I Prefer Paris

Fete du Citron Menton/Citrus Festival in Menton

• When I was in Menton in 2011, I was told there’s a citrus festival and parade during Mardi Gras in mid February. Menton has the perfect microclimate to grow lemons and oranges and their lemons are famous throughout France. The city is decorated with citrus sculptures and there are parades and festivities for three weeks.
  
  I’ve seen photos of the extravagant fruit sculptures from past years and always wanted to attend. I was able to register for press passes for myself and my friend who I was visiting in Nice. It’s an easy 35-minute train ride from Nice to Menton and we attended the festivities Thursday night and Sunday afternoon.
  
  The theme of the 84th Fete du Citron is Broadway, which is fitting since my friend and I love Broadway musicals. In town is the Jardin Bioves, a stationary display of citrus sculptures. We entered the garden and marveled at the massive and delightfully creative sculptures of our favorite musicals outfitted in oranges and lemon including Cabaret, The Lion King, Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, An American in Paris, Phantom of the Opera, The Wizard of Oz and Note Dame of Paris.
  
  We grabbed a quick lunch and headed for the Sunday parade at 2:30. We had access to the press tower and had unobstructed views from high up. The bleachers and streets were packed but orderly with parents and tots waiting for the fun to begin. Half parade, half carnival, there were incredible floats from musicals including Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, Cats, My Fair Lady and Annie plus dancers and performers dressed in Brazilian Carnivale style outfits with flamboyant feathers. A small group of men and women wore traditional Venetian carnival costumes in royal blue and gold.
  
  The Fete du Citron is quite an undertaking. Here are some facts and figures to put it into perspective.
  
  
• Over 240,000 people attend the festival in a three-week period
• 145 tons of citrus are used
• 500,000 rubber bands attach the fruit the displays
• 15 tons of metal is used to create the infrastructures
• Hundreds of meters of metal netting is used to hold displays
  
  Want to join me next year? 
  
• Sorry I haven't reported any recent news about Vincent's film After Louie, as Vincent just completed the editing and post production the first week of February.

  Now I have some exciting news: After Louie will have it's world premiere screening at the BFI(British Film Institute) Flare Film Festival.

  There will be a special presentation screening on Friday night, March 17 @ 6:15PM, and a daytime screenings on Saturday, March 18 @ 11:50AM & Sunday, March 19. Tickets went on sale yesterday but they sold out within hours.
  

  Here's link with full details https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=afterlouie

   More exciting news about After Louie coming soon!

  Above photo is of Alan Cumming in After Louie. 

  
  The Wizard of Oz
  Phantom of the Opera
  Mary Poppins
  
  
  Singin' in the Rain
  Notre dame de Paris
  The Lion King
  
  An American in Paris
  
  
  
  
  

    Grease

Mary Poppins

Little Shop of Horrors -FEED ME!

  The Lion King

    My Fair Lady

Annie

Life is a Cabaret Old Chum

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Nice to Be in Nice

I just spent the last five days in Nice. It’s been a stubborn, cold winter in Paris and when a friend in Nice said to come visit anytime, I took him up on his offer and made the great escape.

It was carnival time in Nice and I took some snaps of the carnival floats. In the next few days I visited the Cimetiere du Chateau, saw an excellent Helmut Newton exhibit, strolled on Promenade des Anglais to take in the salty sea air, took a day trip to Antibes and had lunch with another friend who I hadn’t seen in years.

Tomorrow I will reveal the other main reason why I went to Nice, so stay tuned.

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

 

Meredith Mullins: Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain

Hi, my name is Meredith. And yes … I’m a circus addict.

The one Paris event I always attend is the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. Four days of talented young international performers, feeling a camaraderie with their fellow artists and competing for awards and recognition in the wonderful world of circus arts.

I am mesmerized by acrobats flying fearlessly across the stage, jugglers devising new ways to maneuver as well as innovative objects to launch into the air, contortionists bending and folding themselves as if they were origami, and solo and group performers executing improbable feats of strength, balance, trust, and gravity defiance.

I come away with an insatiable desire to fly … and, more importantly, the belief that I can.

It is quite simply … circus heaven.

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at [email protected]. For more information about the Festival Mondial, visit Meredith’s Bonjour Paris story.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

 

 

 

Parisian of the Month: Virginie David

Virginie David worked at Galeries Lafayette when I met her a number of years ago and now she designs and produces gorgeous bespoke jewelry in Paris.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born in Paris XVIe and grew up in Boulogne, in southwest Paris.

