A weekend with Shiva (and Kevin!) in the French countryside

June 2023

Shiva started following me on Instagram while I was living in Paris that year. Her bio had something about the “région Touraine” and her feed was full of baked goods. What was an Iranian baker doing in the French countryside? My curiosity piqued, and I sent a message. A few messages later Shiva invited me to stay with her and her husband on the farm where they were living. I couldn’t say no— I had so many questions. What ensued that weekend I spent with Shiva and Kevin will stay with me forever. It wasn’t just a story about a baker in France, but one about home, belonging, love, artisanry, and local community. The couple met in Montreal and decided to move to France where Kevin is from. Unsure about where to settle down, they decide to move onto this farm where Kevin’s childhood friend had been living and refurbishing for a few years.

The weekend I spent with them gave me a peek into the life they had built together and within the community, even if this was home only for now. I mostly shot on my Olympus MJU II point-and-shoot film camera, and the results still move me— images that capture what it felt like to be there, cooking and living and getting to know these people and their corner of the world.

I wrote a long piece about my weekend, Shiva, her background, and their love story which you can read below as well.