You may have heard it referred to as “the French 4th of July”, but this patriotic holiday is — like all things French — unassailably cooler than the rest. It’s the anniversary of the day Parisians stormed the Bastille on July 14th, 1789, releasing political prisoners and marking a turning point in the French Revolution. Now Bastille Day is a national holiday with the largest and oldest military parade in the world, and a time for people of all nationalities to celebrate French culture. This year we decided to get in on the fun by hosting our own Bastille Day celebration, complete with all the French cheese, butter, and champagne we could find. This is exactly the kind of thing the whole CS team will always say YES to. Scroll down to see our Bastille Day bash in action, and start making your own plans for July 14th.
photographed by hannah haston
Let’s be real. We really don’t ever need an excuse to party with french fries and champagne. But Bastille Day is the perfect time to indulge a few of our favorite French habits!
I’m biased towards champagne coupes over flutes (which can feel cliché and stuffy.) There’s just something very celebratory about raising a coupe to toast your friends — or in this case to everything we love about France.
Chanel, aka our resident cheesemonger, created a most epic cheeseboard situation. Do happy hours get any happier than this?
We think non!
I thought it would be fun to give our a decor a subtle nod to the newspaper and flower stands in Paris, so I covered our coffee table in vintage newsprint and filled a few vintage flower buckets with roses.
I couldn’t wait to try the Saint André, which is known as “the heavenly cheese.” A soft ripened triple cream with a bit of salty tang? Hello, heaven, is right.
Saint André is from the Normandy region in France, and it has a very accessible crowd-pleasing taste that pairs with both sweet and savory flavors. It pairs particularly well with wines from the Loire Valley region in France (where we all went for Chanel’s wedding!)
And while we’re on the subject of the Loire Valley, the Président Madrigal swiss on our cheeseboard is actually from that region. It’s a semi-hard swiss with sweet and nutty flavors that comes conveniently pre-cut for snacking convenience. I love swiss, and this one pairs perfectly with Sauvignon Blanc, Rhone Valley reds, and Pinot Noir. What’s not to love?
We kept the french theme going by spinning new and old albums — Francois Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg, and a little Daft Punk for good measure.
We served fresh bread with Président Unsalted Butter, which is the #1 butter in France! The butter quarters are rich in flavor with a subtle nuttiness — perfect for cooking, baking, or enjoying spread over a warm baguette.
Caroline and Chanel were absolutely obsessed with the Saint Agur from the Auvergne region of France. It’s a unique and intense blue cheese with a smooth, buttery finish and rich in butterfat (double créme). And it pairs perfectly with bacon, pears, fresh baguettes, and honey. Swoon.
Thank you to France for offering us endless inspiration to live and celebrate more beautifully. Bastille Day may just be our new favorite holiday…
Cheese, butter, wine, and fries? C’est la vie!
