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Sign up Explore our Food Tours → dining out in the Covid era has often meant eating in kebabs and other fast food have triumphed over cooked dishes since they can more easily withstand travel in cardboard containers While many restaurants have either pivoted to portable sandwiches or tried to implement new packing methods (like soupe à l’oignon in a vacuum-sealed bag) La Cuisine de Gagny has embraced glass jars – a return to its roots the plats du jour are dished into glass containers – the kind of jars (bocaux) filled with rillettes and jams in a French country kitchen Sealed with glass lids and a thick orange-rubber band the old-school jars don’t make the food taste like plastic They are good for the environment – especially when you return them for re-use When we brought our daube de poulpe (red-wine Fitting for a restaurant that’s all about thoughtfully made comfort food for the community La Cuisine de Gagny is the brainchild of Gagny Sissoko organic fare that makes the most of local goods Think slow-roasted chicken slathered in herbs shredded carrot salad with crispy chickpeas Cuisine de Gagny has been a neighborhood fixture with regulars drawn to the duo’s warm welcome and fantastic the couple never expected to be restaurateurs a Grenobloise who had come to the Malian capital to study was working in the cultural sector while Gagny discovered a love of cooking while working for a family that sold kebabs and other street food He honed his chops during an internship at a Lebanese bakery which was followed by catering gigs for a friend’s theater company When the director moved to Marseille in 2010 the couple followed – though Gagny was delayed by red tape for two years Born with multiple food allergies that made eating out a risky affair Gagny started cooking healthful dishes without allergens – like his famous gluten-free manioc pizza Word spread to fellow families with food-sensitive children using the glass bocals still in place today the couple searched for a community kitchen to expand the business They launched their small catering company at a former butcher on the Boulevard Chave in Le Camas a local organization that gives microloans to individuals who get turned down by traditional French banks The couple never intended La Cuisine de Gagny to be a restaurant but when their patio license was approved – the golden ticket in temperate Marseille – they suddenly had the seating to do so Seeing a Malian man at the stoves, neighborhood residents assumed La Cuisine de Gagny would serve African food. Gagny’s Provençal fare, “changed the stereotype,” says Julie. The deli counter is temptingly filled with salads, sandwiches and tartes stuffed with various fillings like locally sourced mushrooms, spinach and brousse cheese Gagny’s gargantuan sandwiches often sell out in advance as they did on our first visit (in-the-know regulars reserve theirs via phone.) But Julie insists you should “order one of the plats du jour.” His tian de legumes (sliced veggies) and squid sautéed in pastis illustrate his Provençal savoir-faire while his daube de poulpe (octopus stew) and carbonnade de boeuf (beef stew) show off his sauce skills veggies are simmered to the point of being bland in stews Other popular dishes include tender magret de canard (duck breast) and a lamb (agneau) couscous the latter influenced by his Malian heritage but he inherited certain techniques from his homeland: a knack for making perfectly fluffy rice and attiéké grated cassava with a couscous-like texture from the neighboring Ivory Coast; a flair for grilled meats and long-braised lamb shoulder (epaule d’agneau) used for the popular Wednesday burger; and the bracingly fresh ginger and candy-red hibiscus (bissap) juices they make in house Without a culinary education or experience at other restaurants by an intense passion: “It’s the only thing I love to do,” he says instead finding inspiration in his surroundings “Working with fellow chefs feeds me,” he explains proud to take part in the Kouss-Kouss Festival and other local events at the Grandes Tables de la Friche Each encounter has been a cooking class. On a trip to Haiti, he picked up how to make chiquetaille, flaked fish that he stuffs in sandwiches. Chef Bernard Loury from the Vieux-Port’s Chez Loury taught Gagny how to make bouillabaisse a skill much-needed in seafaring Marseille His fish dishes – rouget (red mullet) with ginger sauce or daurade à sauce chien (sea bream with an herby Antilles pepper sauce) – are always hits which are “too mathematic” for the playful chef Julie has stepped in to bake seasonal tarts (lemon in the winter strawberry in spring) and a gluten-free option like moelleux au chocolat (moist chocolate cake.) Equally surprised to be baking for a living she has grown to like it – and the way that her creations make people happy Ninety percent are organic while the