The Lost Gospel of Q

Sayings of Jesus Some scholars call it “The Lost Gospel of Q” - “Q” standing for Quelle, a German word for “Source.”

Q1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the realm of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” Mt 3:1-3; Lk 3:2b-4

 

Q2 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. John said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” The people asked him, “What are we to do, then?” John answered, “Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoeve has food must share it.” (Mt 3:5-10; Lk 3:7-11

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Q3 Even tax collectors came to John to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Lk 3:12-14 

Q4 John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Mt 3:11-12; Lk 3:16-17 3 

Q5 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, the sky opened up. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Mt 3:13, 16-17; Lk 3:21b-22 

Q6 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “One cannot live by bread alone.” Mt 4:1-4; Lk 4:1-4 

Q7 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put God to the test.’” Mt 4:5-7; Lk 4:9-12 

Q8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “It is written, ‘You must worship God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him to return at a later time. (Mt 4:8-11; Lk 5-8, 13) 

Q9 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Mt 5:1-2, 3, 6; Lk 6:12, 17, 20-21) 4 

Q10 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” “Blessed are you who weep, for you shall laugh. (Mt 5:6, 4; Lk 6:21) 

Q11 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.” (Mt 5:5) Q12 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see the face of God.” “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Mt 5:7-9) 

Q13 “Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Remember, the prophets were treated in the same way.” (Mt 5:11-12; Lk 6:22-23) 

Q14 “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.” (Mt 44, 46; Lk 6:27-28) 

Q15 “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give them your shirt as well. Give to everyone who begs from you, and if someone robs you, don’t demand you property back.” (Mt 5:39b-42; Lk29-30) 

Q16 “Treat others as you would like them to treat you; ” “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even sinners do the same? And if you do good to those who do good to you, what good is there in that? Even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what reward is there in that? Even sinners lend to sinners.” “Instead love you enemies and do good, expecting nothing in return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of your 5 Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on the bad and the good. He sends rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.” (Mt 7:12, 5:46-47; Lk 6:31- 33, 35b) 

Q17 “Be compassionate, therefore, as your heavenly Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Mt 5:48, 7:1-2; Lk 6:36-37) 

Q18 “Give to others and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands - all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” (Lk 6:38) 

Q19 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a servant above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the servant like the master.” (Mt 15:14, 10:24-25; Lk 6:39-40) 

Q20 “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Mt 7:3-5; Lk 6:41-42) 

Q21 “You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” 6 “A person’s words flow from what is treasured in the heart.” (Mt 7:16- 20, 12:35; Lk 12:43-45) 

Q22 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’” “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” (Mt 7:21-27; Lk 6:46-49) 

Q23 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour. (Mt 8:5-13; Lk 7:1b-10) 7 

Q24 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’” “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Mt 11:2-11; Lk 7:18-20, 22-28) 

Q25 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks and violent men try to seize it. Until the time of John all the prophets and the Law of Moses spoke about the Kingdom. (Mt 11:12-13; Lk 16:16) 

Q26 “But to what will I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang sad songs, and you did not mourn.’” “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; now the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” (Mt 11:16-19; Lk 7:31-35) 8 

Q27 A scribe then approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But that person replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; your duty is to spread the news of the realm of God.” Another man said, “I will follow you, sir; but first, let me go say good-bye to my family.” Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the realm of God.” (Mt 8:19-22; Lk 9:57-60) 

Q28 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Mt 10:16, 9:37; Lk 10:2-3) 

Q29 “Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff. Don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.” (Mt 10:9-10; Lk 9:3, 10:4) 

Q30 “Whenever you enter someones’s home, let your first words be, ‘Peace be to this house!’ If a person who loves peace lives there, they will accept your blessing. If not, your words will return to you. Stay in this house, receiving what food and drink they offer, for the laborer deserves his reward. Do not keep moving from house to house. When you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat the food they provide. Heal the sick who are there. Say to the people of the town, ‘The kingdom of God is at your door..’” (Mt 10:11-12; Lk 10:5-9) 

Q31 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of 9 power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the dead.” “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Mt 10:40, 11:21-23; Lk 10:10-12, 13-16) 

Q32 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Mt 11:25-27; 10:21-22) 

Q33 But blessed are your eyes that see what you are seeing. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. (Mt 13:16-17; Lk 10:23-24) 

