La Grande Epicerie de Paris
La Grande Epicerie de Paris
Housed in elegant surroundings in the heart of Paris, La Grande Épicerie selects and creates exceptional products every day. Strolling along its aisles is a unique experience, a magical moment.
Creation date: 1923
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer: Patrice Wagner
Head office: 38, rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris - France
Website: www.lagrandeepicerie.com
Identity
In 1923 Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche opened an ultra-refined gourmet food emporium on its ground floor. Today the store is located in an adjacent building at the corner of the historic location on rue de Sèvres. A must address for fine foods lovers in the French capital spanning 2,900 square meters of floorspace, La Grande Épicerie de Paris offers some 30,000 items, many of them available exclusively at the store or made on site.
Every day, pastry chefs, cooks, bakers and apprentices work under the guidance of Jean-Jacques Massé, holder of the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France). Each member of the team strives to achieve excellence and create the most unexpected recipes while maintaining a respect for tradition. As for the House’s ‘product experts’, these walking encyclopedias of good taste constantly travel the length and breadth of the globe in order to bring back unique discoveries from their travels.
After 18 months of building work and the creation of the wine cellar in the shop’s basement, the ‘Le Balthazar’ wine bar and the ‘La Table’ restaurant, directly connected to the Bon Marché’s Menswear department, the new Grande Épicerie is more dedicated than ever to being an unmissable destination for all food lovers.
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The Place du Marché fruit and vegetable section was created in the spirit of French covered markets to highlight the regular new arrivals of fresh fruits and vegetables. Located at the heart of the bakery, meat and fish counters, it offers a unique visual and tasting experience.
Insights
” The new Grande Épicerie de Paris, opened in 2013, is the most ambitious food hall concept in Europe. We wanted to offer our clients a unique gastronomic experience. The savoir-faire of our artisans, our architects and the artists chosen for this project allowed us to turn this desire to become a unmissable gastronomic destination into a reality.”
Savoir-faire
The heart of La Grande Épicerie de Paris also beats beneath the earth: in the basement, an area of 1,500 m² provides the workspace for a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, 62 artisans and 12 expert apprentices in bakery, catering and pâtisserie. Every day, the same actions are repeated thousands of times with the same passion: a first batch of baguettes is baked in the early morning, followed by four others throughout the day, dishes from all over the world are prepared as well as an array of macaroons…
Moved in part from the shadows into the light, the laboratories of La Grande Épicerie de Paris also display their savoir-faire on the rue de Sèvres and the rue du Bac. Under the gaze of passers-by, the chocolatier molds bespoke chocolate bars to order, the pâtissier dresses his creations with finishing touches and the baker places one of 60 varieties of bread in the oven.
The artisans inspire, both in their show laboratories and behind their appropriate counter. In each specialty workshop they become sales representatives serving the public, equipped with their traditional tools, exceptional products and with their laboratory as a backdrop. Their delight? Sharing their savoir-faire.
Outlook
In addition to its unique gourmet selection, La Grande Épicerie de Paris now offers privileged baking, patisserie and gastronomy workshops.
In the kitchens of the La Table restaurant or the show laboratories on the rue de Sèvres and the rue du Bac, La Grande Épicerie de Paris’s chefs share their passion and savoir-faire with gourmets, adults and children alike, and with them create unique recipes inspired by a theme or seasonal product.
Wine and champagne lovers can also enjoy an introduction to the art of wine tasting with a professional from the La Grande Épicerie de Paris’s wine cellar.
Key figures
- 3,650 sqm of commercial space
- 390 people work for La Grande Épicerie de Paris, including 62 artisans
- 8,000 clients per day
La Grande Epicerie de Paris on social media
- Une gastronomie éclectique, entre cuisine traditionnelle et saveurs inédites : rejoignez-nous pour un voyage gustat… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…