6 minute read
Acquired Tastes
Ashley Morton’s joie de vivre is Parisian-born and Winter Garden bred.
Story by Heather Anne Lee
Photos by Fred Lopez
There are two kinds of people in the world: People who wake up thinking about what to have for dinner and those who don’t. Twenty-four-year-old Ashley Morton is in the first camp. But you can’t really blame her. She’s French, you see. It’s in her blood.
Born in Paris and raised in Central Florida by French immigrants, Ashley grew up rooted in two very different worlds. Her parents, Dominique Delcourt and Jacques Morton, chose to make the United States home, but were equally determined to keep their French heritage alive.
Ashley with her mother, Dominique Delcourt
Photo courtesy of Ashley Morton
“You’re almost living this double life,” Ashley says, leaning forward over a table at Three Birds Cafe, her dog, Harvey, splayed quietly across her lap. “At school, we were just regular American kids. Speaking English, talking about movies and music and boys. A little loud, a little crass. And then, voilà, at home, we’re speaking only in French, listening to French music, news, books, and, of course, eating French food.”
By way of explanation, she offers, “My parents were older. My dad was 52 when he had me. There’s my sister, Kimberley, my brother, Jack, and myself, the youngest of three. So he and my mom had different expectations for us. There wasn’t dinner and homework in front of the television. No. We had long, leisurely meals, no cell phone in sight. We were American kids by day, French family by night.”
Ashley with her father, Jaques Morton
Photo courtesy of Ashley Morton
Similarly, every summer, the Mortons made their way back to France, visiting family and friends, making new memories in old, treasured places. And food … there was always food.
“Those summers were challenging for me,” Ashley remembers. “By the time we had become accustomed to our American life, we would take off to France for the summer. So, as a kid, it just got a little bit confusing and disorienting. But three things that I always loved about those summers in France: the food, the markets, and how the people really take the time to eat.”
Tastefully Made
In France, pleasure, or plaisir, is not a dirty word. It’s not considered hedonistic to pursue—in fact, pleasure is more of a moral value, a compass guiding people in their actions. Especially as it relates to food, and fashion.
And nowhere is that more apparent than in Ashley’s career path.
“I always dreamed of a career in fashion,” she says. “So at 16, as a sophomore in high school, I went to New York and did a threeweek summer internship at Teen Vogue. And I loved it! I loved the city and the energy and the fashion. I came back from New York and decided I was going to go to college and pursue fashion PR. And what better place to do that than Paris?”
Ashley and Jack, two of the Three Birds, in Paris
Photo courtesy of Ashley Morton
Thanks to her parents’ strict French-only at-home rule, and a dual citizenship, Ashley was able to attend college in Paris for free. And though her studies led her to graduate with a degree in communications, during those three years, a new passion was growing.
“At the time, during my last year in college, I was working for this company and we were always—always!—at restaurants. I must have eaten at a hundred restaurants in two months. And with every bite, I fell more and more in love with food. I still loved fashion, but it’s like the universe was pushing me toward something else.”
The universe … and her parents.
Upon graduation, Ashley received a generous offer from the company she had been working with. She tentatively accepted, but first, she wanted to come home and see her family, who had some very strong opinions. “Here I am, home from college and I have a solid job offer from the company I had been working for, and my parents kept asking me, ‘Is that what do you really want to do? Really? Are you sure?’ Over and over again. It was so annoying,” she laughs. “Finally, my mom just came right out and said I should really think about something else. She was like, ‘We’re going to give you six months to think about it. Bring us a concept and a solid business plan, and we’ll invest in it.’”
And that’s the story of how, inspired by those sun-soaked, food-forward summers in France—and her three years at university in Paris—Ashley Morton gave up fashion to carve a delicious path through the Winter Garden landscape.
Style and Substance
Admired everywhere, the French aesthetic is unpolished, yet elegant. Sophisticated, yet effortless. A little bit of glamour. A whole lot of charisma.
It’s a mix of perfectly tousled hair, the best-fitting jeans, a cool, flat shoe, and some variation of a t-shirt and blazer that somehow comes together to make the chicest ensemble imaginable.
Which is exactly how you will find Ashley most days: neutral jacket, white tee, denim, and a pop of color along the lip. A warm, ready smile and an unpretentious demeanor. And unapologetically youthful. Catherine Deneuve meets Vanessa Paradis, if you will. It’s a recipe for success when it comes to style, and for restaurants. For while Three Birds Cafe—each bird representing the three Morton siblings—doesn’t serve traditional French cuisine, it remains quintessentially French in the best possible way. Effortlessly classy with a whole lot of charisma.
Take, for example, the light and airy vibe, a space designed for you to linger. Much like cafes in Paris where un café is an invitation to sit and converse, not dine and dash.
Or perhaps, the delightful wine tasting flight paired with delicious new bites and live music. A mood evoking late nights along a chic Parisian boulevard, where sipping, savoring, and people-watching is all the entertainment necessary. And, of course, the seasonal menu, crafted much the way villagers in France source their ingredients from neighbors and friends — trading eggs and butter for duck and goose. Only at Three Birds, that looks like Bekemeyer Farm strawberries. Honey from Clermont hives. Black Letter Bread coffee cake. Cheese from La Femme Du Fromage. Every vendor, every ingredient, is hand selected to represent the best of her community. Eat local together, indeed.
