by Colin Morley

Created on: February 21, 2011   Last Updated: March 07, 2011

Come to Paris and you will find that the capital of France doubles as the capital of hedonistic pleasure. You will find a diversity of wonderful fashion, entertainment, culture and foods, not forgetting of course that single most pleasurable delight, chocolate.

If you thought that chocolate could only take the form of pre-wrapped corner store confectionary or at best a fancy gift-wrapped box of after-dinner candies, then you have never experienced the craft of the true chocolatier.

Jean-Paul Hévin is perhaps Paris’s most admired chocolatier.  Plying his trade at 231 rue Saint Honoré, he not only manufactures the most fantastic pralines and soft-centred delights, but celebrates the marriage of craftsmanship with humour with his chocolate creations in the form of stiletto heeled shoes, MP3 players and suchlike.  Hévin is rated number one chocolatier of Paris by French daily newspaper “Le Figaro” (10/30/2010).

Just a few steps away from Place des Vosges, former home of Victor Hugo and the first planned square to be built in the capital in 1612, you can find the lovely chocolate boutique (it would be sacrilege to call it a shop) of Joséphine Vannier, bringing her distinctly feminine touch to the art of the chocolatier. 

Her artistic creations of intertwined hands on tableaux of dark and white chocolate are hand-crafted edible works of art.  She extends her artistic commentary by producing chocolate ‘designer’ handbags, cooking pots and musical instruments, including a grand piano.  Her creations can be seen online as well as in her outlet at 4, rue du pas-de-la Mule in the 3rd arondissement.

Philippe Pascoët plies his trade at 52 rue Saint-Placide, in the 5th arondissment.  His originality stems from his soft centred ‘ganaches’ filled with unusual and tantalising flavours such as liquorice, rosemary, sage and saffron.  Strictly speaking, Pascoët is not a Parisian chocolatier, having been born and raised in Brittany and settled in Switzerland.  Nonetheless, his mastery of the art and presence in the capital earns him the right of mention here.

Christophe Roussel is another Breton chocolatier who has opened an outlet in Paris.  His creations use chocolate with other confectionary to present colourful and imaginative fruit creations using cherries, raspberries and other fruits with meringues and macaroons in an almost unimaginable range

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