L’esprit de France: A special thanks to the RMFACC
by Glenn Alsup
On May 16th, my wife and I had the privilege to attend the 2nd annual L’esprit de France event at the Westin Tabor Center in downtown Denver. The evening was organized by the Rocky Mountain French American Chamber of Commerce (www.rmfacc.org). The guest of honor was David Appia, Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs and the Head of the Economic Department at the French Embassy in Washington D.C.
There were several special guests including Claudine Pepin, television host and daughter of acclaimed chef and food writer Jacques Pepin, as well as, Sarah Jane McMahon who performed a French aria by Poulenc and excerpts from her role as Maria in West Side Story, to be staged this summer by Central City Opera.
The master of ceremonies was Bill Clarke, noted Denver television celebrity and reporter. There were several awards presented to individuals for their contribution to French-American business. Rick Spear, President of Leitner-Poma of America and Robert Joyce, President of Wheelabrator Group both accepted the honors.
Over several hours, we enjoyed a five-course gourmet dinner with French wine pairings prepared by Chef Jean-Luc Voegele in collaboration with Claudine Pepin. The wine and culinary treats were from the Rhone-Alpes region of France.
The Central City Opera table included Kevin Mynatt and his wife Kate, Deb Hruby, Jeff Haddox and several musicians came down the hill to perform for everyone. Sarah Jane had to moderate her wine consumption so our table considered a silent auction for her serving allotment. Later in the evening, she and her accompanist gave a fabulous performance. I think it made everyone at our table feel really good.
The Denver Art Museum presented a wonderful slide show of French and American painters from two exhibitions: “Inspiring Impressionism” which closes on May 25 and “Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism”, the visiting exhibition opening June 14, 2008.
It’s funny how things work out in life. Nearly 20 years ago, the french company Dassault moved me to Denver from Los Angeles to be the liaison between EG&G (Rocky Flats) and their headquarters in New York and Paris. In the years that I worked with them, I developed a fond appreciation for the unique culture of France.
In many ways, I will be forever indebted to Dassault; after all, I met my wife in Denver and we have been raising our family here for over a decade. Last year, my wife and I went to Paris for Valentines Day. When we arrived at the train station from London, I was able to immediately communicate with our taxi driver. My wife was in disbelief since she had never heard me speak French before.
I am so glad to be a part of the RMFACC and that there is an organization in Colorado facilitating these sorts of cultural and business interactions. Bob Snyder has a first class operation running. My special thanks go out to Virginie Ganivet, it is amazing how the organization squeezed all those activities into a single night.
Thank you so much for having us. Great Job!
