Great Barrington — When Jean-François and Helen Bizalion opened their eponymous store and restaurant in Great Barrington in 2003, they called it “Bizalion’s Fine Food.” And they weren’t kidding about the “fine food.” The store’s shelves, cases, and freezers are full of little known, high-quality meats, cheeses, imported canned goods, vinegars, fruit-flavored sparkling waters, raw honey in bulk, and more…much, much more.
Take your choice of bottling any of the half dozen imported olive oils. Or bottle some of the raw Maine honey that is available in bulk. Reach into the freezer for handmade pasta. And by all means buy the baguettes, but don’t ask where they come from because they won’t tell you.
The Berkshires are a hotbed for locally grown food. We all value the concept and do our best to support our local farmers and producers. But there are times when one wants something unfamiliar or exotic or simply something, well, different. And then the savvy buyer might head to Bizalion, where the shelves are not just stocked, but curated.
Are you roasting chicken and need to boost the flavor? Try Verjus du Perigord, a French substitute for vinegar when subtlety is needed. While you’re roasting that chicken, perhaps you want to season it with truffle salts. You can choose from several different kinds at the store.
If you’re a baker and thus a fan of Ottolenghi cookbooks, you now know where to get orange or rose water for your desserts. Epices Rabelais is one of many spices from which to choose when roasting. And amongst the wide range of rice, you’ll find “riz long noir de camargue,” a black rice of spectacular flavor (be sure to cook it for at least 40 minutes). If you’re looking for a Tunisian flavor for your chicken, pick up the harissa.
These are just a few of the many perhaps unfamiliar ingredients available at Bizalion. Many of the items have labels in French, so if you’re not fluent in the language, Jean François or Helen will translate.
Bizalion provides a judicious blend of homegrown and imported products. They buy eggs and lamb from Peter Maggio, lamb from Lila Berle, greens from Ted Dobson, Michele Miller’s Bola Granola, and a variety of items from Chubby Bunny Farm. Their foie gras comes from the Hudson Valley. There’s a small selection of No. Six Depot coffees. And like so many other food shops and restaurants in the Berkshires, they carry Susan Sellew’s Rawson Brook Farm chèvre.
The Bizalions go further afield with their olive oil, buying from small producers in France, Italy, and Spain. Coming soon will be oils from Tunisia and California. The oils are available in bulk or bottled. Like their olive oils, their cheese comes primarily from France, Spain, and Italy. But American cheeses are also available, such as California’s popular Humboldt Fog.
The Bizalions work with importers who bring them prosciutto, bresoala, Serrano, chorizo, and the like. Their large variety of olives comes from France. Although the pâté is in the French style, it is made domestically. “Anything that has to do with charcuterie is hard to bring in because the FDA keeps a close watch over imports,” says Jean Francois.
Aside from the unnamed bakery furnishing the crustiest of baguettes, Berkshire Mountain Bakery in Housatonic furnishes the focaccia, ciabatta, pizza crust, and in season, the panettone.
If you’re hungry and need to eat right this minute, there is a wide range of salads, sandwiches, and soups to eat at the store or to take home. Sandwiches are made on their rigorously crusty baguette that sets the bar for how a baguette can sing and dance. Sandwiches, many made with imported meats and cheeses, come with tossed greens. And in season fresh soups are made daily.
The café radiates a European ambience. Look around at lunch time and see businessmen in suits, women of a certain age in hats, people eating alone and others in small groups. Were it not for the weather, you could almost be in Provence.
The Bizalions are expatriates from New York’s fashion industry. French-born Jean-François came to the United States as the New York correspondent for Le Matin. He spent a few years as a free-lance journalist, working as a fashion editor, and freelancing in advertising. He met Helen, born and bred in Ireland, when they both worked in store design for Nautica, a well-known sports brand.
When they decided to change careers, they came to the Berkshires because they didn’t have the financial resources to start a French-themed market in New York. Instead, they’ve found that New Yorkers have come to them, primarily on weekends and in the summer. And Bizaliion’s is strategically located at 684 South Main St.
Now the couple and their two young daughters are firmly ensconced in the community. Eleven-year old Isabelle plays the clarinet at school. She and nine-year old Anouk enjoy the active theatrical component of the Undermountain Elementary School they attend.
This is the time of year when buying gifts and preparing for festivities is almost a full-time activity, so if you’re in a quandary about what to buy or to eat, stop by at Bizalion’s, just north of Guido’s on Route 7. But not on Sunday, when they’re closed. Bon appétit.
