Boulange Blues

So as you may have noticed from some of my previous posts, I have a serious obsession with La Boulange Bakery here in San Francisco.  Unfortunately, I can't visit them on a daily basis since their doors open at 7am and I need coffee in advance of my 6:30am run (there's nothing like watching the fog fade as the sun peaks up behind the city). 

Some days, however, my run waits to say farewell to the sun instead in which case I spoil myself with a sunrise trip to my favorite pâtisserie.  This morning happened to be one of those extra special mornings.  Upon walking in, I stumbled across an old postcard advertising a unique Boulange event:

In the spirit of the true French bakery, where friends and neighbors go to connect and mingle, La Boulange is proud to announce La Boulange Fridays. Each Friday we will cook to benefit one charity.

Enjoy an evening with hosts Pascal Rigo, Owner and Baker, and Alain Bourgade, Chef de Cuisine, with a welcoming aperitif and three course family style meal prepared from our ovens.

At the end of each evening we ask guest to donate what they wish. La Boulange will match the night's donations up to $5,000. 

I had seen this postcard for the first time months before - 7:03am, Friday, May 27, 2011 to be exact.  Upon eyeing the card on that sunny May morning, I was euphoric, snatching it up, stuffing it in my purse, and sprinting into the office almost forgetting to pick up my freshly brewed americano which was waiting for me at the end of the coffee bar.

Within 30 minutes of arriving at the office, I hit send on the following:

From: Katherine Krieg [mailto:Katherine.Krieg@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 8:05 AM
To: leah@laboulangebakery.com
Subject: Boulange Friday non-profit recommendation - Reclaim Childhood Inc.

Dear Boulange,

I have two great (non-human) loves in life: Boulange and Reclaim Childhood, a non-profit I co-founded and now help run that is dedicated to bringing the benefits of sport and play to Iraqi refugee girls (see www.reclaimchildhood.com).  When I strolled into Boulange this morning for my daily Americano + fruit, granola, and yogurt, I could not have been more excited about your postcard announcing the new Boulange Fridays.

I am a Boulange obsessionado.  In the year and a half I’ve been living in San Francisco, I have enjoyed countless delightfully delicious Boulange macaroons (seriously the best in the city and I’ve done my rounds), sipped no less than 300 Americanos (there’s no espresso like yours), found myself going well out of my way for your egg scrambles, and have brought your madelines, financiers, and mini cookies into my office on countless special occasions.  (As an aside, I once had a Swiss friend – now my boyfriend – claim that the US could not make any decent croissants.  I promptly brought him a Boulange almond croissant and he now insists we visit you for breakfast whenever possible so he can enjoy his favorite treat.) 

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Having Boulange host a Boulange Friday in honor of Reclaim Childhood would be more than a special treat for me, it would be an exceptional opportunity for Reclaim Childhood.  In only its third year of operation, the organization is small and growing..  Five thousand plus dollars would have an incredible impact on the organization – the amount is enough to:

-fund an entire week of summer sports camps for 75+ Iraqi refugee girls, or

-pay the salary for an Iraqi refugee woman to coach a soccer team in RC’s fall league, or

-run 1 full year of Saturday sports clinics.

As us sporty San Franciscans know, sport has the power to instill confidence, hope and ambition in its participants. Team oriented games at all levels provide the psychosocial support necessary to improve self-esteem, strengthen peer relationships and foster leadership. Recent studies show that girls who participate in sports are more likely to participate in society and achieve success off the playing field.  Today, girls living in the Middle East have few opportunities to play sports.  Due to limited resources, refugee families tend to favor sons over daughters, creating a situation in which fun and education are too seldom reliable outlets for Iraqi refugee girls. Reclaim Childhood seeks to change this, giving girls the opportunity to see themselves as real competitors - on and off the field. 

Reclaim Childhood provides sports leagues, clinics and summer camps to Iraqi girls ages 8 – 18, and coaching clinics to adult women. The organization is run by young women for young women.  None of the organization’s Directors, myself included, receive any consumption for their work – we all work other jobs and savor the free time we have to dedicate to this incredibly important cause.  

If you were to select RC as a charity for a Boulange Friday, I promise an ample turnout as well as a plethora of beautiful photos of our young athletes to decorate the bakery that evening – see attached photos for some examples.  Again, we would be beyond thrilled at the opportunity.  Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can provide any additional information at this point.

Thanks!

KK

     

I KNEW I had it in the bag.  How could they say no to those adorable little Iraqi faces?  I promptly emailed the RC team to tell them the fabulous news about our fantastic new fundraiser. 

A few days went by and I hadn't heard from Leah.  But I wasn't nervous.  Not one little bit.  Quite to the contrary: I went and bought myself a pretty box of a macaroons to celebrate my impending philanthropic pastry picnic victory.

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A few days turned into a week and then two.  FINALLY, on the 14th of June, I got a little note from my friends at Boulange:

We’ve selected organizations through August, so our next review will be for the September La Boulange Friday.  I’ll let you know if Reclaim Childhood is selected to be the beneficiary.

September?  That seemed like AGES away.  Oh well, I thought, I guess I'll just have to distract myself while on their premises with a little bit of this:

 

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Fortunately for me, my method of distraction worked quite well.  (Oh, the power of carbs!)  I had completely forgotten about my long-lost submission until my spotting of the Boulange Fridays ad this very morning. 

Seeing that little card, and discovering that (given it was now October) I was likely NOT on their list of selected beneficiaries for September, immediately drop-kicked my mood.  As the cheery, charming barista brewed my favorite beverage, I couldn't help but scowl at her.  She's going so slow, she's making it all wrong, she's wearing too nice a dress, my thoughts sneered.  As my boyfriend strolled in to collect me (the line had been long), he saw my dirty face and immediately attempted to calm me down talking rationally about how whatever was ailing me was likely not the fault of this poor, young maiden. 

Eventually, I came to my senses and was able to get out of there without making too much of a scene.  By the time I got to the office, my mood was back to moderate, so I manned up and crafted a check-in with Leah:

From: Katherine Krieg
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:11 AM
To: 'leah@laboulangebakery.com'
Subject: RE: Boulange Friday non-profit recommendation - Reclaim Childhood Inc.

Hi Leah,

I hope this email finds you well.  I just wanted to touch base and see if you might consider Reclaim Childhood for an upcoming Boulange Friday.  As I mentioned in my previous email, the organization would be absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to showcase our great work in one of our favorite San Francisco whereabouts.

I look forward to hearing from you.  Thanks very much for your time and consideration.

All the best,

Katherine

 

So while I might not have earned that victory box of macaroons quite yet (too bad it's already been eaten), I - in true KRIEG family style (yes, my last name means war in German, more on that soon) have not given up. 

Boulange - I love you unconditionally, even if you do not feel the same.

xoxo

KK