Q34 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, may your name be honored; may your reign begin. Grant us each day the food we need. And forgive us our failures, for we ourselves forgive everyone who fails us. And do not put us to the test.” (Mt 6:9-13; Lk 11:1-4) 

Q35 “Ask, and it will be given you. Search and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Mt 7:7-8; Lk 11:9-11) 10 

Q36 “Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Mt 7:9-11; Lk 11:11-13) 

Q37 Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But some of them said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the realm of God has come to you. (Mt 12:22-28; Lk 11:14-20) 

Q38 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. (Mt 12:30; Lk 11:23) 

Q39 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.” (Mt 12:43- 45; Lk 11:24-26) 

Q40 While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and observe it!” (Lk 11:27-28) 11 

Q41 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was a symbol for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be for today’s generation.” “The Queen of the Sheba will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! (Mt 12:38-42; Lk 11:16, 29-32) 

Q42 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. Be careful to keep your whole body full of light.” (Mt 5:15, 16:22-23; Lk 11:33-36) 

Q43 “Woe to you, who call yourselves perfect in your obedience to the law. For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.” “First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?” (Mt 23:23, 26; Lk 11:39-42) 

Q44 “You who claim to be the most devout are hopeless! You love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call you rabbi. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.” “Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors 12 killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.” “Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation.” (Mt 23:6- 7, 29-35; Lk 11:43-51) 

Q45 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” (Mt 10:26-27; Lk 12:2-3) 

Q46 “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Mt 10:28- 31; Lk 12:4-7) 

Q47 “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” (Mt 10:32; Lk 12:8) 

Q48 “Whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” “When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” (Mt 10:19-20, 12:32; Lk 12:9-12) 13 

Q49 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who made me a judge?” (Lk 12:13-14) 

Q50 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Lk 12:16-21) 

Q51 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Mt 6:25-27; Lk 12:22-26) 

Q52 “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” (Mt 6:28-30; Lk 12:27-28) 

Q53 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the realm of God and his 14 righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:31-33; Lk 12:29-31) 

Q54 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:19-21; Lk 12:33-34) 

Q55 “If the owner of a house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the son of man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Mt 24:42-44; Lk 12:39-40) 

Q56 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other servant their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow servant, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. Instead of receiving a reward, that servant will be cut off and will share the fate of the unfaithful. (Mt 24:45-51; Lk 12:42-46) 

Q57 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For my coming may set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughterin-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mt 10:34-36; Lk 12:51-53) 15 Q58 “Those who clutch at life will lose it, and those who let go of their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 10:39; Lk 17:33) 

Q59 “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ In the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Mt 16:2-3; Lk 12:54-56) 

Q60 “Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Mt 5:25-26; Lk 12:57-59) 

Q61 He put before them another parable: “The realm of God is like a mustard seed that someone took and tossed into his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Mt 13:31-32; Lk 13:18-19) 

Q62 He told them another parable: “The realm of God is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three cups of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Mt 13:33; Lk 13:20-21) Q63 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mt 7:13-14; Lk 13:24) 

Q64 “I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the realm of heaven, while those who think the realm of God belongs to them will be thrown into the 16 outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 8:11-12; Lk 13:28-29) Q65 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Mt 20:16; Lk 13:30) 

Q66 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you are a city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house will be abandoned and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Mr 23:37-39; Lk 13:34-35) 

Q67 “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Mt 23:12; Lk 14:11) 

Q68 “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will share my dinner.’” (Mt 22:1-10; Lk 14:16-24) 17 

Q69 “If you love your father or mother, son or daughter more than me, you cannot follow me. Unless you take up your cross and let go of all that you possess, you cannot truly follow me.” (Mt 10:37-38; Lk 14:26-27) 

Q70 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.” (Mt 5:13; Lk 14:34-35) Q71 “What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” (Mt 18:12-13; Lk 15:4-7) 

Q72 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’” (Lk 15:8-10) Q73 “No one can serve two masters; you will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13) 

Q74 “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law.” (Mt 5:18; Lk 16:17) 

Q75 “Anyone who divorces his wife and remarries commits adultery. So does a man who marries a divorced woman.” (Mt 5:32; Lk 16:18) Q76 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth 18 of the sea. Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” (Mt 18:6-7; Lk 17:1-2) 

