Les Francophones in 2012. Photo courtesy Jan Werner.
Francophiles take note: beginning June 23, on Thursday mornings through Sept. 1, only French will be spoken at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s estate in Lenox, Mass. And could there be a more glorious setting than the Terrace Café for Le Café Français? The tête-à-tête is open to anyone who wants to practice speaking French or converse like a native with others who are similarly inclined. It started humbly, with just the staff, back in 2005. The Mount’s director at the time, Stephanie Copeland, gathered a handful of employees who wanted to practice their French speaking skills. The small group met — in the winter — in the frigid kitchen of the gatehouse. The next year, the group, now numbering around ten, moved to the terrace for the summer. Word spread, and by 2008 there were enough non-staff members that it became a volunteer-run group. The conversational meetings continued to expand, and by last summer, when 35 or so French speakers turned up each week, the meetings went beyond the capacity of the volunteers running them. That’s when The Mount agreed to take the group under its wings, and Le Café Francais became a Mount event, which seems appropriate considering Wharton’s love affair with France. The hour of French bon mots has become so popular that The Mount has had to set up a reservation system. French coffee and croissants will greet visitors, and small tables will allow for manageable conversations. “The only rule," says Laurie Foote, house manager, “is you have to speak French. The group is a mixture of staff, native French speakers, French teachers and the general public. It really feels like a French café." Le Café Français at The MountThursdays from June 23 -- Sept. 1, 8:30-9:30 a.m. 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA $10 general, $7 Mount members (413) 551-5100
