The Parisian store, supplier of Titanic kitchen utensils, an institution for chefs

Crossing the door of the E. Dehillerin store means traveling back in time. Immerse yourself in a place where kitchen utensils are still hanging from the ceiling, where copper pots still adorn the wall and where knives are piled up in small metal boxes. Located in the heart of Paris, the establishment is one of the last witnesses of what the area was like in the 19th century, when it housed the city's central market. Its history, passed down from generation to generation since 1820, has survived the vagaries of time thanks to a mix of tradition and modernity. The store, located on a corner, has a green wooden façade and its name is written in yellow letters. The shop windows, vestiges of time, predict what is hidden inside. A space with a certain hardware store appearance, where the arrangement of the material has not changed—or very little—in more than 100 years. Everything is in sight. Utensils accumulate on wooden shelves, drawers and tables. There is everything. Whisks, ice cream scoops, wooden rolling pins and piping nozzles. Grapefruit spoons, oyster or snail forks. Also digital scales. “It is a living place,” insists Éric Dehillerin, who has run the establishment for 42 years and great-grandson of Eugène, the founder.Pots and pans on display in the kitchen utensils store E. Dehillerin.Samuel ArandaMore informationHospitality professionals, amateurs and curious people from all over the world wander through the halls of the store, attracted by the quality of the products, word of mouth or the simple memory. “Many times, when they come, people say that they are reunited with their history,” says Dehillerin, 68 years old. From the back room, he cites the example of those who accompanied his grandparents to look for jam utensils years ago, and who today find themselves with a distribution the same as before. Another element that has not changed is the labeling system. There are no prices on display and instead you have to look for the article reference in plastic folders placed on the walls. The business is located a few steps from the imposing church of Saint Eustache, in the Les Halles neighborhood, where Until the 1960s, Parisians bought fresh food in the 12 cast-iron pavilions that made up the capital's main market. This “metal Babylon,” as the writer Émile Zola described it, was destroyed and replaced by a large shopping center. But at the beginning of 1800, Eugène, the founder of the store, managed to make a place for himself in this effervescent area, bringing together a group of businesses under the same brand, including boilermaking and tinning workshops. The notoriety of the store grew and from it They were echoed even in the United Kingdom. In 1912, the White Star Line shipping company ordered kitchen supplies for its ocean liner RMS Titanic. It is attested to by a brand-name bain-marie found in the wreck. The house also made a name for itself among American soldiers stationed near the capital in the 1950s after World War II.Customers inside the kitchen utensils store E. Dehillerin.Samuel ArandaThe definitive moment of fame came, however, two decades later, at the hands of the American chef Julia Child. The charismatic chef popularized French gastronomy, an Intangible Heritage of Humanity, to millions of Americans. She did it through books and television broadcasts, in which she expressed her admiration for Dehillerin's utensils. The premises extend over two levels. Upon entering, the visitor can go to the right or left, or simply go down the double flight of stairs by opening a small metal gate. Below are the large steel pots, the kettles that allow cooking for more than four people. There are also copper pots of all sizes. Or cast iron. The wooden floor slats creak as you walk down the hallways. On the shelves, wooden sieves or stainless steel seasoning boxes. Material for chefs. Eric Dehillerin prefers not to reveal which chefs he supplies utensils to, but he acknowledges that there are some he knows. Mathieu Courier, a 39-year-old chef, is the manager of l'Auberge de la Couronne, a Swiss gastronomic restaurant. He has been buying material at this store for about 10 years. For cooks, he explains, “it's like a toy store.” He takes a set of molds, copperware, acetate sheets for chocolate and cookie cutters. These hang from the ceiling upstairs. To buy them, you have to ask a seller to hold them on a hanger.Eric Dehillerin (68 years old) and his son Eloi Dehillerin (29 years old) pose in their kitchen utensils store E. Dehillerin.Samuel Aranda“We select and listen to what the chefs ask for. “Evolving is essential,” says Dehillerin, who acknowledges that, at times, they had “difficulties moving forward” and opting for more modern utensils. He cites the example of non-stick material, which they had to integrate into the more than 4,000 products on sale. When asked about the changes, he believes that the “trade has been greatly simplified.” And he specifies: “Today it is simpler. In the 1930s, for example, there was an exceptional variety of copper molds. All that disappeared.” His son Eloi, 29, adds that they try to “give value to products that are lost.” The store displays several molds from the late 19th century in its windows, although they are not for sale. Also a duck press, to cook the traditional and complex “blood duck”. He will be the one who will take over the reins of the place soon. The fifth generation at the helm of the brand. Because as he explains, the story of the store “is also a family story.”The corner with the kitchen utensils store E. Dehillerin, in the center of Paris. Samuel ArandaYou can follow EL PAÍS Gastro on Instagram and x.