Q77 “If a person does something against you, go to the person and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If your friend listens to you and says ‘I’m sorry,’ forgive and your bond will be strengthened.” One of his disciples said to him, “How often should I forgive the same person? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” (Mt 18:15, 21-22; Lk 17:3-4) 

Q78 “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20; Lk 17:6) 

Q79 Once Jesus was asked when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Lk 17:20-21) 

Q80 Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.” (Mt 24:26, 37-41; Lk 17:22-26, 34) 19 

Q81 “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his servants, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ He said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your pound has made five pounds.’ He said to him, ‘And you, rule over five cities.’ Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’ He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten pounds!’ ‘I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’” (Mt 25:14- 30; Lk 19:12-23)

Q82 Jesus said to them, “You are those who have stood by me in my trials. You will eat and drink with me in the realm of God.” (Mt 19:28; Lk 22:28-30) 

Up Close & Personal with Chef Florian Bellanger©

Florian Bellanger

I have known Florian now for some 16 years. In these those years, I can honestly say that the pleasure of our friendship is definitely more mine that his. Over the years, I have come to understand and appreciate that he is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. The man does not lie, never forgets his friends and has amassed a resume that reads like a who's who list. I also firmly believe that, while his skills and acumen as an acclaimed Pastry Chef and Chocolatier working alongside some of the worlds best, most well known chefs has been a large part of his success, it is because of his character that he has achieved what he has. His skill and passion are beyond reproach, but his humility is palpable. His smile is inviting and captivating and his enthusiasm for life is evident in everything he says or does. To millions of foodies and foodnetwork fans around the world, he's become a household name with his hit show, Cupcake Wars. TV will do that.

Judge Florian Bellanger

However, his list of accolades, along with the amount of respect and admiration he garners from the food industry and those same world class chefs, has been something he has enjoyed long before being discovered by the foodie public. In 2000 and 2001, the James Beard Foundation acclaimed his accomplishments with a nomination for "Outstanding Pastry Chef" while working with Eric Ripert as Executive Pastry Chef of the world renowned, three stars Michelin restaurant Le Bernardin, from 1996 to 2001. His desserts there were described as "light and dreamy" by Ruth Reichl of The New York Times, who awarded the restaurant the newspaper's highest rating, four Stars. In 2003 and 2004, Florian was named one of the 10 Best Pastry Chefs in America by Pastry Art & Design magazine while the Executive Pastry Chef of Fauchon in NYC. His industry 'cred' long proceeded his becoming one of the public's favorite food personalities as the judge on Cupcake Wars. He now has fans in the US, Canada, UK, Belgium, Hong Kong and Singapore, where the show is aired.

Florian with Martha Stewart

Florian has also served as the President of the Jury for the U.S. Pastry Competition since 2007. He and his collection of innovative cakes and pastries have been featured on several networks and TV shows, including the Food Network, Epicurious TV, CNN, NBC and Martha Stewart Living. He's also been featured in countless publications, including House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Weddings, Forbes, Brides, Modern Bride, People magazine, The New York Times, InStyle magazine, Pastry Art & Design, Food Arts, Chocolatier Magazine, Delta Sky and New York Magazine. Now he can add Kitchen Rap to that prestigious list as well. While many of you know the TV persona, I'd like you to meet the man we his friends know and love.

Growing up in Paris, Florian knew from an early age that his career would take a culinary path. Not only did he indulge in decadent cakes and pastries as a child, he often spent his afternoons in the kitchen baking for his family. We recently caught up with each other for dinner in NYC and on this subject, he explained, 'When I was a kid, 10 or 11, I had a big sweet tooth. My father cooked most of the time, but never really baked. At home we rarely had sweets. You know,

Florian at 6 yrs.old

we would have birthday cake at birthdays but that was it.

I chose pastry, because at home, as opposed to regular cooking, there was no room for me in the kitchen. My father has always been a great cook and he cooked all the time. The reality is, I started baking at home to satisfy my sweet tooth and then I really got passionate about it." During this time though, this "kid with a sweet tooth," developed a chocolate allergy which should have prevented him from enjoying sweets and desserts. I emphasize should have.

