Annette Sampon

Bonjour, my name is Annette Sampon-Nicolas, and I was born in Belgium, moved to Wisconsin in the US, lived in France, Belgium, and Portugal. I just retired from Hollins University after 37 years of teaching French, international and environmental studies in both French and English. I taught my first food course on French food and then the class turned into global food and environmental food issues. The courses always had an experiential side and I was fortunate to cook with students from around the world. I have been a gourmande ever since I can remember and I have always been passionate about foods from around the world. I would like to write a cookbook of my food memories for my children who have both grown up to be amazing innovative cooks. My son often calls for one of my recipes and I always must tell him- they aren’t written down- I just use my intuition and experience. My project is to write this personal memoir where food plays an essential part of who I am. I have always cooked for others- whether in my studio apartment, in Paris or Dijon for my best friend’s family or her parties, for the international co-op, or putting myself through graduate school cooking for 30 students at the French House at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. My greatest influence is without a doubt my Belgian mother who was an extraordinary woman and cook, with boundless curiosity about other cultures.