What is Your Comfort Food?

It has been said, “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him…the people who give you their food give you their heart.”

This sentiment is lived out at Fleur de Sel, an award-winning restaurant nestled in the Highlands neighborhood of Post Falls, Idaho. Featuring French bistro and Northern Italian cuisine, this welcoming fine-dining establishment serves creative and comforting fare, sprinkled with a healthy dose of sit-down-and-feel-at-home flair.

Owners Laurent and Patricia Zirotti believe that sitting around the table to share a meal is a great way to build community. And although, in their restaurant, connections are often made between a few people at a time, the Zirottis are passionate about building bridges to connect even larger numbers through food.

Once each month, Laurent carves out time to lead a Community Cooking Class in the Second Harvest Kitchen — an endeavor, he admits, that’s done selfishly on his part simply because it feels so good to share joy and encourage other people to try new things, discover new flavors, and be fearless in the kitchen.

“When you ask people, ‘What is your comfort food?’ eight out of 10 people will tell you something from their childhood because it’s about a feeling, a memory, more than a meal,” Laurent explains. “My mother always made delicious food, seemingly from nothing. So, when I teach, I try to help people understand that even the most simple of dishes can be special, and delicious!”

Get a taste of the Zirotti’s incredible cooking, either at Fleur de Sel in Post Falls, or at the Fleur de Sel Creperie just south of downtown Spokane.