The French have had a love affair with chocolate since 1615, when Anne of Austria (confusingly, actually Spanish) married Louis XIII of France and packed cocoa beans for drinking chocolate in her Paris-bound valise. 400 years later, French chocolates are some of the finest in the world and among the best souvenirs to take home.
Purveyors of fine chocolate in Paris are suffering major losses this year. Back in February, Denise Acabo’s beloved chocolate shop L’Etoile d’Or was rocked by an explosion. Then yesterday, Patrick Roger’s atelier in Sceaux suffered a major fire.
There were no (human) casualties in the fire that broke out on around 3pm, but production of those delicious pralines and bonbons has of course ground to a halt.
To more fully grasp how awful this is, check out David Lebovitz’ video documenting the delicious work that took place in (and hopefully will return soon to) this atelier.
The clean lines of Roger's shop show off his bold style and playful displays. Contemporary flavors like lemongrass and Sichuan peppercorn mix with classic pralines, dark ganaches, and caramels. A Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
International ubiquity might make La Maison du Chocolat easy to overlook on a visit to Paris, but this shop, with its heavenly ganaches, remains a standard bearer.
Chocolate captivates the imagination like no other food, and Paris does chocolate like no other city.
The tall glass jars in this bright and airy shop are filled with colorful artisanal candies from around France -- pastilles, calissons, pâtes de fruit, chocolates -- and plenty of nostalgia.
Master chocolatier and "caramelier" Henri Le Roux has set up shop in Paris. Salted butter caramel fans, rejoice.
A charming shop with multiple locations, selling all manner of chocolates and candies. A fine spot for ice cream in the warmer months.
This Lorraine-based chocolatier (a Meilleur Ouvrier de France) opened a boutique in Paris in late 2010.