Attention all inspired cooks, wanna-be cooks and cooks-by-necessity: Introducing Paris Kitchen Club, a website designed to simplify your life. Developed by passionate cook, foodie and environmentalist Anne LaFond, PKC is all about saving you time; it helps you design a weekly menu, create an automatic grocery list and store all of your recipes in one place (accessible anywhere). With Paris Kitchen Club, you’ll gain hours of your life each week, save yourself unnecessary trips to the grocery store and avoid the daily question of, ‘What should I make for dinner tonight?’

Founder Anne LaFond met with us last week to share what prompted her to launch Paris Kitchen Club last fall.  As she reflects on her career journey, Anne’s vibrant energy and passion are contagious.  Be inspired by her story and insights below and (for those in Paris) enjoy her golden tidbits on ‘the best local places to food shop’ in Paris.  

ANNE LAFONDEnvironmental Law to Culinary Arts.  Raised in northern France in a home where making cakes, crepes and waffles with her mother was the norm, Anne LaFond developed a love of cooking as a child; however, it wasn’t until years later that she decided to pursue it as a career. Instead, she followed another passion and became an environmental lawyer.  She spent 5 years practicing environmental law in Toronto and returned to Paris, where her change of heart was sparked by a conversation with her boyfriend (now husband).  Noting Anne’s talent for and love of cooking, he suggested perhaps she pursue cooking more seriously;  soon after, she attended Paris’ prestigious culinary school Ferrandi and the rest is history.

Following graduation, Anne worked as a private chef in Paris as well as at the Canadian Embassy of Paris for several years.  She also became a mother of two during this time, and became all too familiar with the tremendous juggling required of working parents to get food on the table each night.  She began working with her husband architect Richard Lafond at LaFond Ad, consulting with restaurants to design their menus prior to opening.  Preparing delicious and nutritious meals for her family naturally remained a top priority for Anne as a working mom and, with less and less time, she began searching for an app that would help her organize a weekly menu and shopping list.

Save Waste + Save Time.  “As a passionate cook, I’m constantly seduced by wonderful products. I think, ‘Oh yes, I’ll definitely do something with that gorgeous spinach, butternut squash or tomatoes.’  But then I get overwhelmed with life, and half of the ingredients are still sitting in my refrigerator the following week. Sometimes it’s because I didn’t have time to cook whatever I had in mind; sometimes it’s because I was missing half of the ingredients and couldn’t find them in the tiny local supermarket nearby home.  So I decided to begin planning weekly menus to help me buy the right products and quantities. There would be no waste and things would be efficient. I figured there must already be an app to help me with this.”
 
PKC screen
10 Apps + No Luck.  I tried at least 10 different apps and none were helpful so I just began using the ‘Notes’ app on my iPhone.  Just making this simple change improved my life so much that i thought, ‘Imagine how much better it could be if there was an app to organize menus, save recipes, organize shopping lists and access them anywhere.  This is was the inspiration for Paris Kitchen Club. It’s currently a website and it will become an app.  The site is currently in French with plans to expand into English as well. Recipes are adjustable to suit your needs (if you’re cooking for 2 or 6, just punch in the numbers and it will eliminate waste), shopping lists are prepared automatically, and you’ll never have to worry about bringing a list with you to the grocery store.  And there’s plenty of recipe inspiration also available on the site. Definitely check it out and stay updated. (You may register on the site or connect it with your Facebook profile as you wish.)
 
Only consumers have the power to change the world. Maybe it’s because of my background in environmental law but it’s been pretty obvious to me for the last 15 years or so that only consumers have the power to change the world. Politicians can’t do anything if people keep buying industrial goods. For years my mantra has been all about buying fresh products from local producers who are eco-friendly.
 
Currently in French, PKC plans to expand into English as well. Recipes are adjustable to suit your needs (if you’re cooking for 2 or 6, just punch in the numbers to eliminate waste); shopping lists are prepared automatically so you’ll never have to worry about bringing a list with you to the grocery store.  Plenty of recipe inspiration is also available on the site. Definitely check it out and stay updated. (Register on the site or connect with your Facebook profile if you prefer.)
 
Anne LaFond’s Paris Food Shopping Favorites for:

Fresh Produce: Marché de l’Alma. 11-13, Ave de Président Wilson, 16th arrt. Market held weekly Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Meat: Le Boudornec. 172, Avenue Victor Hugo, 16th arrt.

Local Products: Terroirs d’Avenir. 6, Rue du Nil, 2nd arrt.

Spices: Epices Roellinger. 51, bis Rue Sainte-Anne, 2nd arrt. “People working there are passionate and will always take as much time as you need to help and encourage you to actually use the spices you buy. Passion is my go-to. I’m always looking for people who love their products and take the time to ask you how you plan to use them: this shows they care!”

Grocery Store. “Definitely Le Bon Marché, as the selection can’t be beat. However, it remains a place where you feel alone in front of so many choices. There’s no personal contact and no passion, so you’d better go in knowing what you need.”

Special thanks to Anne LaFond for her inspiring passion for food, wellness and her genuine commitment to helping save time while conserving the environment. 

To check out Paris Kitchen Club, visit: www.pariskitchenclub.com

* Song For This Moment: “Hunger” by Sam Sure.