French heritage
French heritage cuisine represents the influence of French cuisine and my French heritage. My grandmother on my mom's side was from northeastern France. After World War I, my grandparents settled in Los Angeles and became part of the early days of California cuisine, bringing with them a French influence. I grew up in Los Angeles in the '70s and '80s and experienced West Coast cuisine. My mom has been an extraordinary cooking influence. I enjoy culinary and food science at the home cook level and appreciate creating entertaining dishes. I explain and demonstrate the use of many premade and unique ingredients, along with related recipes. This includes historical recipes, comments on various equipment and methods, as well as food-related gift recommendations.
Home cooking is one of my interests. My career background is in engineering, which gives me a related interest in food science. I draw on family history, heritage, and traditions in the kitchen. For recipe research, I utilize a decent array of cookbooks and recipes collected by my family for over half a century, as well as other new and old resources. I enjoy collecting cookbooks and gaining insights into how the French have shaped the world’s cuisines over history. One of the best aspects of home cooking is the joy of entertaining family (wife and a twenty-something son and daughter) and friends with a nice meal. Within the pages on this site, you will find links to food items, kitchen tools, and gifts. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you, John Kahl
Thank you for visiting French Heritage Cuisine, John
Baking in France
During World War I, my grandfather worked as a baker for the US Army Quartermaster's Bakery No. 8 in France. He married my grandmother in France before they settled in Los Angeles.
My grandfather - US Army Quartermaster's Bakery No. 8 - France World War I.
The Cafeteria Era of Los Angeles
My grandfather served as the head baker at Schaber's cafeteria in Los Angeles for many decades, which flourished during the golden era of big cafeterias. He also briefly worked at Clifton's Cafeteria before returning to Schaber's.
Mission Pak Los Angeles
My French-born grandmother worked for many decades at Mission Pak, designing gift baskets and setting up Mission Pak store displays in the Los Angeles area. My mother also worked at Mission Pak, punching holes in apricots before they went into the cooker. Mission Pak became known for exporting enjoyable California-grown dried fruits, nuts, and other foods to the rest of the country. Mission Pak grew to offer various products ranging from fruit baskets to decorative redwood boxes filled with dried fruits, spice sets, and other shippable gifts. Mission Pak had expertise in shipping food-related gifts. Their products were shipped in packaging often printed with "Mission Pak Gifts of Sunshine from California."
My grandmother is on the right in front of an enormous Mission Pak store display in 1956.