What was your upbringing and your family life like?
I had a happy and pampered childhood. We traveled often, especially to different countries to buy precious stones. I had an easy but strict schooling.

How and when did you become interested in gemology and jewelry making?
Since I was very little. I very often went to my father's and grandfather's office on Wednesday afternoons. I was looking for the stones that had fallen from the desk that slipped between the crevices of the floor.

Then, after high school, I pursued studies of gemmology in Paris along with studies of communication.

You have lived in London and Dubai. What jobs did you have in both places and what were the experiences like?
In London, I was a sales person for Dior Joaillerie in the mythic Harrods’ department store. We could hear the languages ​​of the whole world in a day!

In Dubai, I was a Senior PR Consultant at Euro RSCG PR agency, managing PR accounts on behalf of luxury clients in fashion and jewelry.

I have always had the taste for travel, the taste of discovering other cultures and these experiences have enriched me formidably.

You came back to Paris after that and worked at Galeries Lafayette. What was your position and how did you like working there?
When I returned to Paris, I moved away, for a time, from the world of jewelry to enrich my professional experience.
I was in charge of the international communications of Galeries Lafayette, another mythic department store in the world! The opportunity quickly presented itself and the work involved working with people all over the world, which I particularly liked.

You left Galeries Lafayette to start your own designing jewelry. Why the switch and what was the transition like?
I had the idea to create my own jewelry company for years. The idea never left me. Before I started, I needed to travel, build my route.
When that was the moment, the evidence was there. I was prepared and the day after my departure from the company, I was starting to work on my own project. The change was fast almost brutal but mostly, very familiar at the same time.

Please tell us about you jewelry, the materials, the design and the way your work.
My jewelry offers a timeless aesthetic, showcasing the natural beauty of the precious stones. The pieces are in 18k gold or platinum, and all handmade in a workshop in Paris using traditional methods of craftsmanship, with the utmost care and attention.

The first appointment with a client is really a moment of discussion and exchange.

Especially because every request is unique.

Finding the most beautiful stones according to the wishes of my clients is a priority.

As I am independent, I focus on the essential: creating the highest quality jewelry at competitive prices.

What are some of your influences and inspiration when you design the jewelry?
I am inspired by the jewelry worn by 3 generations of women in my family, that is to say the jewelry’s great artistic movements of the twentieth century; the Belle Époque, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, the 40s, modern.

What is the price range of your jewelry and how long does it take to have a piece made?
From 1500 € for a wedding band with diamonds, to an unlimited budget, for a bespoke jewelry, according to the rarity of the stones.
It takes about 3 weeks for a piece to be made. The jewelry is all made in Paris.

If you had unlimited funds to design a piece of jewelry what would it be and who would you design it for?
I would imagine a cocktail ring - which one’s wears on the index finger - with the most refined design highlighting a sublime emerald from Zambia or Colombia or the most perfect emerald-cut diamond. A stone so pure, so crystallized and so beautiful that you would want to dive in!

You also teach part time at the The School of Jewelry Arts (formerly the Van Cleef and Arpels School). What are some of the courses you teach?
For adults:
Recognize the gemstones
Fascinating Diamond 1: History and Legends
Wine & Gems
For 13 to 16 years old:
Discovering the World of Gems

What do you prefer about Paris?
Walking in Paris during the weekdays. There are always new little things to discover, at a corner, behind a door, even in the streets you've been passing through for years!

Photo of Virginie David courtesy of Camille Colin

Jewelry photos courtesy of Christophe Donna

http://www.virginiedavid.com

https://www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/fr

 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Door of the Month February 2017: Instagram @parsian_doors

I started a new format in January for the Door of the Month feature. Instead of a single door, I posted a series of doors from my Instagram account @parsian_doors

Do you prefer the new Instagram series with multiple doors or do you prefer the old format with just one door per month? I would appreciate your feedback.

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Outside the Louvre

Last week I was doing an errand near the Louvre. It’s been a cold and gray winter but that day it was finally a bearable temperature and also partly sunny.

I took advantage of the weather and strolled through the various courtyards and passageways. The shadows and light made for some interesting photo possibilities. Here’s the result. Do have favorites in this series?

All of these were taken with I-Phone 6S

I would like to thank everyone for your feedback on my photo portrait on Tuesday. The photo of me at the cafe was the one most people liked and second was the close up of me standing. Below are the photos in case you missed them.

