Our main interest these days: Making bon bons and building our business, South 'n France. We also love traveling to remote towns and villages with lots of character; hunting for old treasures in flea markets, antique stores and "brocantes". We like to cook, eat well, watch movies, and walk on the beach.
Charlene loves playing board games and sometimes manages to coerce Pascal, family and friends to indulge her in this pleasure. Pascal loves current affairs and politics and spends a lot of time getting his European news fix by watching the French news channels online.
Music
South and France could not have different taste in music. As a result, our CD collection is one of the most eclectic around. Some favorites for Pascal:
Charlene likes everyone from:
Movies
Pascal recommends (not necessarily in this order): (note: Pascal calls his wife "Charlene de Florette" because she's a dreamer like Gerard Depardieu's character in the film)
Charlene likes all of these too, but wants to add:
Television
Some people find it hard to believe that Pascal and I don't have a TV (by choice), but it's true! We're too busy making bon bons to be distracted by TV. When traveling or visiting friends with TV, we like...what else?....The Food Network! We also enjoy the programming on HGTV, TLC, and FineLiving. Charlene's friend Matt got her hooked on Project Runway last season; she visited him every week to find out what happened!
Books
Charlene is the avid reader in the family. Here are titles she recently enjoyed:
Heroes
Pascal loves the "anti-heroes" and underdogs: Clyde Barrow, and Homer Simpson. I just asked him who his favorite hero is and he replied: "Scooby Doo".
Charlene looks up to Oprah, Mama Gena (Regena Thomashauer), Florence Scovel Shinn and anybody who dared to dream and achieve greatness in their chosen field.
When creating South 'n France, Charlene Dupray and Pascal Siegler wanted to celebrate the things they love best about their respective cultures. They set out to marry the relaxed charms and gracious living of the South with the style and flair of provincial France. They would join together simple, traditional Southern pleasures with the spirit of French joie de vivre.
They knew the marriage of these concepts would work beautifully, because as a husband and wife team, Pascal and Charlene have spent years working on blending their two unique cultures into a harmonious whole. Here’s Charlene’s story of their own marriage; how South met France, how they fell in love, and the day they married:
Paris, 1993
Le Début
I had been in Paris for less than a week when I decided that I should waste no more time before pursuing my dream. I wanted to sing in a French cabaret before my year of studying abroad ended.
While studying the Entertainment section of my Fodor’s guide book, I decided that famous cabarets like the Moulin Rouge or the Folies-Bergère would not receive me with open arms, so I selected two smaller cabarets that might possibly consider adding an unknown American ingénue to their acts: Chez Felix and Chez Ma Cousine.
I had come prepared. My suitcase contained the jeans, sweatshirts and sneakers requisite for any college student, but it also included two evening gowns, a boa, elbow-length black gloves, high heels and rhinestone jewelry. I carefully applied some stage make-up, put my hair in an upsweep, donned a full-length evening gown, and hopped on the métro! I arrived at Chez Felix, music in hand, only to discover that their doors were closed.
An ice cream parlor, just across the narrow street, was open and completely empty except for the cute French guy working inside. That cute French guy was Pascal Siegler, and the rest, as they say, is history. I say it was destiny; Pascal, of course, calls it: “le destin”.
Hendersonville, North Carolina, 2000
It Took Seven Years To Get the Itch to Get Hitched
For the next seven years, Pascal and I dated—mostly long-distance. This was before the popular age of email and internet connections, so we spent thousands and thousands of dollars in phone bills, postage, and plane tickets.
Finally, on the evening of December 30, 2000, Pascal made an official proposal and asked for my hand in marriage.
New York City, 2001
Le Mariage
On February 23, 2001, Pascal and I joined hands in marriage at a small ceremony in the Big City. Our first minutes as husband and wife were quintessential New York. We laughed, we cried, we kissed, we hugged, and we walked through the doors of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, right across the street from the Disney store and the Trump Tower. There was snow on the ground, city hustle and bustle on the street, and a fairytale horse and carriage waiting to take us for a romantic ride through Central Park. The dinner and celebration that followed made for the best evening we have ever known!
Wilmington, North Carolina 2006
C'est Si Bon Bon!
Pascal and I had both found success in New York City but we both missed the kinder, gentler lifestyles we had known while growing up. During a visit down South for a family celebration, we decided to return to the sweeter, more relaxed lifestyle in my hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina. Since both of our jobs were very specific to New York, we knew we’d have to reinvent ourselves. It was the perfect time to launch a concept we had nurtured for years, the idea behind South ‘n France.
Gabiola is really running this site for me, but I check in regularly to read the posts.
I'm just glad we can all keep the world's music alive in each other. This site is really cool for that! If you want, check out my official website too---
http://www. joshuakadison. com
Peace, Love and MUSIC FOREVER! your friend, Joshua
