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.
Environmental 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.
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.