He expounded, "Well, I must admit Louis, that when I was eating chocolate, I was not just eating a piece of chocolate or a chocolate bar, I was eating large quantities of chocolate. I would get sick for two or three days afterward. My parents at that time, they would hide it, to prevent me from eating it. I would visit my grandparents, you know, on vacations, and they would try to hide it as well, but somehow, I always managed a way of finding it." He laughs, "I knew I would be sick, but you know, while I was eating it, I was enjoying it so much and well, I got sick" Ironically, he says chocolate is now his favorite ingredient and he admires its versatility, claiming it is "fun" and something "taken for granted." He continues on the subject of chocolate. "It amazes me that this product just comes from a bean. When you look at the cocoa bean, or the chocolate pod in South America, those are so sour and bitter. To think someone thought of roasting it, making a paste out of this, adding sugar and milk to make milk chocolate, it's just amazing to me."

At age 15, Bellanger applied to one of Paris's prestigious pastry schools, the École de Paris des Métiers de la Table ("Paris school of table skills"). When I asked him about it, he explained, "Actually, I was only 14 1/2. I told them I was 15, but I was rejected for being too young. So, I had to wait a year and a half. At 16, I enrolled and got my pastry certification, graduating in 1985. Now when you go to school in France, you do two weeks in the classes, then you work two weeks in a pastry shop, or bakery." He laughs, "I think my first check was like $300.00 for the month." He continued, "I was fortunate enough that my school was offering a new program in chocolate and ice cream. It was the first accredited program in France for chocolate, so I enrolled and spent another year in school. That meant I had to find a new bakery or pastry shop that was also doing chocolate." He smiles, "The good surprise was that I finished third on the exam, in the entire school. "I asked him him if his chocolate training changed the way he looked at pastry. He answered, "Absolutely, it made me be more exacting, more specific."

Once he reached age 18, Florian joined the military as all young men in France had to do then. He talked about the experience. "At that time, at 18, every boy had to spend a year in the military. No company would hire you until you did that military year. They did not want to train you and then lose you for a year because the rule was they had to keep your job open, so I wanted to get that out of the way. When I turned 18, I volunteered rather than waiting for the letter. You see, if you wait for the letter, being from Paris you had a 75% chance of being stationed in Germany. I did not want to go to Germany. It's cold and I do not like the cold. So I applied. They asked me 'What do you want to do?' I said, 'I do not know what I want to do, but I know what I do not want to do. I do not want to go to Germany!' They looked at my file and when they found out I was a Pastry Chef, they told me they needed pastry chefs overseas. Now, overseas in France means the Caribbean or French territories in South America. I was lucky enough to be the 12th chef of 12 they needed to send overseas and I ended up as the pastry chef in the French Military Officer's Club in French Guyana.

Florian the Scuba Chef

After his year overseas, Florian returned to France. He admits to being bitten by the travel bug from his time in French Guyana, so he applied and was hired by Club Med. He revealed he was a little depressed. "It was October when I returned to France. It was cold," he laughs, "and I was just hanging around the house. My mom said to me, "Florian, what are you doing just hanging around? Go get a job.' I woke up one morning and decided right then, 'I have to get out of Paris.' I had heard Club Med was sending chefs overseas so I decided to apply. "After only three days of the five day evaluation, they pulled me aside. You know, I thought I was in trouble or something, but they said I did not need to finish and they sent me back to Paris, telling me I was hired." Florian took a flight out within the week and spent 8 months working at their northern Israel resort. He then reported back to the Paris office for his next assignment. "When I got back to Paris, they asked where I wanted to go, I said 'Some place warm, anyplace but somewhere cold.' So, where do think they assign me? Switzerland! I told him, 'I am sorry, but no,' and that was the end of my Club Med experience. I asked him, "Florian, you were all of what, 19? Were you really that confident in your abilities, to turn down a job, without another lined up?" He smiled answering, "Well yes. That and the fact that I was not going to spend 8 months in the mountains."

At this point, continuing what now seems to be a serendipitous life, he tells me, while looking at the classifieds in the paper one day, he sees a number for a job as a chocolatier. No name, just a number. So he called. It was a famous chocolate house in Paris, Le Maison du Chocolat, where he then worked three years. He stated, "I learned so much. Honed my craft, developing recipes and such. I also realized that it was very important for me build my resume. To that point all my experience was the army and Club Med. I realized I needed to get hired by a big name. I knew that not only would it be important on my resume, but with a big name, I would get fantastic training." I interrupted, "...and this is when you went to work for Pierre?' He answered, "Exactly!"

