A view of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, with the Palais de Chaillot front-and-center. The palace was built in 1937 for a world exhibition, but has since become a symbol of human rights. In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at this site, which was a common standard of rights for all peoples and all nations that was drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all over the world. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected, and it has been translated into over 500 languages. ▼
My European Adventure, 2025: Paris
My last stop on this trip was more business than travel. If you are going to Europe in search of inspiration for chocolate and confections, there is no better place than the culinary capital of the world. Of course in order to appreciate the food, I needed to experience the culture and history, too.
Paris is divided by the Seine River, with twenty "arrondissements", or neighborhoods, unfolding like a snail shell from the center of the city.
The iconic Eiffel Tower, engineered by Gustave Eiffel, was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris and was intended to be a temporary structure that would stand for a maximum of 20 years.
In Gustave's later years, he switched from engineering to science, studying things like wind aerodynamics and radio waves. The height of the Eiffel Tower proved useful for his radio experiments, and the tower became an important outpost for new radio technology.
But Parisians pushed back - they considered the structure garish and too tall to remain standing permanently. French author Guy de Maupassant famously said that he often went to have lunch on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, as it was “the only place in the city where I won’t see it”.
Thanks to Gustave's experiments, it served as everything from a radio tower for military, to the site of the first public radio show broadcast, so ultimately the usefulness of the tower won out over the lack of public popularity. Today it is the most visited structure in the world, receiving 7 million visitors annually.
Another Paris icon, the Notre Dame, was inspired by the original (much taller) Notre Dame in Strasbourg, which we wrote about in our previous blog post here.
The Notre Dame of Paris just re-opened this past December after years of reconstruction following the fire that destroyed the wood spire and roof in 2019.
You can read here about the outpouring of support it received, even while it was still burning. ▲
The famous North Rose Window, with primarily blue tones, was spared from the fire and beautifully restored. ◄
Many art works from different centuries can be seen hanging in the side chapels of the cathedral. You may recognize this Matisse cut-out from our recent CHOKOLATINE Matisse-inspired pieces! ►
Notre Dame took two centuries to build and is considered a prime example of Gothic architecture. This early feat of engineering allowed buildings to be built much taller while still letting in natural light. The weight of the structure is supported by massive arches and the flying buttresses on the outside of the building.
On to the serious stuff: food.
Stohrer is the oldest pastry shop in Paris, dating back to 1730. It is located on rue Montorgueil (Montorgueil St.), which is known for being a "foodie" street in Paris.
Stohrer specializes in rum babas - a yeasted cake that is saturated with a rum syrup - which was invented by Nicolas Stohrer himself. The story goes that the Duke that Nicolas Stohrer worked for complained that his cake was too dry, so Storher doused it in liquor.
The lovely tile floor in Patisserie Stohrer. ▲
Another historical asset to the Paris confectionery scene is Masion Moinet - founded in 1852, the confectionery house specializes in Pastilles de Vichy.
Known for their digestive properties, the pastilles are made from the mineral-rich waters of the spring located in Vichy, France - a popular health spa location for the spring's healing waters.
The pastilles displayed for samples in the store, in their iconic octagon shape. ▼
A tin we purchased with all available flavors of pastilles: orange, lemon, black licorice and mint. ▲
The best cup of hot chocolate I have ever had - from a Brazilian chocolatier called Dengo. Each cup is prepared fresh in front of you, using coconut milk and solid chocolate, hand whisked to be perfectly frothy. ►
Chocolate from high-end chocolatier Patrick Roger, who is known for his larger-than-life chocolate sculptures. We tried the popular hazelnut praline, jasmine tea ganache, lime caramel and distinctive large pieces of candied orange peel. ▲
A Parisian classic, pâte de fruits (or "fruit paste") is made with fresh fruit puree and rolled in sugar. ►
A crepe-maker hard at work in Montmartre - we tried the chestnut cream-filled crepes. ◄
Beautiful French Meringues, inspiration for our recent collection. What do you think, should we bring them back sometime? ►
The food markets were quite the treat to experience - think Cleveland's Westside Market, but somehow larger and more densely packed.
We were delighted to see a sign with my own name on it! It says "Ines' Little Farm - a cheesemaker shop"...It's almost as if they read my first blog about cheesemaking on my farm in Croatia! ◄
The produce is out of this world. Everything was so bright, fresh and colorful, coming from nearby places like Italy and Southern France.
Even dinner salads are a gourmet affair - Belgian endive and goat cheese salad and smoked duck with broasted potato salad. ►
Nighttime on the Seine River. ▼
Montmartre is a city that was annexed to Paris in 1860. Known for its beautiful basilica atop the hill and its vibrant cabaret and bohemian art scene - including the famed Moulin Rouge ("red windmill") and the Lapin Agile ("quick rabbit") who hosted the likes of Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Van Gogh, Edith Piaf and many others. ◄
I will leave you with some lovely Parisian architecture.
Do you have any ideas on where I should travel next for more recipe inspiration?
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Thanks for reading along!
-Ines
