Behind the name of Monsieur Appert works a great team of producers and chefs, but above all hide two men for whom I have infinite tenderness: Patrick Elzière and Philippe Boissel, the creators.
From a personal point of view, the story is quite funny: I met Patrick and Philippe almost 10 years ago, when they were launching their project and needed a… lawyer. And even if I am still a lawyer today, I am also genuinely happy to talk about them on this website.
Their idea was simple and yet so complicated to put in place: the vegetables, ancient or not, the signature products of each French region, from organic or sustainable agriculture, in all their richness and flavor, all of this respecting French production, seasons and short circuits. At a reasonable price.
A simple idea that makes one dreams, right, but which is actually complex to implement when you are rigorous and challenging like Patrick and Philippe are, and when you fund all this by yourself, like… (I’ll let you finish the sentence).
In fact, the process was long, sometimes difficult but always joyful I believe, and Mr. Appert was born.
That name, indeed. Why, you will ask me? Nicolas Appert is the French inventor of canned food. Born in 1749, he developed in 1795 a method of preserving food, by subjecting it to heat in hermetic and sterile containers, such as glass bottles.
Monsieur Appert today follows the same method of preservation, the products piously conserved themselves being a match: the fruits and vegetables are grown by handpicked producers and cooked by passionate professional chefs.
Please take a look at Monsieur Appert’s website: it is magnificent – whets the appetite and also gives you tips for combining several jars to create the perfect dish.
Monsieur Appert is also a lovely boutique located at 143 rue Oberkampf, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, where the love of products and relevant advice reigns supreme (no panic for those who cannot visit the shop, buying on website is also possible).
And so I come to this beautiful shop: Patrick and Philippe have certainly decided to promote their own products – but also the products of other suppliers, whether it is coffee, honey, soups, candies, wines or terrines (and so much more).
In other words, the producers are handpicked here too. The said producers will not be those who are in vogue – we are far away from Maison Plisson.
According to US law, there is this rule of “substance over form”. I will be honest, Monsieur Appert is about subtance AND form, and it’s just wonderful.
February 12, 2021
