Carole Bumpus began writing about food and travel after stumbling upon the amazing stories of women and war in France and Italy. She has written a historical novel, A Cup of Redemption, followed by her unique companion cookbook, Recipes for Redemption. Her Savoring the Olde Ways Series followed with Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table Books One & Two, A September to Remember: Searching for Culinary Pleasures at the Italian Table and her sixth book, Adventures on Land and Sea: Searching for Culinary Pleasures and Along the Côte d’Azur was published November 12, 2024.
She is a retired family therapist and lives in Redwood Shores. As a retired family therapist, she began a second career as a culinary/travel writer compiling vignettes from both French and Italian families regarding their favorite foods, family traditions and family stories. “What favorite recipe brings your family to the table?” was her question. During one of her interviews with an elderly French woman, Marcelle Zabe, Bumpus simply asked, “So what foods did you prepare as a young wife in central France?” Marcelle threw her head back, laughed and said, “Foods, mon chère? Why, we were in hiding! It was during the thick of WWII and we were surrounded by Germans. I was lucky to sneak out to the fields after dark to dig up a potato or two for my family. Not so much to ‘prepare,’ you see.”
With that one statement, Bumpus’ mission changed and she began writing a novel based on this woman’s most intriguing story about love, war, loss and the power of food and friendship. The historical novel, A CUP OF REDEMPTION was published October 2014.
Immediately following the launch of A CUP OF REDEMPTION, she began receiving requests for the recipes to the foods mentioned throughout the novel. In response, RECIPES FOR REDEMPTION: A COMPANION COOKBOOK TO A CUP OF REDEMPTION was published on August 15, 2015. The cookbook provided the French recipes culled from the pages, the times and the regional influences found in the historical novel, A CUP OF REDEMPTION and were shared by the book’s three main characters—Marcelle, Sophie and Kate.
Bumpus’ original food/travel interviews, taken from over seventy-five people in France and fifty in Italy, has culminated in a series of books called, SAVORING THE OLDE WAYS. SEARCHING FOR FAMILY AND TRADITIONS AT THE FRENCH TABLE, BOOK ONE was published on August 27, 2019. Book Two of the same name in this series is a continuation of Book One and was published August 19, 2020, and the third book, A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER: SEARCHING FOR CULINARY PLEASURES AT THE ITALIAN TABLE takes her readers and fellow travelers to Italy and was published in April 2021.
After her last book was published, she continued to work on her next book, Adventures on Land and Sea: Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provençe and along the Côte d’ Azur. It was more difficult to write as it was a memoir of three separate trips through Provençe, and not reliant on the magic of interviews. Nevertheless, it was published on November 12, 2024.
Additional Background:
In order to complete her latest book, she retired as a state board member of the California Writers’ Club (since 2012) which is an organization which encourages writers to help other writers in their writerly interests. She also stepped off the local San Francisco Peninsula Branch board, and as chair of the regional NorCal Group board of which she had been on since 2015. Within her roles with the CWC, she headed up the statewide outreach and connection to the San Francisco Writers Conference from 2012 on, and the Bay Area Book Festival – Berkeley.
She has also been active in traveling with, writing for and about WWII veterans in the U.S. and France since 2009, as part of her research for understanding a country (France) living under the siege of WWII. In that regard, she has had the privilege to speak to veterans groups far and wide.
So, what’s next, you ask? “There are so many topics; so many themes; so many interests . . . my head is swirling! Catch up with me on Substack.”