Inspiration: An interview with Jessica Hammer
And a more about living in Toulouse
In yesterday’s post, I wrote about La Maison de la Violette and violets from Toulouse, one of the city’s most beautiful icons. Today I’d like to tell you a bit more about the city, including useful information for anyone planning a move. I’m also continuing my inspirational expat series by introducing you to Jessica Hammer from Taste of Toulouse. Jessica hosts culinary tours through the city, including one at the renowned market.
TOULOUSE
Nicknamed the ‘Pink City’ because of its characteristic rose-colored buildings, Toulouse sits on the banks of the Garonne River and is one of the cultural gems of southwest France. To the east is the old quarter with its cobblestoned streets lined with Renaissance buildings and historic monuments such as Basilique Saint-Sernin, a former Benedictine abbey built between the 11th and 13th centuries. On the pedestrianized main square, Place du Capitole, you’ll find the eponymous town hall which dates to the mid-18th century and houses the famous Théâtre du Capitole.
Toulouse has a population of nearly 487,000 and is one of the most rapidly growing cities in the country. It’s interesting to note that 30% of its inhabitants are students between the ages of 15 and 29, making Toulouse a young city and the third-largest student center in France. Toulouse is also the European leader in the aeronautics and space industries and home to aircraft manufacturers such as Aérospatiale, Airbus and EAD.
Lianna Blazquez, a buyer’s agent in Toulouse since 2017, points out that the average price for property is just under €4,000/m². “In Côte Pavée, for example, an attractive and calm neighborhood to the east of the city, this will buy a 100m², three-bedroom character apartment with terraces and balconies. Individual houses will generally command a 10%-30% premium, however,” she says.
Besides its rich heritage, Toulouse is synonymous with hearty Gason cuisine and has many excellent restaurants and markets. The covered Marché Victor Hugo, held since the end of the 19th century, brings together more than one hundred passionate vendors.
Image: Hans Westbeek MediaProductie
I interviewed Toulouse culinary expert, Jessica Hammer. Jessica moved from Chicago to Toulouse with her husband in 2017.
Where are you originally from and what were you doing before you decided to move to Toulouse in 2017?
I grew up on my family’s blueberry farm in rural southwest Michigan, but moved to Chicago after university. I lived on the far north side of Chicago for 11 years, before moving to Toulouse. While I was in Chicago, I worked for almost nine years in marketing and event planning for a small neighborhood chamber of commerce. This is where I discovered my passion for working with and supporting independent, local businesses. It also helped me realize how interested I was in food because I was always having to keep up with neighborhood restaurant openings, give people recommendations, and I even ended up managing the neighborhood farmers market that was started by our organization!
I found myself drawn to French food, and wine after a trip to Paris where I was introduced to the concept of ‘terroir.’ I had never heard of it before – since there isn’t an equivalent word in English – but it was as if someone was telling me something I had known all my life and never put into words. It’s safe to say I became obsessed – so much so, that I eventually left my job in marketing to work in a wine and cheese shop! Getting my customers excited about all of the delicious cheeses and wines – and the stories behind them – was my favorite part of the job (other than getting to taste all that cheese and wine, of course).
This dovetailed with my husband and I deciding to move to France. He was able to get an artistic visa to teach and perform a special technique of tap and jazz dance that he was bringing to France from Chicago. I was equally excited to be able to get to the root of my cheese and wine obsession and to be able to experience the concept of terroir firsthand.
Describe the area where you live.
I live in a neighborhood in Toulouse called Les Minimes. It’s a 20-minute walk north of the city center, and our apartment is right on the Canal du Midi. I love taking afternoon walks along the canal. I love living in this area because it’s a lot quieter than living in the city center, but still very close to everything. We don’t have a car, so I walk almost everywhere.
How did you go about finding a place in Toulouse?
It’s pretty difficult to find an apartment to rent in France without a work contract, but we were lucky enough to find our apartment through a friend of a friend.
Are the locals welcoming?
Yes! People in general are quite friendly and welcoming in Toulouse. Often, people hear my accent (I’ll never be rid of it) and ask where I’m from, which opens the door to further conversation. The way that Toulousains say “avec plaisir” instead of “de rien” is a perfect example of how warm this city is. I can give so many examples of people going out of their way to do nice things for each other. It’s one of the reasons that I fell in love with Toulouse.
How do you make friends in such a large city?
Making friends was one of the things I was most worried about when we moved to France, but we were able to connect with people quite quickly through several non-profit associations that we joined.
The first was the Association France États-Unis, which promoted the friendship between France and the US. The Toulouse/Midi-Pyrénées chapter has a great mix of Americans and French people who have previously lived in the US or have some other connection to the country. It’s a great way to socialize not only with expats, but also French people who are open to friendship with Americans.
The second association we joined was AVF – Accueil des Villes Françaises (Welcome from French cities). This association has different chapters in cities all over France with the goal of welcoming newcomers (whether French or foreign) to those cities. They organize free activities based around common interests, like a weekly French conversation group, sports, or other hobbies. This was a great way to meet other people who were also new to Toulouse and to practice our French!
The other resource that was instrumental was the Toulouse Area English-Speaking Forum Facebook group. This was a great way to connect with other English-speakers in Toulouse, ask questions about navigating life here, and learn about other opportunities to meet people.
How did you go about learning French?
When we first moved here, my husband and I took about six weeks of intensive classes through the Alliance Français, then several months of twice-per-week classes. That gave us a good enough base where we were then able to improve through practice in our daily lives.