rest are regional to highlight the importance of a local food system – you’ll never see an avocado on the menu use the aforementioned glass jars and biodegradable paper packaging and hire a bike delivery service instead of the price-gouging Uber Eats They also give leftovers to a handful of neighborhood homeless individuals – plating the food to make it feel less like a handout One man who has since left the streets attributed their kindness to helping him get back on his feet Community is at the core of La Cuisine de Gagny Most of the customers are regulars – some even use it as their daily cafeteria “People don’t just come here to buy – they come for the ambiance and service,” Gagny says with a smile The couple knows which client likes pepper and which one is allergic to nuts they’ve maintained the interactions that are important in this takeout-only era greeting customers by name and calling out “bon appétit” when they leave In most cases, the French government has offered better financial incentives for restaurants to stay shuttered. But Julie and Gagny have been committed to supporting their community. After closing in the first lockdown (which many thought would be the last) they have stayed open during the next confinements to the delight of their neighbors Though they make up the majority of the clientele Cuisine de Gagny merits a field trip for those who live outside of La Camas Even in these times of takeaway – we live a half-hour away via the metro and our daube was still wonderfully warm when we returned home loading map - please wait...Map could not be loaded - please enable Javascript!→ more information The Night of Solidarity is an operation that counts the number of homeless people in a particular area on a given night The seventh Night of Solidarity in Paris took place during the night of the 25th to 26th January 2024 mobilising over 2,000 volunteers and professionals of the social fields the Greater Paris - Grand Paris Metropolis - coordinated their third Night of Solidarity with nearly 2,000 volunteers and 120 partner non-profit associations in the 32 volunteer municipal Communes: Alfortville 785 people were met on the same night in the 32 volunteer municipal Communes of Grand Paris Metropolis Apur processes your data to manage sending out the newsletter. For more information on the management of your personal data and to exercise your rights, please click here in which he spoke of a “Pastefian state” that was gradually taking shape caused quite a stir among the “Patriots” one of the members of the Pastef party is attempting to get his comrades to refocus Lansana Gagny Sakho writes: “Alioune Tine has always been there to denounce the excesses of Macky Sall’s regime but above all to defend President Ousmane Sonko He has played a major role in mobilizing the international community Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec * mon e-mail et mon site dans le navigateur pour mon prochain commentaire Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" experimental Night of Solidarity took place in a dozen or so volunteering municipal communes in the Greater Paris - Grand Paris Metropolis during the night of 20th to 21st January 2022 Rueil-Malmaison and Saint-Denis (the only commune with partial coverage) partook in this first ever The town of Saint-Ouen also became involved later on in the process as an experimental trial on its territory the results of which will be consolidated by the summer 2022 487 homeless people were met in the 9 communes 240 of whom were in a family camp on private land in Bobigny The homeless people counted were unevenly located among the volunteer communes with 204 people met in the streets and 283 met in other spaces (campsites Few homeless people were counted in five communes (between 1 and 7 people counted in Bondy Specific situations were noteworthy: the presence of tents along the canal in Aubervilliers people living in car parks and underground passages of La Défense (Courbevoie) 254 people in two camps in Bobigny in the Park La Bergère and in the Industrial Zone des Vignes It is to be noted that in eight of the nine voluntary communes the operation was pooled with the INSEE “Mobile homes and the homeless - Habitations mobiles et sans-abri” collection as part of the general population census The loosely gathered clutch of mostly retired guys brings coffee and homemade Danish or other morning fare to consume while they relish a particular treat — a very good cigar — among pleasant company. They head directly to the store's special attraction, what manager Daniel Barnes calls "a great walk-in humidor," the size of a generous living room, displaying upward of 200 boxes, each neatly laid with 20 cigars, priced from a couple of dollars to a top of $27.45 per individual smoke. Some 50 brands, their tobaccos grown and rolled in a dozen countries, are represented. Thence, customers stroll on to the