Pierre Hermé

Ok friends, we are talking about Famous Executive Pastry Chef, Pierre Hermé, most famous for his macarons, often with unusual flavor combinations. French Vogue magazine dubbed him "The Picasso of Pastry." At this time he was at the helm of  Fauchon, Paris' legendary market. Florian served Fauchon in Paris under the command of Hermé from 1991 to 1994, then he was named Executive Pastry Chef for Fauchon Flagship in Qatar from 1994 to 1996. Florian credits much of his career path and success to the mentor-ship of Hermé.

As we started to talk about his Fauchon days, I could hear a bit of fondness and nostalgia creep into his voice. "My father had always told me, when you work for a company, you should always work more than two years, but no more than five. He always repeated this to me." I asked him what his father's reasoning for the statement was. He explained, "He told me, 'especially when you are young if you work less than two years, it shows you as not a stable person, you cannot be relied upon. If you work more than five years, it shows you have no ambition. When you are older you can work longer.'

Now here's where serendipity comes into play again. It also shows that luck, takes a lot of hard work, in order to be to be in the right place at the right time when opportunity knocks. I truly believe that Florian is the epitome of this. "While working at La Maison du Chocolat, there was this guy who was always coming in on his day off, one day a week to work with us. We became friends and I found out he was a pastry chef at Fauchon  "At this time," he remembers, "I had been bitten by the travel bug. I wanted to work, but I knew that even though this was La Maison du Chocolat, I would not be able to travel, working for this chocolate company. I wanted to work overseas I wanted to leave Paris. Travel. I understood that in order to do this, I would have to get back to Pastry. I would have to spend a few years building my resume and working for a well known pastry company here in France. I knew if I did that, I would be able to then do what I wanted. I told him, 'I want to meet Pierre.'"

His friend set up a meeting and Bellanger went to see the Fauchon Chef. When Hermé found out that Florian was a chocolatier, he tagged Bellanger with the request; 'If I hire you quickly, you will have to do a small favor for me.' Florian said, 'Sure.' He explained to me, "I thought Louis, what did I have to lose?" Within two weeks, Hermé asked Florian to come aboard and soon thereafter, approached the now 23 year old with his favor. "He approached me one day and said, 'Ok, now I ask the favor. I want you to rework the entire line of Fauchon chocolates, taste them all and make the changes necessary.' Small favor? Florian did in fact rework all the chocolate recipes. He asked Bellanger to rework the recipe for 15 chocolates in order to sit down with the CEO of the Fauchon, and judging by his subsequent success, it is apparent the CEO loved the new recipes.

I interject a story here about what most would say was luck, but as Florian and I discussed over dinner, was lots of hard work in order to be in the right place at the right time; While working for Fauchon, a chef friend of Pierre had a restaurant in Monaco. A little 3 star Michelin place whose owner and chef you may have heard of. Alain Ducasse. Pierre explains to Florian that Alain has a chocolatier at the restaurant and while he likes him, he needs to rework the chocolate recipes at the restaurant. He asks Florian if he will go there for a few days and help Alain with the recipes. Florian said, 'Of course.' "After all,: he winks at me before continuing "it was Monaco you know. And, we in the industry knew of Alain, if not the public quite yet." Remember folks, this is 20 yrs ago.

Alain Ducasse

Pierre gets on the phone and calls Alain. Alain tells Florian, 'Pierre talked to me about you. My chocolate recipes are old. Can you come over for a few days and work on the recipes?' "Now you know Alain," says Florian to me, "he is working very fast, the way he always does." He continues, "Alain asks me 'When can you come?' I looked at Pierre, after all, he is my Chef and he says 'Anytime, anytime.' so I tell Alain, 'Anytime.' He replies 'Ok this week.' He tells Florian that although he cannot pay him, he will take care of him. He instructs him to fly to Nice, then much to Florian's delight, Alain helicopter's Bellanger to Monaco. For five days Florian stayed at the hotel, reworked the chocolate, enjoyed Monaco, ate dinner at the best restaurants with Alain and they developed a relationship. Nice work if you can get it. Friends, remember: Serendipity and this story as you read on.

Florian continued for three years under Hermé's tutelage and was offered a position at the Fauchon Qatar Flagship Store. He had gotten all that he had planned for; Executive Pastry Chef, travel overseas, warm weather. For Fauchon. Serendipity? Well yes. along with a boatload of talent plus hard work thrown in.

