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Ganache to Gargoyles in the Shadow of the Eiffel Tower By Sally Peabody |
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An October visit to Chaudun’s shop left me wishing I’d made this trip years ago. Chaudun, who originally trained in patisserie in the renowned La Maison de Chocolate, has been crafting his own chocolates for 25 years for a devoted clientele of aficionados from near and far. He sources his fine chocolate from the best-of-the-best around the chocolate-producing world. There is indeed an enviable selection of classic dark chocolate ganaches filled with almond paste, honey, chocolate, raspberry, coffee and other intensely pure flavors. And the chocolate Pavés are simply exquisite confections of cream and chocolate perfection, so fresh and fragile they cannot remain at room temperature for more than four hours.
For the culinarily obsessed, there are witty chocolate saucisses looking for all the world like the dry sausages omnipresent in the Paris marché volants and charcuteries. Now that would be an entertaining dessert to serve to guests who thought they were well beyond the appetizer course!
A visit to Michael Chaudun’s shop should be high on the list of chocolate lovers visiting Paris. Whether it is two perfect bon-bons, a purse, or even a chocolate saucisse this shop will satisfy one’s chocolate cravings with inimitable style. Michael Chaudun, 149 rue de l'Universite, (corner rue Malar) Paris. |
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delicious
chocolates available in the sweet little shop tucked in a quietly
residential corner of Paris’ comfortable 7th
arrondissement, just off the Seine, in the shadow of the Eiffel
Tower, and not far from the myriad gastronomic delights of the rue
Cler and rue St. Dominque.
And
there is much more. Chaudun has fun with his metier. He is, as
the charming responsable running the shop told me, an
artist. He is indeed. The abundant displays sport chocolate jewelry
boxes gilded with edible gold leaf, chocolate animals, ‘Hermes’
braided chocolate-leather bags, tiny soccer balls, and even
grimacing, architecturally correct dark-chocolate gargoyles. One
can also purchase powdered chocolate for making hot chocolate as
well as lovely classic porcelain chocolate pots and cups.
Despite
his obvious mastery of the chocolate metier, Monsieur Chaudun
appears to be a quiet craftsman. He eschews major shows like the
Salon du Chocolate, preferring to work with his two apprentices
in the tiny fabrication room adjacent to the shop to fill his store
with delights for his customers. At present, Chaudun is training
young Korean and Japanese chocolatiers, both women. He also paints
as an avocation, and selected examples of his work hang in the
shop. 
The
shop is adorable, quintessentially Paris. During my short visit the
clientele included an elegantly dressed older woman assisted by a
home-care aide who came in to painstakingly select two chocolates
for her dessert. She is a daily visitor and was accorded all the
grace and respect as a client buying a substantial order. Next a
somewhat boisterous English family came in with three young children
who were highly amused by the gargoyles and other fanciful
creations. The father told me they had read about Chaudun and had
trekked across Paris to find the shop. Armed with a selection of
chocolates—small dark-chocolate Eiffel Towers for the kids, and
other chocolate gifts— the family happily moved on to their next
great Paris attraction.