Craig Carlson – Author & Restaurateur

New York Times bestselling author and restaurateur Craig Carlson first came to France as an exchange student in 1984 and instantly fell in love with the country. He never could have imagined that some forty years later he’d be the founder of two American diners in Paris and be nicknamed “Le Pancake Kid” by the French.

With a background in journalism, Craig studied cinema at the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts, using his experience as a screenwriter to pen his debut memoir, Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France. His follow up book, Let Them Eat Pancakes, delves deeper into the joys and challenges of working, eating and loving in France. Craig will recount some of the humorous adventures he experienced opening the first American diner in Paris, Breakfast in America. With no previous restaurant or business experience, Craig had to learn the hard way how to navigate France’s Draconian labor laws, find “exotic ingredients” for his breakfast dishes and even survive a scene of Emily in Paris shot at his diner. But somehow Craig managed to beat the odds, with Breakfast in America having just celebrated its 20^th anniversary in business.

Craig is thrilled to be speaking at Adrian Leeds’ Après-Midi in Nice, which is fitting since this past year his life has taken an expected turn, with Nice playing a central role in ways he never could have imagined.