On the rainy autumn night of October 24, about 15 members of the Chapin Alumnae Book Club met in the lamp-lit comfort and beauty of the newly refurbished Berendsen Room. They were there to discuss The Perfectionist by Rudolph Chelminski, the portrait of the renowned Burgundian chef Bernard Loiseau, who took his own life when he thought that he might lose one of his three Michelin stars.
To offset the chill of the evening and the sadness engendered by the book, Georgette Farkas ’82, director of public relations for Chef Daniel Boulud here in New York, and her husband, Peter Trapp, arrived bearing exquisite hors d’oeuvres from Chef Boulud’s restaurant, Daniel, and some excellent wines.
After introductory remarks by Chair of the Book Club Sloane Lederer, Ms. Farkas, speaking with fluency and charm, proceeded to lead the discussion. Topics ranged from Bernard Loiseau’s bipolar disorder, which was greatly exacerbated by the pressures of his career, to the “landscape of criticism,” encompassing the influence of The New York Times and culinary guidebooks such as Zagat, Mobil, and the famous Michelin Red Guide, which will soon launch a book covering all five boroughs of New York City.
Though the main topic was a somber one, Georgette Farkas brought a sense of cheer and well-being to our evening. Bernard Loiseau would have approved. Referring once to happiness as a “dream,” he spent his life following it and trying, through the extraordinary gift of his cuisine, to provide it for others.