The French-American Cultural Foundation will be leading a fundraising program to support restoration of the Queen’s Grove at Versailles. From the F-ACF website:

The Queen’s Grove at the Palace of Versailles is an ornamental garden that was designed for Queen Marie-Antoinette in 1776. The plot was created as a flower garden with predominantly North American varieties that were new to France at the time.

The Queen’s Grove was designed for Marie-Antoinette to have a secluded place to walk, away from Palace visitors. The landscaping reflected the tastes at that time for gardens, combining French and English styles. The design was a simple, elegant layout that featured the Virginia tulip tree, white fringe tree and Carolina silverbell.

Learn how you can support this effort to restore a beautiful piece of French-American history.

The French-American Cultural Foundation recently launched a new blog series called “Vingt Questions.” In this series, they will interview interesting people from both countries about their favorite things in France and the United States.

The first interview featured Philippe Cousteau Jr, son of Philippe Cousteau and the grandson of Jacques Cousteau. When asked about his favorite place to visit in America, he replied: “I love visiting the National Parks, in particular the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Yosemite. The National Parks are one of the greatest inventions of the United States and represent the kind of values that the US stands for like freedom, hope, and democracy.”

The Inn at Little Washington’s Chef Patrick O’Connell participated in the second interview in the series. He shared that his favorite French figure is “Marie Antoinette. She is a symbol of indulgence and decadence in combination with exquisite taste.”

Follow the French-American Cultural Foundation website for future interviews and to learn more about the organization’s mission and events.

Following is an excerpt from a letter I wrote on behalf of the French-American Cultural Foundation to the French Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Gérard Araud, to express the Foundation’s comradeship, sympathy and support for the French people after the fire that engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France, on April 15, 2019. The letter also pledged support for the fundraising efforts currently underway to help rebuild the cathedral.

“The tragic scenes of Notre Dame Cathedral engulfed by flames deeply moved and touched many Americans. Irrespective of location and religious belief, Notre Dame’s historical significance to humanity means this beautiful building and its many important artifacts belong to all of us, not only the people of Paris and citizens of France. We would also give thanks for the many brave Parisian firefighters that battled so valiantly to bring the fire under control and limit the damage.”

Learn More: French-American Cultural Foundation Chairman sends letter of sympathy to French Ambassador over the destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral and pledges support from Americans to help with funding rebuild