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My favorite little market when I was living in Toulouse, from late summer till early winter. I miss my kitchen and my friend Bastien who took me to this market one Saturday morning. It is in a little garden called Jardin Montplaisir, and we took the scooter there while it sprinkled a bit of rain. All the producteurs use sustainable, ecological and permaculture methods, and even forages. The most beautiful items you will ever see, from one producer of bread, to oysters, to squash. Just one of each, and the BEST where you don’t even have to choose. My favorite part is to take a rest, have a coffee from the 3 seat shack “cafe” which is when I took this picture, and admire the community garden in the back. Then before I leave I make sure to do my second rounds, but only enough for us to carry on the scooter since we live up a big hill and can’t afford to be weighted down.

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Sometimes certain meals your burn into your memory, as does this one last year on my 23rd birthday. I can still taste how sweet the new onions roasted on the plancha, the nuttiness of the black olive tapenade, the crispy grilled bread, the mussels cooked marseillais styled, the loquats we picked off the tree, and drinking cheap red wine into the night. I’m glad being eaten alive by the mosquitoes is a faint memory now.

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One more portrait of Maxime Navel, who has in the past year traveled throughout Japan, in search of inspiration via Ikebana ~ the Japanese art of minimalistic, therapeutic, sculptural floral arrangement to sourcing and indulging all over the south of France. He is still inexplicably neurotic and lovable, and we share the love as digital postcards when we can. We both also moved part time to Toulouse for separate personal reasons. Funny coincidence.

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It feels nice to step back and take in the first year this project has come into fruition. Looking at these photographs I’ve just developed, from last May, makes me very thankful and proud to see the progression of where this has gone and how the people I love have helped me along the way. There would be nothing without each sweet or bitter moment, building the strongest momentum off each other. This was a great beginning, to be in Paris that day, in that small, warm place (as is Paris in its best manner), it was magic. We all equally cannot wait to do it again.

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Last weekend we packed the car, headed North along the coast with a close niche of friends, and of course, packed a picnic basket. It was the windiest day ever and we ate the sandiest meal ever under a tree near Los Osos. By afternoon, we had climbed up to the San Luis Obispo county and found ourselves frocking amongst blackberry bramble, an orchards of wild plums and sand cherry trees in fruit. I can still remember how sour they taste off the tree, and their rusty red veined leaves imprinted in my mind.

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Once a month, I try to host a meal for my staff here in Los Angeles. It’s nice to take a breather, talk through these strangely slow and stressful times face to face. We are cautious and careful for each other, and I do what I like to do and that is to cook. Last month for May we had my favorite dish ~ clams in brown butter + dry vermouth with spaghetti and blistered cherry tomatoes on the vine. We were in a patio in Los Angeles channeling Northern Italy, probably somewhere along the coast. It was warm, and we shared a bottle of cold white wine.

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Shot by Jeffrey Robins for Le Pollen in Los Angeles at Rose Lane Farms

We are now operating as a minimal pick up service with our market list available ~ 100% of sales from our banana bread loaves are being donated to National Bail Out to get Black mamas out of jail.

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Guests & glasses for guests.

Ph. Jennelle Fong

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Our house Bloody Mary, made with tomato water, celery+lime syrup, lemon juice, strawberry hot sauce, & porcini walnut salt. Hits the spot over ice, with or without vodka. This was for our Sabbatical Studio brunch in January.

Ph. Jennelle Fong

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Details at our first brunch of the year at Sabbatical Studio.

Ph. Jennelle Fong

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Working on our first book of images that will be printed later this summer.. so many fond memories, friends, collaboration. What an eventful first year of existence, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Cheers

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Sac à tarte par Colza, un atelier durable basé en Bretagne par Eléonore Grignon

Modèle unique pour Le Pollen - fabrique à partir de tissu chiné second-main.

“Pie/Tart bag by Colza, a sustainable studio based in Bretagne by Eléonore Grignon.

Unique model for Le Pollen - made of second hand fabric.”

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Le Pollen x Cheeseboard LA ‘fromage, musique, bons amis’ party in Silverlake.

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Le Pollen x Cheeseboard LA ‘fromage, musique, bons amis’ party in Silverlake.

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Le Pollen x Sabbatical Studio Brunch Pop-Up 1/18/2020 in Los Angeles

Photo by Jennelle Fong

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Shots from the yearly holiday marketplace hosted by the Hera Collective by BKM photography of our table ❤️🦋 thank you to everyone who came out and purchased goodies from us ✨

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We’re hosting a little brunch in Los Angeles for a small group at Sabbatical Studio on January 18th. If you would like to join it’s $25 a person for a 3 course all plant based meal. Send us a message at lepollenfr@gmail.com ✨