More Than Words by Nikki

Alright, before you freak out I do love Emily. I am obsessed with her fabulous outfits that I could never pull off. I can’t get enough of her ridiculous love life (that is a combination of dream and nightmare for a 20 something). However, I am not a 20 anything. So, its a little hard for me to relate to sweet, naive poor choice making Emily. I am a mom who loves her life, but still dreams of going to France one day, but this post is not about my love of all things French ( I will do a post on that at some point I am sure). This is about finding someone on TV whose TRUE story is so much more relatable and truly inspirational than any fictional thing Emily could ever do in Paris.

Makenana Held of the Courageous Cooking School captured my attention the moment she started speaking in the opening of La Pitchoune: Cooking in France, a new series on HBOmax. The show tells the story of Makenna and her husband Chris Nylund and their journey of buying Julia Child’s vacation cottage in France and turning it into a cooking school for guests from around the world. Small groups come to stay in the home and take classes from the incredible Executive Chef at La Peetch, Kendall Lane. Can you even imagine cooking in the same kitchen where Julia Child herself learned how to master the art of French cooking?!

This entire project was not something Makenna had been working on since college, it was a sudden idea, a revelation to do something bold and brilliant when the opportunity presented itself. She had the courage to chase one of the biggest dreams I have ever seen and went after it with everything she had. This is what made me stop and watch the show. This is what made me get out of bed near midnight and go to my computer (not just pull it up on my phone for a quick second) and search through everything I could to know more about this brave woman and her family. This spirit of adventure is exactly what I am talking about when I tell people to Dream Big, chase your dreams at whatever age they find you.

I don’t know Makenna personally, but if it takes saving up for years or winning the lottery, one day I hope to tell her in person, as I stand in Julia’s kitchen creating some magical recipe-free masterpiece of an entree, that by chasing her own dream she inspired people around the world to go after impossible things and she should be proud.

If you enjoy cooking, love anything French or just want to be inspired to chase your crazy big dream, I highly recommend watching Cooking in France. It is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and maybe even stir up some desire to go after whatever you are dreaming of. It might be just the ingredient you need to get that idea out of your heart and into reality.

Check out the trailer for La Pitchoune: Cooking in France here or go to Magnolia Network, HBOmax or Discovery to start watching this delightful and inspirational show for yourself.

*Not a paid review in the slightest just an honest opinion I had to share and all of these beautiful pictures I got from the La Peetch website.