What really forced me to get more comfortable with speaking French was signing up for a four-month business incubator program for female entrepreneurs that was sponsored by the region. I was nervous because it was all in French, but figured that I didn’t have anything to lose because it was free. Attending workshops in French several days per week and working with a cohort of French women really stretched my comfort zone, and I made a lot of progress during those months, in addition to getting a feel for the French style and process of entrepreneurship and business creation. My French is far from perfect, but I’m a lot more confident that I used to be!
What inspired you to give food tours in the city?
When we first moved to Toulouse, there was no way for English-speakers to learn about the food here in their/our native language. For the most part, you needed to be able to speak French to ask questions at the market, attend wine tastings and take part in other food-related activities. I started Taste of Toulouse because I wanted to give visitors – and residents – the experience I wish I had had when we first moved here: a chance to ask questions, to connect with the community, uncover the stories behind different businesses, and to learn about what was good and where to find it in my own language.
Image: Jessica Hammer
I also fell in love with all of these amazing local businesses and artisans, and I wanted to support them – both financially and by introducing them to other people. Local businesses are the cornerstone of any vibrant community, and I wanted to do my part to promote that here in Toulouse.
Describe a typical tour?
My most popular tour is of the Marché Victor Hugo. We spend three and a half hours exploring the market, learning about local Toulousain specialties, talking with various vendors, and getting a crash course in French cheese. The last part of the tour is spent gathered around a barrel at a wine shop in the market, pairing our market purchases with local wines and immersing ourselves in the convivial atmosphere at permeates the market around lunchtime.
Image: Jessica Hammer
I also have an afternoon Chocolate & Pastry tour that takes guests to six of my favorite chocolate and pastry shops in the Toulouse city center. We wander down some of the most beautiful cobblestone streets of the city, admire the luminous brick buildings, and then get to duck into small shops to taste unique local pastries, award-winning chocolates, and other gourmet treats. It’s a feast for all of the senses!
What are some of your favorite foodie places in the city?
The Marché Victor Hugo, of course! Toulouse’s largest covered market is absolutely on my ‘not-to-be-missed’ list – and it’s not just about the market!
Image: Jessica Hammer
There are a lot of amazing food businesses in the square surrounding the market, as well, including Xavier Fromagerie, which is run by Meilleur Ouvrier de France François Bourgon.
My favorite outdoor drinks spot is the river-side guinguette Pêcheurs de Sable in the park at the Port de la Daurade. It’s a really casual hangout spot with one of the most beautiful views in the city. They have wine, beer, cider, and pressed juices, as well as a simple tapas menu.
The award for literal ‘hidden gem’ goes to the restaurant Les Planeurs, in my neighborhood of Minimes. You’d walk right past it if you weren’t looking for it, but an unassuming façade hides a small restaurant with a large, shaded back terrace and some of the most impressive French ‘cuisine du marché’ that I’ve ever had. The menu changes daily based on what is in season, and the food is beautifully-presented without being fussy.
My favorite neighborhood café is the Bar Concorde, in the Les Chalets neighborhood which borders Minimes. It’s one of the oldest in the city, and it retains a lot of its Beaux-Arts charm. The classic French café tables and chairs out front just invite you to stop by for a café.
Image: Jessica Hammer
What are the advantages of living in such a big city?
After living in Chicago, Toulouse doesn’t feel like a big city to me. I’d say it’s a “right-sized” city. The city center is small enough to be amazingly walkable, but our public transportation is good enough that we easily get along without a car. It actually feels a bit like a small town, in that I often see people I know when I’m out in the city center.
We have a thriving arts and culture scene here, and there’s always interesting events and festivals to attend. There’s also a lot of youthful energy in the city, thanks to the huge university presence here. I also really appreciate the availability of international cuisine – Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, South American, Italian, African and more. Because Toulouse is the headquarters for Airbus, there’s always a sizeable expat population here, and the city is very open to foreigners.
And the disadvantages?
One of the only disadvantages that I’ve noticed is the downside to one of the benefits. It’s easy to make friends because of the large numbers of English-speakers who move here for work, but they quite frequently move away after a year or two. It’s always hard to have good friends move away, even if you now have more people around the world who you can visit!
What do you enjoy most about your life in Toulouse?
I love the pace of life here. People really make it a priority to take time to see friends, eat and drink together, and enjoy the small moments in life. It’s a good reminder that work isn’t everything – even if I love what I do!
The magic of everyday life here is really special. I’ll have drinks with a friend, and we’ll be walking through a square afterward and come across a group of people dancing the tango. Or we’re lucky enough to catch the evening golden hour, when the sunlight bouncing off the red brick buildings makes the whole city glow pink. Or drinks turns into a three or four-hour dinner where we talk about everything under the sun and don’t realize how quickly the time is going until we leave after midnight. Each time something like that happens, I want to pinch myself and say “I can’t believe I get to live here!”
What advice would you give to anyone considering moving to Toulouse?
Do it! I’ve fallen in love with the city so much more than I thought possible, and I know so many people who have the same reaction. It’s not for everyone, though, so come for a visit first. It’s a place that really calls out to you if you were meant to be here.
How has your living in Toulouse changed you?
Living in Toulouse has made me slow down and really recognize where my priorities are. So many times in my life I’ve taken for granted what I thought was important, only to realize later on that I should have been focusing on something else. Settling in a different country hasn’t been easy, but it has been incredibly rewarding. It makes you really decide what you want your life to be like, when you have to build it from the ground up. It’s challenged me to go for my dreams, even when it’s scary and I don’t feel ‘ready.; And living here has shown me that the beauty of everyday life is its own reward – that feeling like I’m in the place where I’m supposed to be. Being happy every day is my vision of success.
Image: Jessica Hammer
tasteoftoulouse.com