Eating My Way Through Paris with Bonne Maman

Travel —
June 12, 2018
Travel —
June 12, 2018

Eating My Way Through Paris with Bonne Maman

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming or not, because I have one of the coolest

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Eating My Way Through Paris with Bonne Maman

3 Days of Eating My Way Through Paris with Bonne Maman: a food and photo essay!

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming or not, because I have one of the coolest jobs in the world, and I can’t quite believe it. This is one of those times.

Last month, I flew to Paris for 4 days of eating, drinking, and preserve-tasting with Bonne Maman (for those of you who don’t know, Bonne Maman is the company with those preserves that look like they came from your grandmother’s pantry, with a hexagonal mason jar bottom and French red-and-white checkered top. The cutest).

I had been aware of Bonne Maman for years, and always loved their preserves. So one day in April when I was reading through my emails and saw that they asked me to join them in Paris, I literally squealed. It took everything in my power not to write back DUH YES I’M THERE (#professionalism).

        

We all met up in Paris on a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon. As my taxi drove past the Place de la Concorde, I felt my heart flutter. This city is made of magic, I thought to myself.

After checking into the Hotel Saint Germain (which I totally recommend because its rooms were adorable and oh so French), we headed to lunch at Saturne. From the beef tartar with micro flowers to the crispy skinned chicken with giant asparagus, it was an insane way to begin the trip.

That evening, we met up with some of the Bonne Maman executives, whom we bombarded them with questions like what’s your favorite jam? (green plum or wild blueberry!), how long has Bonne Maman been around? (since 1974– that one surprised me!), and what’s the difference between jam and preserves? (preserves are made with whole fruit and jam is made with crushed fruit. So preserves maintain the integrity of the fruit!).

Afterwards, we headed to the River Seine, where Bonne Maman transformed a docked houseboat into a three story interactive party. There was a make-y0ur-own-bouquet station, a candle workshop, cocktail mixing class, and, of course, tons of food.

It being the first day and all, we were on a preserve kick, so at the end of the night, we all sat around a table and tried about 15 different Bonne Maman preserves. Some of my favorites? Raspberry, Apricot, and their Chestnut spread. Zomg.

        

        

        

The next day we woke up and headed to breakfast at Ladurée, where we shared plates of smoked salmon eggs benedict, french toast, and the softest and most pillowy omelette I’ve ever had.

After exploring a bit of the city, we headed back to the Bonne Maman houseboat for tea and, of course, preserves. We sampled even more flavors like orange marmalade and blackcurrant, and sipped on tea while learning more about the story of Bonne Maman.

        

On Day 3 we did a food tour of the city. Armed with sneakers and eager bellies, we walked through the streets of Paris, sampling croissants from Des Gateaux et du Pain, eclairs from L’Éclair de Genie, macarons from Pierre Hermé, and caramels from Henri Le Roux Chocolatier, among others.

        

My two favorite stops on the tour?

1) The cloud cakes from Aux Merveilleux de Fred. These were insane. Like giant puff pastries meets meringue meets whipped cream. My favorite was the coffee flavored one. I was so eager to eat it that I completely forgot to take a picture (but I guess that’s how you know c’est magnifique, non?).

2) The jambon-beurre from Caractère de Cochon. Hokay where do I begin. So you start with the most amazing crunchy-yet-moist baguette still warm from the oven, lather it in what I’m assuming was cultured butter, and finish it with the most lovely herb-infused ham. Don’t let its simplicity fool you; it was the best thing I ate on the trip (besides the green plum preserves, about which I totally agree on- delicious!).

        

        

We finished our day with the most lovely picnic at Place des Vosges, one of my favorite parks in Paris. We laid out on a picnic blanket with fresh baguette, stinky cheese, and, of course, Bonne Maman preserves.

        

I left Paris with a really full belly, and a really, really full heart. As an influencer, there is truly nothing that connects you more strongly to a brand than getting to know that brand in person. Meeting those who live and breathed Bonne Maman, who literally make the brand come to life, is one of my favorite parts of my job.

I’m so grateful for the ability to get to know the Bonne Maman family better, and cannot wait to show you guys the recipe I’m coming up with using their preserves (stay tuned!).

This post is sponsored by Bonne Maman. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands who help make Broma possible!

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  1. Gorgeous, gorgeous post! And Bonne Maman- c’est bonne! The jam- not to mention those jars- all a staple. What a fun trip-so much inspiration for this Foodtography class newbie thank you for sharing!

  2. What a fabulous trip, Sarah! Nothing like exploring Paris with a food company to get the very best. I like Bonne Mamam preserves as well, great quality at a reasonable price. I haven’t seen green plum here, or the chestnut spread. Do they export those?