Pancakes in Paris

June 13, 2016
Carlson’s sweet and entertaining memoir details how a former Hollywood screenwriter opens an American diner in Paris and lives happily after. Of course there is more to the story, and Carlson does an admirable job of recounting his rocky childhood, the numerous strange connections to France during his early life, and what these events ultimately revealed to him about his life. Carlson works on a film in Paris, returns to Los Angeles, meets with friends for breakfast, and, while staring down at his plate of pancakes, has a revelation. “At that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do—no, had to do next: open an American diner in Paris.... There are few moments in life that are so lucid.” Carlson recounts drafting a business plan, the toil of raising funds, and the drudgery of temp work for Disney in order to make ends meet. Finally Carlson moves to Paris in 2002, opening his authentic American diner, Breakfast in America. Carlson successfully wades through convoluted French bureaucracy and employment regulations, and though developing his dream diner takes its toll, it ultimately offers emotional rewards. Carlson’s narrative is an inspirational, tasty trip through one man’s delightful and hard-won success.

June 15, 2016
How the author created the ultimate American diner experience in Paris.Carlson's love of all things French began when he was required to take a foreign language in high school. Learning French changed his perspective on the world, and it was only natural to choose France as his destination for his collegiate study-abroad program. When his year overseas was up, he returned to America to continue pursuing his screenwriting career. But it was while eating an American breakfast complete with buckwheat pancakes that Carlson had an epiphany that changed his life. He realized the food he was eating wasn't available in Paris. "Suddenly, I could see everything so clearly....I realized all those twists and turns, all those ups and downs....They really had happened for a reason. And at that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do--no, had to do next: open an American diner in Paris! I even knew what I was going to call it--Breakfast in America." With nonstop enthusiasm, the author details the many obstacles he faced to make his dream a reality. He needed to secure money from investors, create a viable business plan, find a good location, hire employees, create a menu, and find sources for American foods, all while on French soil and following French rules, which turned out to be vastly different from those in the United States. Despite all these setbacks, the exhaustion that comes from working almost every minute, and the difficulty convincing Parisians that American food and coffee are actually tasty, Carlson's desire to bring American diner food to Paris paid off (there are now three locations). The author demonstrates that no idea is too crazy if one has the determination to pursue it to its fruition. A light, entertaining story of how a man turned his pipe dream into a profitable, highly respected business.

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August 1, 2016
Muttering to himself as he picked French fries off the floor, Carlson repeated, I'm living my dream. He'd have many occasions to use this mantra over the years as he opened an American-style diner in Paris, struggling with French bureaucracy and labor laws, enduring exhausting work hours, and even spending a brief stint in jail. But as Carlson tells the tale in this delightful memoir, it was all worth it to make his dream into a reality. His love affair with the city began in earnest during a study-abroad trip in college, and after years working as a screenwriter without getting his big break, he returned to the City of Light with the idea to open Breakfast in America. But with no restaurant experience and a pile of debt, not to mention a complicated legal and cultural system to navigate, it would take enormous effort to start flipping flapjacks for the French. With Carlson recounting hurdles from amusing (the French assumed a diner only served dinner) to serious, this memoir makes for a delicious read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)