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Photo Portrait by Hallie Duesenberg

Hallie Duesenberg is a lifestyle and portrait photographer from Chicago and she just spent two weeks in Paris.

Our birthdays are a few days apart and our mutual friend Debi Lilly that introduced us, took us out for dinner. Hallie had only been to Paris once a very long time ago and didn’t know that much about the city. Debi came up with a brilliant idea: She suggested that I give Hallie a Marais tour while Hallie shoots photos of me. I needed some new photos of myself for my blog, Facebook and other social media.

I showed Hallie my favorite Marais haunts while she snapped away.

I received the photos the other day and Hallie did such a great job, I had a hard time choosing which I liked best. I narrowed it down to four photos and but still can’t decide which one I like best.

Will you help me choose? Please tell me which one you like the best. Many thanks for your feedback.

Happy Valentines Day!

If your interested in Hallie’s work, here’s link to her website.
http://hallieduesenbergphotography.tumblr.com/

 Eye Prefer Paris Book of the Month, The Velvet Hours by Allyson Richman.

Click here to order

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Le Grand Musee du Parfum

In late December I was invited to a press opening of Le Grand Musee du Parfum, located on the ritzy rue Faubourg Saint Honoré across the street from the Hotel Bristol.

The beautifully restored 19th former hotel particulier, spanning three floors with over 15,000 square feet of exhibition space, was the home of aristocrat Antoine-Marie Roederer in the mid-1800s and in the early to late 1990s it was the couture house of designer Christian Lacroix.

Le Grand Musee du Parfum states it’s a cultural institution committed to educating visitors in understanding the mysterious world and art of perfume making while also having a sensory experience.

The museum is laid out with three sections. The first is divided into four galleries: la galerie des séducteurs (seducers’ gallery), le parfum sacré (sacred perfume), le cabinet de curiosités (the curio cabinet), and l’essor de la parfumerie moderne (the rise of modern perfumery). The history of perfume is documented from the ancient beginnings in Egypt where the first perfume was formulated, kyphi, to current day perfume manufacturing.

The next gallery was sensory immersion, which also included a fun interactive section, where we were invited to a room with a state of the art installation. A series of hanging metal spheres represent the different oils and flower scents from which perfume is derived from. For instance you pick up the one marked lavender and you put the sphere up to your ear so you can listen to a history of lavender and how its used in perfume and after it sprays a dash of lavender for you to smell.

L’Art du Parfumeur – The Art of the Perfumer presents a series a series of videos feature top Parisian perfumers, who explain their passion and experience of the complex process of developing a new scent.

The museum houses a 13,000 square foot garden, which will be used to raise awareness for sustainability by developing perfume plants.

In addition to the permanent exhibition rooms,Le Grand Musee du Parfum offers workshops, cultural events, new exhibitions, and performances and will collaborate with luxury and fine crafts companies to produce perfume related products.

73 rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré – 75008

Metro: Champs Elysees-Clemenceau, Franklin Roosevelt

http://www.grandmuseeduparfum.fr/

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:30AM to 7PM, Thursday till 10PM

Admission: 14.50€

La collection des 25 matières premières :  Harvey & John

Le Jardin des senteurs :  Projectiles / Arte Factory

 Eye Prefer Paris Book of the Month, The Velvet Hours by Allyson Richman.

Click here to order

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

 

 

Turkish Delight with Sibel Pinto

Sibel Pinto is a Turkish chef, caterer and cooking instructor living in Paris. She also organizes cooking classes, workshops, demonstrations, tastings and leads Culinary Walks in Istanbul.  

She was born and raised in Istanbul, lived in Milan for three years and moved to Paris in 2002. With a degree in marketing and finance, she left her job at a bank in Istanbul to pursuit her passion for Turkish and Sephardic cuisine. Once she moved to Paris she went to Cordon Bleu to train. She started a catering business featuring Turkish dishes and she also now teaches Turkish cooking at Cordon Bleu.

Sybil has been a fan of my Lunch with Lynn blogs and suggested we have lunch in one of her favorite Turkish restaurants. She chose Derya on rue Faubourg Saint Denis. From the outside and inside Derya looks like a typical modern day French café or restaurant but once you read the menu it becomes apparent it’s Turkish cuisine. Keeping in line with the Lunch with Lynn price tag, Derya offers a two-course lunch for 13.50€.

