A Chocolate Lunch for Julie & Julia

Just the first sentence of this post from the Kitchn blog made me want to cry with jealousy:

“I went to a blogger’s chocolate lunch on Monday with Scharffen Berger chocolates that was tied into the release of the Julie & Julia film.”

As I read on, my jealousy only deepened. Jacques Pepin was there! I love him so much. He’s the French grandfather I always wish I had. And his memoir, by the way, is a wonderful read. The man has had a fascinating life.

John Scharffenberger was there too! Fun fact that I learned from my Scharffen Berger tour: they had to break his last name up into two words because Scharffenberger’s old company already had the rights to the one word version. Like Judy Logback, Mr. Scharffenberger went dark to light on his tasting, even though I’m pretty the Hershey’s run Scharffen Berger site instructs the opposite. Must try that next time.

I’ve been looking forward to Julie & Julia for quite some time now and will probably go see it on opening weekend. Another fun fact that’ll lead the remainder of this post in a decidedly non-candy direction (you’ve been warned!): I was an extra in a commencement band in It’s Complicated, then called the Untitled Nancy Myers Project, and spent an afternoon watching Meryl Streep work her movie magic next to Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski (who is tall and has a nice smile). I think she had a cold at the time.

The above photo shows two of my commencement robe-clad friends choosing to sleep instead of gawk at Meryl Streep. Because movie shoots are pretty boring. Even when Gerard Butler and his giant biceps are running past you, so close that you could reach out and give his upper arm a squeeze (I was also a instrument-wielding extra in The Bounty. Gerard Butler played my friend Jae’s trombone between takes. Jae’s the one sleeping on the left).