smoking lounge, studiously furnished in leather and comfort to resemble an old English gentlemen's club. They snip and light and settle in, literally, to lounge, sometimes for hours. "When you buy a quality cigar, you want it fresh," Barnes said. The humidor's controlled climate — 68 to 71 percent humidity, 72 to 77 degrees air temperature — does exactly that. "It won't smoke correctly if it's not humid," Barnes explained. Cigars vary in their tobacco filler, priming and wrap, as well as their shape and length of aging, each contributing to flavor, intensity, smoothness and drawing capacity. Barnes, 23, and his alternate manager, Tony Gagny, 22, knowledgeably explain the differences to a novice. "As with any tobacco product, it's personal preference," Barnes added. With the entire shop climate controlled, it is noticeably devoid of smoke and odor. Rather, the environment is aromatic of loamy woodlands with floral undertones. Yet, in the lounge, customer Ron Bobba, 66, of Weeki Wachee admitted, "I don't know anybody who smokes inside at home." While cigars are the main seller at Tobacco Depot, a family chain of 13 shops from Plant City to Homosassa Springs and headquartered at Zephyrhills, other tobacco products are offered: chew, dip, snuff, cigarettes, tobacco by the ounce for pipes and roll-your-own. Also available are pipes (nonglass), equipment and supplies for roll-your-own, ashtrays, plus "all the equipment to put together your own humidor," Barnes enumerated. Electronic cigarettes and vapor products were added about two years ago, with some 200 vapor flavors offered. "Vapors (sales) went up, and cigarettes went down, for sure," Barnes said. Different nicotine levels, down to zero, are attractive to those wanting to quit cigarettes. Speaking about the vapor products, Barnes pointed out, "Like everything else, sales are limited to (age) 18 and over." Discounts and specials are offered regularly. Special orders are accommodated. Contact Beth Gray at graybethn@earthlink.net. In France, the poissoneries (fish markets) are often decorated in a palette of blue to evoke the sea while boucheries and charcuteries are blood red around deli counters and on awnings above shop windows so that customers can spot their meat purveyors from afar an artisan charcutier in Marseille’s 6th arrondissement until its new owner gave it a fresh coat of pink Marie Caffarel took over Maison Payany in the spring of 2019 in many ways she has upheld the traditions of this neighborhood institution which prior to her arrival had been run by three generations of Payany men since 1932 House-made saucissons (sausages) are strung behind the counter And the window display is stacked with the classic prepared dishes such as pieds de porc (pig’s feet) en vinaigrette and celeri remoulade (celery root salad) the 30-something has also put her own flavor into the 90-year-old shop She balances the meat with veggie-centric offerings like courgetti flans adding hazelnuts and whiskey to caillettes (caul-fat-wrapped pork pâté meatballs.) And she’s added a feminine touch to the butcher paper menu and façade: a lovely logo of hand-drawn charcuterie and vegetables Marie became interested in French cuisine while living in Australia where her family relocated for her father’s job when she was a teenager “especially all things charcuterie,” she made pâtés east of her childhood home near Montpelier Marie longed to utilize her cooking skills as a traiteur but without a degree or local connections – “Marseille is all about the reseau (network),” she explains – she opted for a professional CAP certificate as a boucher/charcutier/traiteur drawn to its artisan products and old-school vibe “I harassed him for around three years,” she smiles “He must have finally said yes because no one else wanted the job.” After he acquiesced she worked under his tutelage for six months to ensure a smooth transition Once she got the keys to the Rue Breteuil shop she updated the kitchen and interior “which hadn’t been touched for decades,” keeping the heritage charm she so loved: the smoky mirror she painted the exterior in the prettiest of pink which stands out amidst the Rue Breteuil’s beige stone facades pâté en croute (pâté wrapped in a pastry shell) and jambon cuit (cooked ham) made with less nitrates than others for the purest ham flavor Marie is particularly proud of her salade de museau Opposite the counter, a glass case is stocked with homemade sausages, including longanisse (a paprika-spiced sausage that stems from Spanish pieds-noirs Europeans who lived in North Africa during the colonial period) and the popular saucisse au fenouil (fennel sausage) a mojito saucisse made with lime zest and mint shows her experimental side – and is perfect for summertime barbecues Marie likes making charcuterie because it “falls between butchery and cooking.” filets – of thoughtfully sourced pork and lamb Marie buys farm-raised