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Best craftsmen of France
By Ann | October 12, 2012
One of the things I admire most about French culture is its preservation of traditional métiers. Walk down a street in Paris and chances are you’ll find a family-owned bakery, run by a boulangère proud to carry her name above the door. There are independent pastry shops, fromageries, charcuteries and butchers. Or even boot-makers, or hat designers, or wood-workers. And if you look closely, you’ll sometimes see four special words on the awning or window, printed above or below the shop’s name: Meilleur ouvrier de France, or best craftsman of France.
The first time I saw it, I laughed. Best worker in France? Those who criticize the French work ethic would almost certainly call that an oxymoron. But then I had the chance to meet un des meilleurs ouvriers — Pierre Gay, a fromager in Annecy who helped me with research for my book — and as I learned more about the title, I became fascinated by the path of endurance and excellence required to attain it.
This weekend, I’m thrilled to interview five MOFs — as they’re affectionately nicknamed — for an article in the New York Times. There is a baker, a florist, a corset-maker (his atelier is pictured above), a fromager, and a chocolatier, each of them the owner of an independent, Paris-based boutique.
It was fascinating to talk to these men — and, yes, in this article, they’re all men — about their backgrounds and paths to success, and to learn a little more about the challenges they face as small business owners. Others may disagree, but I think France is one of the hardest climates in which to own a small shop. Along with universal worries like cost-cutting chains and consumers who prefer the convenience of the supermarché, French employers also face concerns like the 35-hour workweek and hefty payroll taxes.
A lot of them also complained about the lack of motivation among today’s youth. “I don’t understand how they could want to play video games rather than work on this!” a charcutier once said to me, this referring to the preparation of blood sausage. But I think that’s probably a complaint as old as the métier itself.
Related links from the internets:
In Paris, Five Shops Where Artisanship becomes Art (New York Times)
Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (official site)
Kings of Pastry documentary on the MOF pâtisserie competition (trailer)
A Visit to Patrick Roger — Chocolatier, MOF (David Lebovitz)
Franck Kestener comes to Paris (David Lebovitz)
Topics: Articles, In the news, Paris | 20 Comments »
20 Responses to “Best craftsmen of France”
Comments
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October 13th, 2012 at 12:12 am
Oh I love this. The métier culture was one of my favourite things of all about France. The article is just gorgeous.
October 13th, 2012 at 12:30 am
No wonder you would write about those craftsmen who are artists in their field. Bravo.
October 13th, 2012 at 12:34 am
I had the lucky chance to attend Paul Bocuse’s MOF luncheon in Lyon in the 90′s. It was an experience of a lifetime – the room was flooded with MOFs. We all got paper napkin rings that looked like MOF ribbons and medals. Everyone put them on their wrists and were singing and waving their arms in the air. It was a complete hoot!
Terrific article in the Times!
October 13th, 2012 at 1:51 am
Nicely done on the article! Very intriguing designation. I do the florist’s comment concerning honing his style.
October 13th, 2012 at 2:13 am
What a fascinating article! I can’t believe the baker made more than 200 baked goods in 13 hours! Forget being the best; that kind of output is nothing less than heroic.
October 13th, 2012 at 3:56 am
I LOVE the idea of competing for the MOF. I can see the “artistic” aspects being a bit subjective, but you can’t deny high quality technique. What a great article! It would be fascinating to learn the requirements for each competition.
October 13th, 2012 at 7:15 am
Ann, I’ve always wondered the specifics of the MOF and your piece beautifully presents these talented artisans. Now, to track down the Boulanger in Boulogne – should be near my office!
October 13th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Why is it that MY “mental library of flavors” trends to bar snacks rather than chocolate and spices? That baguette picture made me covetous of crust!
October 13th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
This is just such a wonderful article, and a real pleasure to see such talented craftsmen brought into an international spotlight. Beautifully done, Ann.
ps. Lindsey, he’s about a 10-15 minute walk from your office, I think! It’s just around the corner from our place
October 13th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Wonderful article, Ann. I’ve made note of the addresses so we can visit each on our next trip. I am especially eager to visit the boulangerie and the fromagerie. Beautiful pictures!
