lunch at Chez Alphonse, where they serve the best Duck a l’Orange you can ever imagine. The chef, Gilles Dudognon, was there to meet us, as he always does with all his VIP customers from different businesses.

We tried the tomato salad with pig snout in oil and herbs – delicious. The fish in oil and vinegar, aka kilawin, was followed by the main course. Of course, we had Duck a l’Orange and Fillet of Sole. It was quite a meal that washed down with Le Picket Rouge d’ Alphonse. For dessert, we had Iles Flottantes or Floating Islands.

We went to the Bernardaud Museum where all the firm’s classic designs are on display, from works dating back to the first generation of Bernardauds to the current fifth generation, headed by Michel Bernardaud. Yes, it is still a family-run and family-owned business.

Unlike most of the famous brand names, which have already been acquired by large corporations, the personal touch and the prestige of the Bernardaud name is still there, a name that is considered to be royalty in the porcelain world. Pieces that date back to 1863, when Bernardaud was commissioned by Empress Eugenie, are intact and on display, along with its historical background.

For the current designs, we went to the Bernardaud Boutique, where they had everything from porcelain jewelry to beautiful plates, vases and lighting. Exquisite design and impeccable workmanship are the company’s trademark. Price is no object for these fascinating works of beauty which speaks a language beyond words. To purchase a Bernardaud speaks well of the buyer, an individual who aims high in life and therefore prides himself in making all the right choices in investments.

Bernardaud’s product range includes tableware, decorative items, lighting, furniture and jewelry. The designs are endless, from classic European designs to the avant-garde and to very modern fusion styles. There are an array of shapes and diversity in colors.

For the current designs, we went to the Bernardaud Boutique where they had everything from porcelain jewelry to beautiful plates, vases and lighting. Exquisite design and impeccable workmanship is the company’s trademark. This was where we started bringing out our wallet. After seeing the process of creating these beautiful pieces, the fascination over these grows more that you feel you must have a piece to appreciate.

Bernardaud’s standards are most acute that even pieces that are near perfection are often rejected for having the slightest chip not readily noticeable by the eye. These imperfect pieces are broken. Indeed, there are employees specifically assigned to this task.

I was given the chance to break a defective porcelain. Mitos shuddered at the thought. She couldn’t bear the sound of shattering plates. I did, with much gusto and fun, going crazy like a school girl as I smashed one plate after another. I’d recommend this as a fun way of relieving stress, but just don’t attempt it over someone else’s head.

When Bernardaud opened its door in 1863, the company was commissioned to create porcelain for the most prestigious tables of France. Later on, designers had to use all kinds of inspiration to reconcile the risk of art and the functional nature of objects.

For example, the first sculpted whiteware pattern, known as the Louvre, was inspired by and named after the Louvre Museum in Paris. The designer studied the different architectural designs of the former palace, from the rosaces, which decorate arches, to laurel crowns and columns wrapped in vine leaves.

Each piece carries a different aspect of the design interacting together creating mix and match architectural motifs. With almost 20 designs per year, the company aims to provide their clientele rare creations worthy of embellishing everyday life as great moments of festivity.

From the train station, Helen Huret, the English speaking, very versatile and often funny Bernardaud PR director took us on an hour-long trip by car to the main factory.

There are two main factories. One is in Oradour Sur Glane, which is 15 kilometers away from Limoges and called the "hot" factory. This is where the mixture of kaolin, quartz and feldspar are skillfully combined to obtain a porcelain of quality which is sonorous, hard and translucid. Koalin is the bone structure of this preparation, giving it whiteness, quartz brings the translucency and hardness, while feldspar acts as a blending agent and permitting its glazing.

Allow me to be a touch on the technical side, but I find the entire procedure of porcelain production fascinating. There are over 40 different steps in order to obtain high quality porcelain. There are two main techniques used.

Calibrating (of the plate) is done when the soft paste is laid on plaster molds that have been disposed on a rotating machinery. A metallic die, or caliber, will press the paste against the mold to fashion the desired piece, with its internal design shaped by the mold and its external side by the caliber.

Casting (of a coffee pot) is pouring the liquid paste in plaster molds, the porous nature of which allows the retraction of water and paste. When the desired thickness is achieved, the residual paste is removed and drained. Later, pieces will be removed from the molds when they reach the necessary hardness.

After calibrating or casting, all pieces will go through the first firing process called degourdi for a period of eight hours at a temperature of 2000°F. After the first firing, the very fragile pieces, which are remarkably porous, will be dipped by hand in a glazing bath and go through another firing process for 30 hours at 2960°F. By this point, the piece would have shrunk by 14 percent. These are now called the whites and will be taken to the various decoration workshops.

The decoration workshops or cold factory, located in Rue Albert Thomas, Limoges, is where objects are prepared according to the required style. The porcelain is cleaned and inspected and is now ready for hand-painting, encrustation or chromolithography, the process of applying a sticker-like motif directly on the piece by a trained hand.

The pieces are once again fired at temperatures between 1700°F and 2500°F, depending on the color requirement. Firing will give the color its gloss and shine.

Gold rims and platinum strokes are hand-painted and usually done at the last stage. The manufacturing process is computerized with the high tech machinery. However, when it comes to applying the designs, nothing beats the steady experienced hands of the artists. Old meets new, technology meets art and the final piece – viola! Perfection, that has been created only with the skill of an artisan who reproduces the sure gestures of his predecessors.

It was utterly hilarious, when we tried to talk to some of the employees, in our best barok French (take note: not Baroque), helplessly miming what we cannot express a la Marcel Marceau. Now I empathize, instead of smirk, at the plight of Filipinos who cannot clearly express themselves in English. It was a humbling experience. We never felt so much like promdis in our lives!

The next day, M. Michel Bernardaud and his wife Betsy showed us French hospitality at their house in the city. They were the most gracious hosts, with their four wonderful children, two sets of twins in pairs (girl and boy).

Betsy was kind enough to cook a typical full course French meal for our show. She loves to cook and had all kinds of cookbooks. In fact, she has even converted her garage into a mini-grocery, where you will find all kinds of ingredients, both local and exotic. She can even whip up authentic Pinoy adobo, thanks to her Filipina nanny, Dita, whom she loves dearly. This just goes to show you that hospitality is not a trait exclusively Filipino, as was evident in the unusual warmth and friendliness of the Bernardauds, who took us into their homes like we were long lost friends.

They’ve even extended their generosity by taking us for a trip to their country home just outside of Limoges. It was just the prettiest, coziest place I’ve ever set my sights on! Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz was right to exclaim that there’s absolutely no place like home, if this was the place you were going home to!

The Bernardauds have such an appetite for the good things in life and a generous heart to share their knowledge and wealth, with friends, both newfound and old. If they ever plan to set foot in this country, they are welcome to my abode, humble as it may seem, any day, and their children are welcome to ransack the family fridge anytime.

The Bernardauds artistic inclinations are not limited to porcelain. They are accomplished restaurateurs, as well. As a matter of fact, the following day, when we went back to Paris so I could attend a baking demonstration at the highly prominent Tea Salon, located at the Rue Royale, which was owned by the Bernardauds. I look forward to these events where I can quench my thirst for knowledge in baking to further hone my craft.

If I could live another life, I would probably be French, because I’m so much at home with its people and culture. I’m hardly homesick.

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Next week: A taste of the many splendors and undiscovered gems of Paris… Au revoir!