Label Rouge (France’s high-quality designation) pigs from the Auvergne explaining how they are apt for charcuterie because they are “not too fat nor lean.” She sources the agneau from a farmer in Revest-du-Bion who slaughters the animals young to retain their true lamb taste some of the Payany’s original recipes are still served such as croque-monsieurs and salade de macédoine a mayonnaise-y chopped veggie salad that is “served a lot in French school cafeterias,” explains the young man behind the counter When you’re not in the mood to cook dinner and caramelized orange and star anise pork (inspired by her Australia days) brandade and fava bean soup served from a traditional lion-headed tureen One of Marie’s most beloved additions is the house-made potato chips, perfect for apéro. She also transformed the épicerie shelf from basics (flour, sugar) to some of her favorite finds: pickled onions from local sandwich maker Dwish; coarse polenta from Basque country; and, from century-old Provençal cannery Guintrand canned whole tomatoes (hard to find in France) for homemade tomato sauce and Bigarreau cherries that are “great for clafoutis.” Marie likes making charcuterie because it “falls between butchery and cooking.” The occupation is becoming less common in France due to an increase of industrialized products decreased meat consumption and the fact that it requires an enormous amount of work with a midday break for lunch and a quick nap she hasn’t taken more than a week off. Luckily she has a small team to help: an apprentice a cook for the traiteur and a counterperson According to a study by the French Ministery of Finance, 82 percent of charcutiers in France are male. When asked how it feels to be one of the few females it’s all good.” The steady stream of regulars shows that her customers agree Update: Kara Mehmet Kebap Salonu and Gaziantep Burç Ocakbaşı are sadly no longer open We like to think of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar – open since 1461 – as the world’s oldest shopping mall shouldn’t the Grand Bazaar be home to the world’s oldest food court the Grand Bazaar can be as much a food destination as a shopping one one of the hidden pleasures of going to the bazaar (once you get past the overzealous shopkeepers hawking souvenirs) is exploring some of its quieter back alleys and interior courtyards for new dining possibilities especially some of the smaller restaurants that cater not to tourists but rather to the locals who work in the sprawling marketplace tender morsels of marinated beef sitting on a bed of garlicky yogurt-eggplant purée topped with chopped walnuts and zingy pomegranate molasses We were even more excited about the restaurant’s specialty: extremely flavorful dolmas made out of dried eggplants and red peppers that had been rehydrated and stuffed with a rice and herb mixture Gaziantep Burç Ocakbaşı only has a few tables which are lined up along the length of the alleyway that is the restaurant’s home The ambiance is provided by the strings of dried eggplant and peppers that hang above the tables the smoke and sizzle coming from the grill and the thrum of bazaar activity all around We’re always looking for excuses to go back to the Grand Bazaar so we can stop by Gaziantep Burç Ocakbaşı again what really draws us to Kara Mehmet is its location deep inside the open-air courtyard of the Cebeci Han one of the Grand Bazaar’s numerous out-of-the-way caravanserais Compared to the bustle of the rest of the bazaar the Cebeci Han is an oasis of peace and calm mostly filled with small shops where people repair rugs Even the owner of the one actual rug shop inside the courtyard seems more interested in playing backgammon with his friends than moving carpets order Kara Mehmet’s delicious künefe for dessert and a tea from the small teahouse next door and enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at bazaar life is taken up by a charcoal grill and İsmail who has been fanning the flames here for the last 10 years The no-nonsense İsmail takes the wrap business seriously letting customers choose between two different kinds of lavaş flatbread: the traditional thin variety and a thicker We found some space at Aynen’s counter and ordered a dürüm of Adana kebab and another made with lamb shish kebab leaving the choice of lavaş up to the griller each stuffed with a mixture of tomato and parsley along with the perfectly grilled meat while the small morsels of tender lamb inside the second wrap were so tasty that we soon found ourselves joining the crowd and stuffing our faces with little regard for decorum When you board the 1 tram line in boisterous Noailles underground tunnel onto the picturesque Boulevard Chave in the Le Camas district the wide street is lined with soaring plane trees 19th century buildings – a mix of typically Marseillais trois fenêtres (three window) and decorative Art Nouveau facades – add to the