When Domitille Jollois was selected to revamp the 30, rue des Saints-Pères, Paris, back in 2022, she looked for inspiration in the boutique's basement. The newly appointed president of Debauve et Gallais Chocolaterie could not have made a better decision; In amazement, she recounts that "Everything was there, in the cellar." There, among the accumulated treasures, were boxes of all ages and sizes, drawings, slogans, forgotten recipes, convoluted calligraphy... And now, a slightly adapted version of them can be found on the shop's first floor.

The very first of the chocolate factory created by Sulpice Debauve (1757-1836), Marie-Antoinette's pharmacist and the inventor of chewy chocolate, has just been given an old-fashioned makeover. The period doorframes were restored with wood pulp and the faded facade was repainted identically, but Jollois noted, "and it wasnʼt so easy to reproduce its original green."

The old, gilded letters above the porch now clearly read "Utile dulci" and below, "Debauve et Gallais fabricants de chocolats fins et hygieniques [Debauve et Gallais manufacturers of fine and hygienic chocolates]." There are no flashy features, nothing polished, "we wanted to keep the old-fashioned feel." This was so as not to upset the loyal clientele of the Tout-Paris and even Tout-Hollywood, but also those that have been returning from grandparent to grandchild since 1819 – the sales staff report that "Some of them come every day."

Jollois assures us that no classics have been revised. The rochers are still chunky and gritty, "the parfaits hand-rolled, the walnut pralines decorated with their kernels and a fleur-de-lis adorns the chocolate ganaches." However, regulars will notice that something else has changed: The counter now has a collection of historic recipes that were brought out from the cellar. Including Marie-Antoinette's favorite almond milk chocolate pistoles, which had disappeared.

The president describes the Mademoiselle praline as "a chocolate-coated hazelnut and lemon almond paste double layer, in homage to Coco Chanel." This is also a rebirth of the "chocolate eclair, a cup in a minute," with individual pebbles to be dissolved. Sitting amongst these resurrected products are also some new ones: a yuzu bite, a pepper praline, and a few smaller sizes "to adapt to the tastes of the time," explained Jollois, who has also daringly experimented with a few coquetries. A blue and white striped ribbon tied around each pistole box, reminiscent of the corsage Marie-Antoinette hung in her window; Plain starched papers in pop colors brighten up the chocolate bar shelves. Paper bags were a subject of some hesitation. How attached were customers to the emblematic royal blue bags with a hint of varnish? Further investigation revealed that the more durable, unplasticized blue-gray would be tolerable.

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