Raleigh, N.C. — The “Monet in Normandy” exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art isn’t the only way to travel the region of France that inspired the paintings. Businesses in and around Raleigh are celebrating the show with their own exposition of French culture.

Throughout the city, many restaurants are cooking up French meals. There are also cooking classes, wine tastings and even some fashion shows featuring French designers.

The exhibit, which is in Raleigh until Jan. 14, is going strong. Attendance is above expectations. So, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau said it just made sense to carry the excitement into the community.

On the menu at the Bloomsbury Bistro, for example is Chicken Normandy, and who can resist the deep-dish crème brulee.
“Normandy is known for good food, dairy products, cheeses and all and this suits it very well. "

It’s a very rustic, very hardy, soul-satisfying kind of cuisine,” Chef John Toler said.

Toler says that tying his menu to the Monet theme has paid off for him. He has seen an additional 50-80 patrons a week since the exhibit opened.

This is the first time the visitors bureau has gone all out in tying local businesses with an art show.

“You go through it, you’re just feeling a passion to do more, and we didn’t want people to just leave the experience at the Museum of Art,” said Martin Armes the bureau’s communications director.