Florian & Anna's Paris wedding 

The chef then helmed the Qatar operation from 1994 to 1996. It was here that Florian met his wife Anna. She was a young Filipino nurse, who had come to Qatar with her father, a fellow employee of Bellanger's at Fauchon. "We met and well, let's say I was getting along well with her,"  he laughs. "We fell in love and we decided to get married. We came back to Paris in September '95. We were still working at Fauchon in Qatar and we knew that we loved each other but we could not live together or really interact together if we were not married, as it was against the laws of the country, and we did not want anything to happen to either of us. We decided to get married."

"We spent another wonderful year there, but I started to get the bug again, realizing that if I stayed at Fauchon in Qatar, it was a dead end for me. I loved working for Fauchon, I met my wife there, but I knew I had to make a move. So I told Pierre, 'You know, I think I have to go.' He said something to me that I'll never forget and it made me feel okay with my decision. He said 'Florian, 'It's okay, I expected you to stay here just six months, not professionally, but because of the country and you have stayed for three years.' He asked what I wanted to do. I told him 'I wanted to travel, that I wanted to work overseas.' I quit Fauchon, but on very good terms."

Florian then decided to take a brief vacation, but less than a week later he got a call  from Hermé, asking him to come to Paris to have lunch. Here comes the serendipity again. Florian went to have lunch with Pierre, who asked him, "So what do you want to do?" Bellanger told him, "Well I am back in France with Anna and I want to move to an English speaking country, you know, work overseas again. Pierre said, 'I know of a restaurant in New York, they need a pastry chef. It's called Le Bernardin. My good friend, Eric Ripert, he is the owner and chef and he needs a pastry chef right away. Tell him I asked you to call.' So I call Eric, who is now my good, good friend. Anyway, I call him and he tells me he is going on vacation for two weeks and he will be in Paris, so we can meet. When I told Pierre about the meeting, Pierre, he was always very protective, like a mom sometimes, you know, he says, 'When you are done with the meeting call me.'"

Eric Ripert and Florian

He continues, "So Eric comes to Paris, we sit, and he was very straight forward. He says, 'I am meeting you, but I am also meeting with other pastry chefs as well.' During the meeting, Eric told me he had to run soon because he was having lunch with Alain Ducasse (there it is folks, serendipity). I told Eric I did some consulting for him (Alain), changed his chocolates at his restaurant. He looked at me with surprise and he asked me, 'You know Alain?' I said yes, mention my name.'" Florian  relates to me with some pride, "I later found out that at lunch, Alain told Eric, 'Don't even think about meeting with the other guys. This is the guy that you need to hire.' So I call Pierre, tell about the meeting, he told me, 'If Eric is smart, he will hire you.'" He smiles, "Two days later, Eric calls and says 'You got the job, but we have to work on your visa.' Florian explains, "Since I was applying for a permanent visa, we needed to prove to immigration that he really needed me and that I had a good background." Ripert told Florian to call Alain Ducasse and get a letter from him. Now talk about a reference letter friends. You could do worse as a chef than to have Alain Ducasse write you a letter of reference.

Le Bernardin photo by Melissa Hom

Florian picks up the story, "I call Alain and I ask him 'Do you remember me?' He says, 'Of course I remember you.' I asked him if he could make a letter for me saying he knew me, and that I was a good guy, for Immigration. He told me it would be no problem, saying, 'Of course I will.' Florian remembers, "Two days later I get the letter in the mail from Alain. He wrote some very nice things about me and I was so grateful. In fact I still have that letter. I saved it."

We began talking about his time at Le Bernardin. "I started over there in 1996," he explains with pride, "before I continue with my story, I must say, 'I am so proud of Eric (Ripert).' If I am not mistaken Louis, I believe that Le Bernardin is the only restaurant in New York that has never lost a NY Times star.  He smiles, "I remember, it was a lot of pressure. Louis, it's an amazing restaurant. I love Eric. When I worked there it was wonderful, but today I think it's an even better restaurant." It was here that the Chef garnered his James Beard nominations.

Fauchon New York

After his five year stint (echoes of his father's advice?) at Le Bernardin, Florian then came back full circle to helm Fauchon's New York City's Tea Salon emporium in 2001. At Fauchon NYC, he headed a team of 24 pastry chefs. His innovations were evident in such tradition-shattering creations as éclairs flavored with orange zest, passion fruit or coconut, raspberry marshmallow cake, Toulouse violet ice cream and raspberry-chili pepper sorbet, lavish 3-D holiday cakes and wedding cakes for which he continuously created new molds and recipes.