October 14th, 2012 at 2:44 am
Lovely article. Never heard of MOFs before. Hopefully, they will not sell out to the conglomerates in the future.
October 14th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Bravo, Ann! What a fantastic article. I really appreciate that you featured unknown MOFs in fields that everyone loves. And I certainly agree with you whole-heartedly that having a small business in France is very challenging–and unfortunately, that today’s youth are often not as interested in building such time-consuming careers. For our world economy, we all really need to support the shift to quality over quantity!
October 14th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Bobbi — I’m sure you’ll find a similar veneration of métiers in Switzerland. I, for one, am dying to visit a Gruyère cheese chalet!
Betty — It was an honor to spend time with them and to share their stories.
Paris Breakfasts — Oh, that sounds like a remarkable afternoon! But can you imagine the terror of the caterers who cooked the lunch for a room full of MOFs? Yipes.
Voie de vie — He built incredible, towering floral creations for the competition! Not just a florist, but a woodworker, too!
Katy — I know, isn’t that detail astonishing? And he created them all by himself, with no other help! It’s as much a test of endurance as skill.
Amy — The requirements for all 200 professions could take a lifetime to discover. But the documentary, Kings of Pastry, offers a glimpse into the world of one — pâtisserie. My nerves were in shreds just watching the trailer!
October 14th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Lindsey — You’ll love Boulangerie Morieux — try the pain de campagne!
Katia — Thank you again for introducing me to the baker — he spoke with such great passion about his profession. Bread-making is truly an art.
Jeanne — The fromagerie is sublime — especially their Epoisses. And I was fascinated to learn that each fromager ages cheese to their taste. It explains a lot about why I don’t like the Camembert of other famous cheese shops around town.
Kelly — Thanks for reading! Worldwide expansion seems to be the antithesis of the title, but many of these shopkeepers have dreams to expand. Of course, in France, that’s often easier said than done.
Heather in Arles — Thank you for your thoughtful note! I really wanted to highlight MOFs who hadn’t achieved international fame. I have to admit, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for all the apprentices I’ve met — they’re so YOUNG when they start, only 16! But the MOF actually has another program — MAF, or Meilleur Apprentis de France, to encourage them. It’s small, but at least a start!
October 14th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
And this sort of world of trade is exactly what makes France so dearly loved and special. I hope they can hold on to their small shops through more generations of video-playing youth. How wonderful to interview and gain insight into their unique world.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
I have to pop back in…have you seen the documentary on Netflix “The King’s of Pastry”? Your article reminded me of it!
October 14th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
I’m a big fan of independent business owners and frequent them when I can, unfortunately living in Australia this is becoming very rare!
I also feel the people you’ve interviewed are such skilled artists, not just in the work they do but in continuing to do something so challenging and also that they’re so passionate about!
Passion is missing in today’s culture I feel ..
October 15th, 2012 at 10:06 pm
What a great piece this is – both your blog post above and the actual article. I have my ups and downs with France, and am happening to have a bit of a lull, but your article reinvigorates an admiration I have for the French that very few other cultures possess. When they do something well, it’s peerless. Love it that Taxidermy is included — but how does the corset designer not fall into the bracket haute couture designer (altho I guess that’s included as a category)? Anyway, thanks for this visit!!
October 16th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Thyme, Sarah — I really want to see Kings of Pastry! The trailer is so dramatic, I was actually holding my breath while watching it. Your Netflix comment inspired to look it up on iTunes — it’s there! I’m going to rent it. Thanks for suggestion!
Emma — Yes, I agree! I think passion is what truly separates the MOFs from other members of their trade. It’s inspiring to see.
Daisy — Thank you for reading, m’dear! Yes, corseterie falls under “métiers du vêtement” — “haute couture féminine robe du soir” is there, too, and “prêt à porter couture jour” — it’s all very specific! One thing I love about France is that people are willing to pay a little (or a lot) more for things like cheese IF they’re of very VERY high quality.
October 18th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
We all know about France’s long-standing tradition of master bakers, chocolatiers, but corsetiers and florists? Thanks for enlightening us all, Ann, and for a wonderfully- written article.