The Dolfi family came for a snack in the hidden dining room of the historic À la Mère de Famille shop.
In this fourth episode of the À la Mère de Famille podcast, Déborah and Steve welcome the entire Dolfi family, the proud owners of our House (and more!). Étienne, Sophie, Steve, Jane, and Jonathan Dolfi are like the five musketeers of French chocolate, confectionery, and pastry – playful and inventive defenders of a delicious heritage that they keep alive through constant questioning and research. We listen to them and discover them around a big goûter with papillotes and praline rochers, bouchées and dolfentins… We trace together the thread of a unique family story, punctuated by traditions, tribal work, and a love of good food. The family shares memories of celebrations, their rituals, and what it means to them to perpetuate sometimes centuries-old savoir-faire.
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The Dolfi family
For three generations, the Dolfis have been tasting and crafting delicacies. From chocolates to pastries, confectionery, and ice cream, the family business, born from a boiled sugar candy factory, thrives throughout France. Today, 53 shops, 14 brands, a chocolate factory, five pastry workshops, and one ice cream workshop guarantee the vitality of a sweet heritage constantly renewed by the expertise of a family passionate about good taste.
The Dolfi family propelled itself to the forefront of the chocolate scene in 2000 when it acquired À la Mère de Famille, the oldest chocolate factory in Paris, opened in 1761. This historic monument of chocolate, a true driving force for the company, unites Étienne and his children. The story began with the two eldest, Sophie and Steve, joined five years later by Jane, and then in 2010 by Jonathan. Strong in their family spirit, all five lead the company based on mutual listening and an understanding of each other's strengths. This is how the family stands out, becoming a major player in its market while creating its own universe. It flourishes through encounters and desires. The Dolfis took over other temples of gourmet food, essentially historic houses with great local renown such as Auer in Nice, Buissière in Limoges, Les Palets d’Or in Moulins, Henriet in Biarritz, Au Duc de Morny in Deauville, Pillon in Toulouse… Their vocation became clear through these acquisitions: to preserve and keep alive the savoir-faire of chocolate makers, pastry chefs, confectioners, and ice cream makers. Driven by this deep desire, they gradually equipped themselves to produce their delicacies from A to Z.
In 2017, the acquisition of Stohrer, the oldest Parisian pastry shop (opened in 1730), further cemented these independents in their approach. With this second historic and well-meringued locomotive, they definitively took on the role of conservators of France's sweet heritage, a mission for which they are ready to get their hands dirty (with choux pastry, puff pastry, fruit dough, almond dough…).
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Every month, Déborah Pham, a journalist, and Steve Dolfi, co-owner of Paris's oldest chocolate factory, welcome inspiring guests for goûter in the secret dining room of the historic shop. Personalities we want to listen to and hear about transmission. Each guest arrives with a companion, a significant person from whom they have received an influence or to whom they have transmitted a certain worldview. For an hour, they talk about connections, memories, and what is passed down without even thinking about it. An unfiltered conversation, mouths full, because here, it's allowed.
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