I asked Sibel for her menu recommendations and had lentil soup to start with followed by Mantar Delmo, a dish made with veal stuffed mushrooms topped with melted cheese accompanied with white rice. Sibel had a brique stuffed with goat cheese and Islim kebop with lamb and eggplant. Even though it was a kabob, her lamb was not served on a skewer and instead a whole lamb shank was presented on a plate topped with strips of roasted eggplant. She offered me a taste and the meat was tender and falling off the bone and the eggplant was smoky.

We spoke about many topics in getting to know each other including both be caterers and chefs, the ins and outs of the business, why we moved to Paris, family, and the similarities of our cultures and our foods (I am Syrian Sephardic Jewish).

After lunch Sibel invited me to come shopping with her for some delicacies at a Turkish gourmet shop a few doors down from the restaurant. While she was having a friendly chat with the owner, I perused the shelves packed with brightly packaged rice, nuts, beans, cheeses, cous cous, condiments and Turkish Delight. I adore Feta cheese and the shop had several varieties. The brick I chose was almost double the size and quality plus half the price I buy it for at the supermarket.

As we parted Sibel showed me two Turkish takeout places, one specializing in soup.

I walk on the same strip on rue Faubourg Saint Denis at least once a month when I get my haircut and all those times I never noticed the Turkish restaurants and food shops but now that Sibel pointed them out, I’ll be getting my monthly fix of Feta and more.

Sibel has been kind enough to share a traditional Turkish recipe which looks yummy. Save me one if you make them.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS (10 pieces)
2 zucchini (courgettes),
1 egg
50 grams feta cheese
 2 Tablespoons flour
 salt & pepper
3 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, mint),
olive oil for frying
yogurt with garlic

Grate the zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 5 minutes.
Squeeze as much liquid out of the zucchini as you can to avoid the mix from being too wet.
Add the egg, cheese, flour, chopped herbs and a pinch of pepper.
Mix well to combine.
Heat a pan with olive oil. Scoop a tablespoon of mixture and put it on the pan, flatten with the back of the spoon. Fry for a few minutes until golden, then flip and fry the other side.
Serve hot or cold with a spoon of yogurt mixed with garlic.

http://www.kashkarikas.com/

http://www.sibelpinto.fr/

Derya
28 Rue Saint-Sauveur, 75002
Metro: Strasbourg-St Denis

From time to time I will post links to interesting articles about Paris and France in other publications.

Today it's a great story about the French National Library reopening after a 10 year renovation. Link is below, enjoy!

http://mymodernmet.com/richelieu-quadrangle-national-library-france/

 Eye Prefer Paris Book of the Month, The Velvet Hours by Allyson Richman.

Click here to order

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

 

Metro Station of the Month: Assemblee Nationale 3

I update this section every once in a while.

The Assemblee Nationale metro station on line 12 seems to go under renovation every few years. When I first wrote about the station in 2007, the walls of the metro platform resembled large-scale abstract paintings with architectural shapes.

The next version was in 2015 when they stripped away the abstract walls replacing them with photo collages representing The Assemble Nationale with large type phrases and words placed over them. (Click here to see).

Last week the walls were yet again changed. The current version of the stop again has photo collages interspersed with aluminum reflective panels. It was tricky getting photos as I wanted to avoid having a reflection me taking the photo. The theme is similar to the last rendition with large type spelling out keywords of the French Constitution such as order, republic, citizenship, society, values and of course, Liberte, Egalite and Fratenite.

The stop is in close proximity of the headquarters of The Assemblee Nationale, the lower house of the French Parliament, much like the House of Representatives in the U.S. It consists of 577 deputes/delegates.

Accidental self-portrait

I want to thank everyone for their suggestions and comments about the Book of the Month yesterday.

 Eye Prefer Paris Book of the Month, The Velvet Hours by Allyson Richman.

Click here to order

Eye Prefer Paris Photos

I am happy to announce a new series of Eye Prefer Paris photos. Give the gift of Paris to  yourself or your Francophile friends, relatives, colleagues and co-workers.

• I’ve listed 20 new photos on my Etsy page for easy shopping.
• Photo prints come in two sizes, 8”X10”, $35 each plus shipping and 11”X14”, $50 each, plus shipping.
• They are printed on Fuji crystal Archive metallic paper with rich satin gloss finish and are unsigned and unframed.
• Shipping is $6 per photo in continental U.S. and shipping time is 3-5 days via USPS.
• I can also ship them UPS or Fedex for an extra charge.
• If you are ordering photos as a gift, I can write a personal note card if you send me your text.

Click here to see full selection of images.  
https://www.etsy.com/shop/EyePreferParis?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Below are some sample images.

 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour