A taste of Europe in the Berkshires

By Kate AbbottPrint Story | Email Story
Jean-Francois and Helen Bizalion stand in front of their counter at Bizalion's Fine Food, in aprons from Marseilles made from 19th century linens. (Photo By Kate Abbott)
GREAT BARRINGTON — Going to Bizalion’s Fine Food is like going to places you can find in Italy and France and even in Spain, if you drive between Mont-de-Marsan and Grenoble, according to Jean-François and Helen Bizalion: You stop because you want to buy groceries and then you stay at the shop to eat because the smell of prosciutto and goat cheese and olives is irresistible. The Bizalions opened their shop on Route 7 across from the racetrack two months ago, and they hope to expand it into a restaurant this winter. They are in the final stages of getting permits from the town, they said last week. Jean-Francois Bizalion said they will “extract” from what they sell at the shop, so that people going to the restaurant can walk through and ask for a plate of olives, cheese and charcuterie (cold meats), chocolates and a bottle of wine or a cappuccino, for example. The restaurant will offer what they sell already and a few other items — ratatouille, Boeuf Bourguignon and simple, rustic food, he said. “People have wanted to do this, to sit down after making their purchases and have something to eat in the shop,” he said. They have not been able to do so because the Bizalions did not have the right permits. By the end of January, they hope to be able to invite customers to share some fine wine or a very good “vin du table” for everyday consumption. They will put one big bottle on the table and everyone can sit and drink around it, they said. Another thing the Bizalions would like to encourage is a French evening for people who want to speak or learn French and eat French food. “People can have a nice time instead of sitting in front of boring blackboards,” Jean-Francois Bizalion said. Six or eight people could also book a table together, and the Bizalions could make them a dish like cheese fondue. They will cook regional French food — nothing too fancy, no puff paste or quiches, but pasta with cheeses and herbs. “It will be an indoor picnic but very savory. This is the stuff we sell. This is the stuff we love. This is the stuff we eat,” he said. In warmer weather, the Bizalions would like to have café tables outside, he said. Both he and his wife are outdoor people. When they lived in New York, they often had picnic lunches, bread and prosciutto in the park, along the river or on the beach in Brooklyn. Helen Bizalion is Irish, and her husband is a native of Provence, France. They moved to the Berkshires from New York in late August. “We wanted to change our life. Helen grew up in Dublin, which was small when she was a child, and I grew up in the countryside, and we have a young baby,” Jean-Francois Bizalion said. “Last year, we spent three months in Italy and a month in France and traveled to Ireland five times to source products. We experimented with food bought in outdoor markets and cafés.” They loved the Italian eateries where they could get coffee and a pastry and have it standing at the counter, he said. In France, they boil eggs in the mornings, and people peel them and eat them at the shop counters. More and more, they found importance in small enjoyments like this, Jean-Francois Bizalion said. Neither one has run a shop before, but as kids, each had separately started in an entrepreneurial line. Helen Bizalion raised gerbils, made cages for them and sold them to pet shops. Her husband raised chickens when he was 12 and sold their eggs to his neighbors, he said. He had a garden, too, and provided his mother with vegetables and herbs — tomatoes, sage, basil, summer savory. “Another thing we both wanted to do was live in foreign countries. We met in New York,” he said. For the Bizalions, the Berkshires qualify as a foreign country, and they are hoping their shop and restaurant will provide the flavor of France, Italy and Spain to its natives.
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Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street. 
 
With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.
 
This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.
 
Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.
 
Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.
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