Florian & partner Ludovic Augendre

In 2006, Fauchon closed due to corporate restructuring and Bellager opened Mad Mac Macarons, an acclaimed French cookie and pastry company with his partner and friend, Ludovic Augendre. This is the point where our paths crossed and I first met him. GGM (Gourmet Girl Magazine) did a piece on his macarons, which developed from a connection on facebook. Cupcake Wars was not even a twinkle in the foodnetwork's eye at this time. He expounds, "When we first opened the business, it was tough. We started wholesale only, because we could not afford a retail store. Macarons at that time were little known. There were some hotels that were using them, baking some for their desserts, but the general public pretty much was unaware. Cupcakes were the thing, they were exploding," he explains, "like macarons had done in France years before. It's a product that is part of the future. Even McDonald's in France has macarons on the menu now." He laughs, "When we first started, I was delivering to our customers in my car. It was very hard to open the market. American chefs were like, 'These are very funny looking cookies.' We knew it was a challenge, but once we found the right packaging, we knew we had something special."

He continues, "We were the first. I can be proud of that. Now there are many doing macarons, but we were the first. We're comfortable, the business is growing, even in this economy. I cannot complain and we are very happy with what we are doing. He added, "You know what I mean, back in 2007 no one was really doing food sites like they are now. There were a few but, you (GGM) were ahead of the curve. We were ahead of the curve, and now there are many. Another thing I am very proud of is that we did this ourselves from the ground up. It will happen again for you as well Louis, just keep doing what you are doing." My friends, you can order online now from the Mad Mac website and enjoy Florian's macarons at home, delivered to your door fresh and delicious.

I then asked him to talk a bit about how he came to Cupcake Wars and the foodnetwork. He said, "Like I first met you Louis, (when he says my name in French it always, comes out Louie, and I must say I like the way it sounds) it was from a message on facebook, believe it or not. I did many auditions and well, after like my fourth one, foodnetwork liked me. The producer called me and asked me, 'Are you ready to be a star?' He revealed though that at first, they told him 'You must be the Simon Cowell of cupcakes. Demanding, exacting, very much the critic, the food authority.' I had to learn that, he states." I can attest to that. Florian is wonderful. Quick with a smile, he is funny, gregarious, affable and approachable. Sometimes to see him as the stern faced judge on Cupcake Wars, makes me smile, knowing the man behind the persona. But obviously, as he has done with everything he sets his mind to, he has taken to it quite well. His statement, "this is just a stupid chocolate cupcake...I don't like it!" may go down in the annuls of TV history as one of the greatest lines ever uttered by a competition judge. The show continues to be a huge hit with fans and viewers in the US, Canada, UK, Belgium, Hong Kong and Singapore.

On a more serious note , my friends, while fame and good fortune have followed my friend Florian, it has not been without great loss. I must now broach a subject I was very fearful of. Many of you may not know that Chef Bellanger tragically lost his wife, Anna, who passed away suddenly at age 40 on Dec.1st, 2011. They were married for 16 years. She

Florian & Anna Bellanger

was the love of his life. His inspiration. His partner in life. His support for all he has done and accomplished. Anna is survived by Florian and their three young sons. To say this was a shock is to understate.

I thought long and hard about how to approach this subject, if at all. Here is my friend, trusting me to do the first real in-depth interview he had ever given. His thoughts. His hopes. His dreams. His successes. His pain. His tragedies. How in the world could I write this? How should I approach a subject so delicate, a pain so great, a loss so devastating and one inflicted so recently? Should I even talk with him about it? Again, showing the depth of character this man possesses, it was Florian who eased the tension in my mind.

Anna Bellanger

"First of all Louis, do not hesitate, I think I can talk about it now. She passed away only a short time ago, so it is fresh but, I am prepared right now to talk about it and I have no problem to talk about it with you. You know,"  he says, "I have to move on  for my kids. It's a terrible thing that happened, the way it did, within 48 hours." He pauses for a moment, then continues, "You know, what I want to say in regards to my wife; I had no idea, no idea at all, the support I would get from the industry. When my wife passed away, I was with her in the hospital 24 hours a day. I had no chance to communicate. My partner Ludovic, he told me, 'Florian, shut off your phone, give it to me. Take care of your family, take care of the arrangements. I will take care of the communication,' and he took care of sending out emails and contacting everyone for me.

