Our History

À la Mère de Famille célèbre ses 265 ans.

Rareté dans le paysage parisien, la boutique historique n’a jamais changé d’adresse ni d’activité depuis 1761. Les années passent, les meubles se patinent, mais l’entrain et les envies demeurent intacts. Et notre mariage avec Stohrer est fécond ! Depuis leur union en 2017, les deux institutions parisiennes en matière de gourmandise ne cessent de nous donner des occasions de réjouissance. Parmi nos actuelles 17 adresses, 10 boutiques proposent désormais chocolats et gâteaux. 

À la Mère de Famille and Stohrer are opening their first home in the heart of the 7th arrondissement.

The setting for these two historic Maisons that have been celebrating gourmet delights since the 18th century is located at 35 rue Cler and is the realization of the dream of the family that united the two Parisian institutions a year ago. The small boutique À la Mère de Famille on rue Cler is moving a few numbers while the legendary Stohrer pastries are crossing the Seine for the first time!

A historic rapprochement.

The Dolfi family is proud to associate its future with that of Maison Stohrer and celebrates the union of the oldest pastry shop in Paris (1730) with À la Mère de Famille, the oldest chocolate shop in Paris, in its fold for seventeen years now.

A family affair.

The succession of Serge Neveu is once again a story of love at first sight. Etienne Dolfi and his three children, Sophie, Jane and Steve, have been perpetuating the tradition of the boutique since 2000: working as a family, constantly searching for tasty new products and respect for this unique and emotionally charged place.

Serge Neveu, artisan chocolatier, makes Maison À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE a reference for chocolate in Paris.

When retirement time came, the Brethonneaus carefully chose their successor. This was Serge Neveu, who had also fallen under the authentic charm of the place. He continued the adventure of the establishment by leaving a lasting mark on it with his love of chocolate. His creations then took their place in the windows, alongside the shop's timeless references.

A preserved and recognized heritage.

Intact since the end of the 19th century, the shop attracts all gourmets, but also nostalgics and history enthusiasts. It still inspires artists, such as the actors on the bill of the neighborhood theaters, who are loyal to it, or the painter André Renoux, who even dedicated a painting to it. The same year, the storefront was listed as a historical monument.

Suzanne and Albert Brethonneau take over the establishment.

After the Second World War, the daily routine resumed its rights. Suzanne married Albert Bretonneau, who arrived as an apprentice in 1946. They took over À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE from the Legrands and made the House a temple of gourmet tradition: most of the products sold by Georges Lecœur at the beginning of the century are still sold almost fifty years later.

THE MOTHER OF THE FAMILY welcomes Suzanne, a 12-year-old girl.

Régis Dreux died in 1931 and the boutique was passed on to his daughter and her husband, the Legrands. Childless, three years later they welcomed their orphaned little cousin, Suzanne, in order to pass on their know-how to her and later entrust her with the precious Maison. Suzanne would not leave the rue du Faubourg Montmartre until 1985, after a lifetime of service to the boutique.

Georges Lecœur passes on TO THE MOTHER OF THE FAMILY to his apprentice, Régis Dreux.

The First World War broke out and Régis Dreux, apprentice and friend of Georges Lecœur, was sent to the front. He survived the trenches and took over the management of the establishment upon his return to Paris. The Dreux family thus watched over the shop and kept its windows alive according to the seasons: chocolate animals at Easter, dried and candied fruits at Christmas, sweets from all the regions of France in the summer...

The House's products are showcased at the International Culinary Exhibition in Paris.
Georges Lecœur does not compromise on the quality of his products. His homemade superfine jams are renowned and have been awarded twice at the International Culinary Exhibition in Paris. He will also encourage gourmet innovations and bring in exceptional products from all over the world: Hopjes from Holland, Tea from China, Pineapple from Singapore, chocolate from the colonial company...

Georges Lecœur acquires À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE, the boutique of his dreams.

It was this extraordinary character who would give new impetus to the boutique: Georges Lecœur had the façade renovated, published the first advertisements and brochures, had the telephone installed... À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE was now ready for the Belle Epoque, which set Paris abuzz. The district became a must-see party spot in Paris thanks to the Folies Bergère, whose dancers had been raving about the Maison's confectionery for almost 150 years!

THE MOTHER OF THE FAMILY is increasingly turning towards confectionery.

With the democratization of sugar, enabled by the development of beet sugar, confectionery became increasingly important within the House. When Ferdinand Bridault died, his two daughters entrusted its operation to experienced grocers and confectioners. They accompanied the transformation of the old regime grocery store into a modern confectionery grocery store.

À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE is a thriving business, in the heart of a fashionable neighborhood.

Ferdinand Bridault grew up in the shop and learned the trade from his mother, the widow Bridault, whom he replaced when she decided to retire. Alongside his wife Joséphine Delafontaine, they made the "Maison Bridault-Delafontaine" a fashionable delicatessen, in the heart of a district that was now favored by the capital's writers and musicians.

The great food critic Grimod de la Reynière raves about the Maison de la veuve Bridault in his Almanach des Gourmands.

Alexandre Grimod de la Reynière is the father of gastronomic criticism and the brilliant inventor of the Almanach des Gourmands, the first true culinary guide. In his 1810 edition, he devotes a full page to the young and pretty widow Bridault, whose qualities as a grocer he praises as much as her grace and kindness. He ends this glowing portrait by warmly recommending the establishment to his readers. Under the pen of Grimod, À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE has just entered the gourmet history of Paris.

The House returns to Marie Adélaïde Bridault. Then begins a golden age thanks to the one who will remain in history as "The mother of the family"

Prematurely widowed, Jean-Marie Bridault remarried the beautiful Marie Adélaïde. When he died in 1807, she was left alone with four children. In order to ensure their subsistence, she took over the grocery store. Marie Adélaïde worked hard, surrounded herself with new suppliers and offered original and superior quality products. The store experienced considerable growth and its reputation quickly extended beyond the neighborhood's borders.

Jean-Marie Bridault takes over from his father-in-law at the head of the establishment.

The Bernards had three daughters, who grew up with the neighborhood. In the midst of the revolutionary turmoil, Jeanne married the son of a large family of grocers from rue Saint-Antoine, Jean-Marie Bridault. He took over from his father-in-law at the head of the Faubourg Montmartre shop.

Pierre Jean Bernard founded Maison Bernard, the ancestor of confectionery À LA MÈRE DE FAMILLE

Pierre Jean Bernard was a young grocer from Coulommiers. In the early 1760s, he settled in Paris, at 35, rue du Faubourg Montmartre, to found his business and then his family. The shop was located in the heart of a district with a still very rural charm, but in full development and increasingly popular with the Parisian high society of the time.