My husband and I celebrated the arrival of 2013 in Paris. Except for taxi rides to and from the airport, we explored Paris by foot. We stumbled upon pastry shops, ate meals that demanded more walking, and drank cups of coffee and wine while resting our feet in bistros. On our last day in Paris, being good tourists, we shopped and our first stop was to famed cookware store Dehillerin in Les Halles.
Established in 1820, I don’t imagine it’s changed much during its almost 200 years in existence. While the outside storefront displays an impressive amount of shiny copper cookware, the inside is dimly lit with pots and pans, molds, and pastry provisions stacked high on dusty wooden shelving. It’s far from Williams-Sonoma perfection and better for it. I certainly could find similar items at Amazon or my local Sur La Table, but the discovery of a copper pan and tiny tin barquettes authenticated by a “Made in France” stamp were all the more special for having had to search for them in the cluttered and noisy shop.
