Table Talk – Lois Rothert
I first met Lois Rothert at a dinner party. The moment she tasted the starter – a velvety cannellini bean soup – she announced, “This is spec-tac-ular!” As a frequent host, I love it when a guest shows that kind of enthusiasm, and I knew I wanted to invite Lois to join me for “Table Talk.”
Originally from Indianapolis, Lois attended DePauw University and has called Fort Wayne home for most of her 90 years. Deeply creative and highly curious, she worked as a weaver, attended culinary school in Paris, ran a restaurant and published a cookbook. Lois is spunky and truly embodies joie de vivre, with deep connections across the community. Talking with her was an offbeat storytelling tour of the history of Fort Wayne. Of course, we mostly talked about food …
How did you become a restaurateur? I love to cook and hate to clean up for a dinner party. The restaurant was a creative solution! I opened the restaurant and told no one. I didn’t even have a sign outside and, somehow, 10 people showed up on the first night! The next day, it was a mob scene (we eventually installed a sign). It was a wonderful partnership with my second husband, Larsh Rothert. I was owner-chef from 1980-1987. We closed when Larsh fell ill.
What was the restaurant like? The restaurant was called “Du Jour,” and was located on Pearl and Harrison – the block where Kanela and Tolon are today. The cuisine was French, and we served California wines. I have loved the French language since I saw the 1943 movie “Tonight We Raid Calais.” What initially intrigued me was the silent “s” at the end of “Calais.” I later realized that English had plenty of silent letters! I knew I wanted a French name for the restaurant, and one that would be easy to pronounce. Also, the name reflected the concept. I hand-typed a new menu – with a new set of soups and other dishes – every day! I also wanted it to be flexible. The servers knew that, if someone came on a Saturday night and asked for a scrambled egg, I’d make it!
Noteworthy diners? We had some loyal regulars, including many of my husband’s colleagues from Lincoln National. In addition, over the years, we served some dignitaries and VIPs: Roy and Edna Disney (they were in Indiana because they’d just acquired a business in Decatur), author Alex Haley, who was in town for an event at the library, actress and activist Marlo Thomas and TV host Phil Donohue.
Source of inspiration? I have traveled a great deal and have always been an adventurous eater. I pick up ideas everywhere I go. For example, on a trip to Berkeley, I ate at Chez Panisse. The meal was wonderful, but beyond that I got the idea of having a designated smoking area and mismatched silverware. I shopped at estate sales until we had a good collection of sterling for the restaurant. We’d polish the silver on Mondays when we were closed. No one likes to polish silver, but it feels so good holding nice flatware.
You literally wrote the book on soup. Tell me about it. I originally had a deal with a NYC publisher to produce three cookbooks. After some challenges with my editor, who left the company for a competitor, we produced a single book in 2002 called, “The Soups of France.” I had great fun traveling and researching the book. The photography is by the incredibly talented Don Smith. My only guidance to him was that there should not be a single photograph of soup in the book. I wanted to showcase France and he did an amazing job!
What does it mean to be a good guest? Being a good guest means following three rules. First, never bring your host flowers, because you don’t want to burden them with having to find a vase. Second, never bring food, because it may clash with the menu. And third – the same rule applies to wine. I do like to give a small gift, such as a book of poetry or a novel.
Go-to quick meal for entertaining? I often make a cream of carrot soup, called Potage Crècy. The recipe is in my cookbook, and I recommend serving it with potato croutons. Sometimes I chill it and call it Vichyssoise d’Or.
Something you always have in the pantry? Chocolate chips. I like to make haystack cookies, a no-bake treat with chow mein noodles and several types of chips. I sometimes add Marcona almonds, too. I also have a quick blender recipe for chocolate pot de crème that dates back to the restaurant days, which I still enjoy on the regular.
Favorite place (on the planet) to eat, and why? La Fontaine de Mars, in the seventh arrondissement, close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Everything on the menu is fabulous, but I’d order fois gras. Can I say that? Is it too snooty to say that my favorite place to eat is in France? Well, okay, my second favorite place is also in Paris! It’s Au Pied de Fouet. Equally fabulous.
Something you are proud of? Architect Michael Graves was a classmate of mine and my first husband, Jay Hanselmann. Michael always said, “I’m going to design a house for Lois and Jay,” and he did! In 1971, we built the Hanselmann House in Southwest Fort Wayne. Years later, I studied the French language in France. For my final project, I had to give a lecture on a topic of my choosing – entirely in French. I chose to speak about the architect who inspired the design of my house, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier.
How do you connect with friends? I am active in a lot of groups, including a local book club that’s been in existence since 1957, and my “Meatloaf Club” that typically meets at Henry’s on Mondays. My next dinner party is with the Meatloaf Club friends – it’s a Russian menu with a few dishes I love, including Coulibiac, a showstopper dish with salmon, rice, mushrooms, crêpes and spinach – all baked in puff pastry.
Favorite comfort food, and why? Milk chocolate. During World War II, a cousin who was in the Army gave me (a greedy 9-year-old who had not had sugar in quite a while) a few chocolate bars. I’d sit and eat four blocks of chocolate, a little at a time, while curled up with a book. To this day, that’s the essence of me. I still love reading, good literature and milk chocolate.