Florian & Anna

I was amazed, because at the wake, there we 450 people. At the church, it was packed packed, Louis  packed. I could not believe it. Everyone was there. Eric (Ripert), Daniel (Boulud,) Jacques (Torres),  Johnny (Iuzzini), Candace, Justin. I got such support from the industry, everyone was there. Jacques talked to me about it a lot, because he is a good friend and I know him a long time. I told him you know, 'Thanks so much for being here.' I mean my God, his wife flew in just to be there. He said to me, and I will remember this all my life, he said, 'Florian, Florian, what are you talking about, don't you understand? Everybody loves you man. You have no idea, in the industry, everybody loves you.' "Louis," he stated, "it's been the most difficult time of my life. I got so much support, but not just my friends. The Industry. Chefs, hotels, restaurants, everybody. Even my mom and dad, who had flown in immediately and stayed with me you know, to help with the kids, even they could not believe the amount of love and support."

You know, for most of us who know Florian, it's true what Jacques said to him. We do love him. You see, even with all his background, accolades, connections, successes and now TV fame, he could have done what many do. He could have gotten a big head. Many would not begrudge him if, after all his hard work and the long road it took to get where he is, he got to be a little full of himself. Many who find fame have. But that is not Florian Bellanger. The man I have come to know and respect is grounded. He has not forgotten where he came from. Yes, of course his culinary skill and acumen as a chef have propelled his success, but I believe it is more than that. It is the depth of his character that is the real reason for the success and friendships that now surround him. Through all that has come his way, he has remained true. To his principles, to his friends, to himself. I am a perfect example of this. He could have done this interview with any of the 'mainstream' publications, yet he chose to allow me to tell his story. For that trust and belief in me, I will always be grateful and words cannot express what his friendship means to me.

He told me, "When I started this TV project, Cupcake Wars, Anna was very supportive. When we were shooting the first season, I asked her to come visit me. We were shooting for three weeks straight, so I asked her to come visit for a few days. I was missing her and I wanted to share this with her. She saw all the shooting, you know, and I showed her the dressing room, my own TV, I said to her 'Isn't this nice. Look at this they treat me good and they have all this stuff for me.' I remember, she looked at me and she fixed my tie, looked into my eyes and said, 'I know it's very good, very nice, but just make sure you don't become an asshole.' And Louis, she was perfectly right. All things change you only if you decide it will change you. I agreed with him, saying, "Florian, the success does not change you, you change you." "Exactly. We have to share if we get to this stage." He replied, "We have to remain humble. I was lucky in my life to be associated with some very great people, who taught me a lot. So I have to return that in life. I have to share a little bit back. Now am I driven, of course, don't get me wrong. Like you, I always have the next project in mind. But it's not ego. You know me Louis, I'm not going to allow myself to get a big head. It's passion. Passion to be successful. To achieve.That's all"

As our dinner was coming to an end I asked my friend, "So mon ami, what is next for Chef Florian Bellanger?" He looked at me for a moment before answering and we toasted the last of our wine, clinking glasses. He told me about his wanting to grow Mad Mac, enlarging its presence online and then there is the personal side of his, trying to cope with the loss of Anna and move on for his boys. But with a twinkle in his eye, he said, "Louis, you know this TV thing. I like it. When you give a kid some candy and it tastes good, the kid wants more. I am that kid. I have some really great ideas and I definitely want my own show. I have some ideas for shows right now that are not on TV and I'm convinced they will work. Serious food TV. Subjects that are not being addressed, that I am convinced will be successful. You and I know about the details, of course, but we will keep that to ourselves," he winked, "I think there is room for some good shows coming from a different angle than what is on food TV now." He patted me on the back as we rose from the table and said, "Now let's get out of here before I get a ticket for overdue parking."

That my friends, is Florian. Always with his head looking up, reaching for the stars, but with his feet planted firmly on the ground. He has a new show coming on Foodnetwork Cup Cake Wars Kids so make sure you check it out!

~

As always, Bon Appetit!

Lou

Sources: Florian Bellanger, Mad Mac Macarons, Melissa Hom , foodnetwork Fauchon  
& most especially, The Bellanger Family.