CHICAGO – You don’t have to travel far to get a taste of France in Chicago.
One weekend in November, the halls of the Lycee Francais School are transformed into a market to start the holiday season.
“It’s grown so much and yeah, it’s like people are coming from out of state now,” said vendor Barbara Sawyer, who has been selling items at the market since the beginning. “It brings people together and artists who aren’t necessarily famous or anything, so it’s a really fun event.”
Parents of students at Lycee Francais de Chicago started the Lycee French Market 20 years ago because they wanted to raise money for the school to promote its programs and share French culture.
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This weekend the market attracted 3,000 visitors and had a large number of items on display, such as art, clothing, jewelry, home decoration, champagne and wine.
“I hope they get a taste and flair. We try to taste the flowers you see at a French market, and the smells of baguettes and champagne,” said Jennifer Lee, co-president of Lycee French Market. “We try to find vendors who sell French goods that are themselves French, and some of those won’t be at the farmer’s market or some of those other street markets that you see.”
However, the market’s star attraction was undoubtedly the bistro, where many menu items sold out by lunchtime.
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