One of my favorite streets in Paris is rue de Buci in the 6th arrondissement.  I’ve been making a detour there since 1999, when as a student, I would always get a grilled, flattened panini from my panini guy at his little stand, as well as magazines and fun paper accessories at Buci News.  (Both stops are still obligatory whenever I’m in Paris – and the panini is still from the same guy.)  There was another “must” on that street about which I waxed poetic on the blog back in 2008: a certain palmier, or elephant ear, at Bonbonnière de Buci.  I still remember the day a few years ago when I stood, frozen, in front of an empty storefront in disbelief that this little gem of a pâtisserie had closed.

But my palmier is back !  Reborn, in the very same spot, thanks to The Smiths Bakery, a new sweet shop that just opened mid-May.

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It was several years ago when I stumbled on a short film online that was getting quite a buzz amongst Paris lovers and pastry lovers alike.  It was a masterful montage, gorgeous images of colorful pastries in Paris, as well as famous monuments and everyday objects there they appeared to mimic.  I watched with a huge grin from start to finish.  Then I watched it again.  And again.  (Some of you may recall hearing about it on my Paris pastry quiz.)  I can not tell you how many times I ended up watching that inspiring, delicious, feel-good film, but I can say it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship with its creator, graphic designer Susan Hochbaum.  And the discovery of what is now one of my favorite desserts in Paris.

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I love vintage food packaging (especially sweet, of course), kitchenware, tins, signs, molds…   One of my many collections is, surprise surprise, old kugelhopf molds.  I find myself still thinking about one in particular that I saw in Paris last year.  While many people may walk in to the new Meert shop and head straight for the gaufres (more on those below), I found myself ogling the inedible displays just as much as those signature waffles – and tempting chocolates and pâtes de fruit.  There’s Denis Wozny below, holding a gorgeous copper kugelhopf mold from the 17th century, with fabulous antique Meert labels behind glass on the wall.  (Of course I asked, but no, it’s not for sale.)

This beautiful, sweet boutique in Paris’ Marais neighborhood is simply a jewel of a shop, and worth spending time in to appreciate the finer historical details of la Maison Mère Meert.  Be sure to say bonjour to Denis – and merci for filling his car with gaufres every morning in Lille before driving to work in Paris.

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It’s all just too exciting, so I’ll simply come out and say it: the Salon du Chocolat, the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate, will be taking place in Switzerland for the first time !  Better yet, it will be here in Zürich (at Messe Zürich) from March 30 to April 1, 2012.  Mark your calendars for a sweet event not to be missed !

And guess what else… I’m helping organize it !!  I’m thrilled to be working again with Salon du Chocolat founders Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet and their team in Paris.  (I worked with them on the New York Chocolate Show when living there several years ago.)  Read the rest of this story >>

When October rolls around, you may be thinking Halloween and candy corn, pumpkins, falling leaves or a colorful Indian summer.  Me ?  I’m thinking chocolate. Nothing out of the ordinary, but this time, chocolate in Paris. It was my annual pilgrimage to the Salon du Chocolat, a chocolate fair like no other, in its 17th year. Time for a round-up of my favorite tastes at the show… If you were there, be sure to share yours too !

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I just lost someone very close to me, the man who not only gave me my love for chocolate and my insatiable sweet tooth, but who also taught me how to play backgammon and dominoes, crack an egg with one hand, make challah French toast and master his famous matzoh brei (I had shared his handwritten recipe – and secret – on the blog).  My 89 year old Grandfather, my friend and role model, who was playing tennis a few times a week just a couple of months ago, and skyping with me from New York to Switzerland, passed away after 72 years as my Grandmother’s best friend.

Sy Paris Abramson, 1921-2011 (the handsome fella in the center)

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I hope 2011 has gotten off to a sweet start for everyone! It is certain to be full of new discoveries and adventures for me, with travels near and far.  We’ll be home in Zürich, bouncing around Switzerland and going beyond the borders to wherever the train may take us.  Perhaps heading to more exotic destinations too.  And let’s not forget all the adventures in the kitchen. Many food bloggers have been compiling their “best of” lists and sharing their favorite travel and food experiences of 2010, which naturally got me thinking too. It’s fun to browse through photos of past trips and recall memorable tastes that demand to be recreated.

What are your travel and food highlights from the past year? Here are some of mine…

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I just learned an important lesson.  When going away for a couple of weeks, especially to an exotic island, a destination not exactly known for its chocolate,… don’t leave home without sticking a few bars in your bag (which I didn’t do).  But luckily when I got home, not only do I live in Switzerland, where there will never be a lack of excellent chocolate, I had an overflowing chocolate stash (as usual), including a few notable goodies from my last trip to Paris.

I was recently given a very sweet assignment, and shared “my perfect day in Paris” on The Paris Kitchen, where Wendy Lyn revealed my ultimate favorite sweet addresses.  Here is one of them… A L’Etoile d’Or.

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A highlight of my visit to the Salon du Chocolat, and of my trip to Paris a couple of weeks ago, was tasting Franck Kestener’s chocolates in Paris.  I have been buying his bars at A L’Etoile d’Or in the 9th arrondissement for years, which used to be the only place you could get them in Paris.  Otherwise, the family business (since 1936) is in Sarreguemines in the Lorraine region of France.  Getting to his shop there may be as difficult as non-French speakers trying to pronounce the name of the town.  But neither are necessary, as he has just opened his first shop in Paris.  And like my news for us Zürchers that Ladurée opened in Zürich, this is some seriously sweet news for Parisians and any of us visiting the capital.

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Twas that time of year, when I found myself back on the TGV (high speed train) from Zürich to Paris with sweets on my mind.  You might think that after a few days of nonstop visits to pâtisseries, boulangeries and chocolate and sweet shops, I might be all sugared out. Not at all; I was just getting warmed up for the Salon du Chocolat, now in its 16th year, and with shows all around the world, even Cairo and Moscow.

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