eye-pleasing promenade so beloved by locals Just a mile as the seagull flies from the Vieux-Port Le Camas was appealing for its accessibility to the city center by tram Landowner-turned-developer André Chave founded the neighborhood to accommodate Marseille’s growing middle class The city honored him by bestowing the central artery with his name – that’s his bust with the smug expression carved in the corner building at the boulevard’s start Boulevard Chave has always been the nerve center of Le Camas the main drag has become a micro-neighborhood in itself real estate agents have dubbed Chave the “place to be” for new arrivals to the city and Marseillais priced out of other trendy neighborhoods young families and bobos (bourgeois-bohèmes – France’s equivalent to hipsters) are scooping up Chave apartments in spades boulangers and florists (the latest Plan B job) are clamoring to set up shop here the neighborhood’s de facto community center “It is the story of the street,” shares a friend whose grandparents were the owners from 1968 to 1977 Though running a simple bar du quartier and tabac (tobacco shop) his grandmother dressed in heels and his grandfather in a jacket and tie in that era gratin dauphinois (creamy potato gratin) and other affordable they fill terrasse tables reading the local rag La Provence drinking pastis and catching up with friends Amandine’s cotton-candy pink storefront and cursive logo feels plucked from the past the pâtisserie has earned a following for their exquisite desserts Customers come from across the city – lately for the buttery the core clientele is from the neighborhood the owner of the nearby Italian deli was placing a cake order for a birthday party It was food that tipped Chave’s scales towards trendy an all-day café with a culinary focus the neighborhood lacked A neighbor confirms it was the “only bistro here.” With its bistronomy menu and sun-soaked sidewalk patio the cheerful spot seduced nearby residents and lured Marseillais from other parts of the city “I see the same faces each day,” shares a waitress confirming that Georges is still first and foremost frequented by regulars its popularity spawned other restaurateurs to head to Chave Chave hasn’t been totally gutted by gentrification self-taught chef Gagny and his pert partner couldn’t resist serving their comfort fare in-house once they nabbed a sidewalk patio permit – gold in temperate Marseille The restaurants are rounded out by food purveyors that add to Chave’s village-like ambiance. On Saturday mornings, locals fill their shopping bags with fresh goods from the butchers, fruit stands and wine stores. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, they order wood-fired pizzas from JD’s pizza truck an iconic Marseille tradition that has held court on the corner of Boulevard Chave and Eugène Pierre for 23 years They buy artisan loaves from Mains Libres boulangerie Corsican cheese and charcuterie platters from Petit Jean and freshly roasted coffee from Brulerie Moka the young owner and torréfacteuse (roaster) chose Chave after getting priced out of her old neighborhood her coffee shop – one of our favorites in Marseille – has played a big factor in Chave’s friendly vibe As Chave continues to buzz, businesses are popping up further down the boulevard, extending the neighborhood to the east. Deep Coffee has a pop-up in an old green wrought-iron newsstand an urban renewal trend happening across Marseille This comingling of classic and contemporary is what makes Chave so appealing Many of the newer places are inspired by artisan methods and a community spirit that has been lost with modernization age is priceless since it can’t be manufactured The other day, we were buying brousse-stuffed ravioli at Maison Moutte an Italian épicerie run by a couple for over half a century When the owner turned to package the pasta “You have flour handprints on your hips!” The septuagenarian explained her husband can’t help but grab her when squeezing behind her in the skinny kitchen “We still have it after 48 years,” she winked Angers play host to Brest in a Ligue 1 game at the Stade Raymond Kopa this Sunday Angers currently sit in 15th place and are only outside the drop zone on goal difference right now meaning they could be in danger of heading back to Ligue 2 but could climb into eighth place with a win So which side will come away with the points this weekend Despite Angers having the home advantage in this match it's hard to see them having too much success against a much stronger Brest team The away side haven't been too defensively sound this season they're facing opponents who are highly toothless in front of goal and it feels like an away win is the most likely outcome here Tip 2: Game to feature more than 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been more than 2.5 goals scored in Brest's last five matches) Your perspective matters!Start the conversation