Fishwives of Paris

Lies, Pastry, and Power: The Real Carême

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:05:00 GMT

In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, Emily and Caroline unpack the real story of Marie-Antoine Carême, the ambitious pastry chef who rose to cook for diplomats, emperors, and tsars, and helped shape modern French cuisine.

Beyond the dramatized version, Carême was a master of image and storytelling, even spreading myths about his own life. While he was not a spy, he was deeply connected to power, using food as a tool to impress and influence Europe’s elite.

We explore how Carême’s work helped define French cuisine as we know it today, from early sauce classification to his belief that pastry was a form of architecture. He played a role in shaping iconic desserts like the croquembouche, eclairs, and the modern Charlotte, and helped elevate pastry into an art form built on structure, precision, and spectacle.

The episode also looks at his more modern ideas, including seasonality, balance, and a shift away from heavy spices toward fresh herbs, as well as his role in defining the image of the professional chef, including the creation of the chef’s hat.

In this episode:

Why Carême lied about being an orphan
What the Apple TV series gets wrong
How he categorized sauces before Escoffier
Why he believed pastry was a form of architecture
The origins of desserts like the croquembouche, eclairs, and Charlotte

What did Carême actually create and influence?

Codifying French cuisine

One of the first to organize recipes at scale
Early system of “mother sauces” before Escoffier (Velouté, Espagnole, Béchamel, Allemande)
Wrote influential cookbooks and his own carefully curated life story

Elevating pastry

Treated pastry as architecture, building elaborate edible structures
Created dramatic dessert displays using choux, marzipan, and spun sugar
Helped bring spectacle into fine dining

Iconic pastries

Popularized the croquembouche
Expanded the use of choux pastry, including éclairs
Shaped ladyfingers (biscuits à la cuillère) for dipping and desserts
Transformed the Charlotte into the cold dessert we know today
Created early versions of vol-au-vent

Chef identity and kitchens

Invented the chef’s hat (toque)
Evolved from pastry chef to full culinary authority (officier de bouche)
Helped define the role of the modern chef

Modern food philosophy

Advocated for seasonality and peak ingredients
Focused on balance and how food makes people feel
Shifted French cuisine from heavy spices to fresh herbs

Luxury and ingredients

Helped introduce chocolate into pastry beyond drinks
Cooked with luxury ingredients like champagne
Worked during the rise of sugar use in France

Dining and presentation

Worked during the shift from display-style dining to courses
Created grand banquet experiences for political elites
Helped define food as both visual spectacle and social power

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The Great (Fake) Potato Heist

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Potatoes are one of the most iconic ingredients in French cuisine today. But for centuries, the French refused to eat them.

In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, Emily Monaco and Caroline Fazeli uncover the strange and fascinating story of how the humble potato went from feared outsider to beloved staple of French cooking. Once thought to cause leprosy and plague, potatoes were even banned in France for a period of time before a determined pharmacist named Antoine-Augustin Parmentier began campaigning to change public opinion.

Through a mix of clever marketing, royal influence, and a staged "potato heist" at Versailles, Parmentier helped transform how the French viewed this Peruvian import. Along the way, Emily and Caroline explore how potatoes traveled from South America to Europe, why the French were so suspicious of them, and how they eventually became the foundation of classic dishes like pommes puree, gratin dauphinois, and hachis Parmentier.

This episode reveals how culinary myths are created, how food traditions evolve, and how one clever campaign helped change the course of French cuisine.

Places Mentioned in This Episode:

Père Lachaise Cemetery (Paris)

This famous Paris cemetery is the final resting place of Antoine-Augustin Parmentier. Visitors sometimes leave potatoes on his grave as a playful tribute to the man who helped introduce them to French cuisine.

Versailles (Chateau de Versailles)

Parmentier famously planted potato fields near Versailles and staged a fake theft of the crop to spark curiosity and convince the public that potatoes were valuable.

Dishes Mentioned

pommes puree (buttery mashed potatoes)
gratin dauphinois
hachis Parmentier (French-style shepherd's pie)
French fries (possibly introduced to American diplomats at one of Parmentier's potato banquets)

🎧 Fishwives of Paris

Hosted by Caroline Fazeli and Emily Monaco

📲 Instagram: @fishwivesofparis

🍷 Goguette affiliates: https://bit.ly/goguette_FWOP

💌 Press & partnerships: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

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More Than Street Tacos

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Mexican food in France is often treated as cheap street food, but chef Carla Kirsch is challenging that narrative. In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, we sit down with the Mexican-born, French-trained chef behind Alebrije in Lyon to talk about bringing Mexican cuisine into the French fine dining world.

We dig into why French diners expect Mexican food to be inexpensive, why spice still scares people in France, and how many core French ingredients originally came from Mexico and the Americas. Carla also shares what it takes to source Mexican ingredients in France, from dried chilies and tomatillos to masa made from French corn, and what it’s like to open a restaurant in France as a foreign woman.

Places & Institutions Mentioned in This Episode

Alebrije (Lyon) – Carla Kirsch’s fine dining Mexican restaurant
Milpa (Lyon) – Carla Kirsch’s more casual taco shop
Institut Paul Bocuse (now Institut Lyfe), Lyon – where Carla trained in classical French cuisine

🎧 Fishwives of Paris

Hosted by Caroline Fazeli and Emily Monaco

📲 Instagram: @fishwivesofparis

🍷 Goguette affiliates: https://bit.ly/goguette_FWOP

💌 Press & partnerships: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

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My Grandfather Made this Beef Bourguignon in a Barn

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Is beef bourguignon really a rustic Burgundian peasant dish? Or is it one of France’s greatest culinary PR successes?

In this episode, Emily Monaco and Caroline Fazeli dig into the surprisingly modern (and non-Burgundian) origins of beef bourguignon, how it became a symbol of “traditional” French home cooking, and why the version most of us recognize today owes a lot to Parisian restaurants, Escoffier, and Julia Child.

They unpack how French beef has historically been used (working animals first, dinner later), why slow-cooked stews became central to French cuisine, and how the romantic idea of French “peasant food” often hides a much more complicated and urban reality. Along the way, they break down what actually matters when cooking this dish at home, and which rules are worth ignoring.

In This Episode:

Why beef bourguignon is not actually from Burgundy
How a Parisian fast food chain helped shape the dish
What “à la bourguignonne” really means
Why French beef is different from American beef
How Julia Child helped codify the modern version of the recipe
Caroline’s no-fuss tips for making beef bourguignon at home

What the Fishwives Recommend:

Wine to cook with (for the stew):

You do not need Burgundy wine. “Bourguignon” refers to a red-wine style of preparation, not the Burgundy region. Use an affordable, drinkable red wine. Do not waste expensive Burgundy on cooking.

Cut of beef to use:

In the U.S.: Chuck (or any hardworking, collagen-rich stew cut)
The goal is a tough cut that benefits from long, slow cooking

Wine to drink with boeuf bourguignon:

Skip Burgundy here, too. The dish is rich and beefy, so it pairs better with a fuller-bodied red:

Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Northern Rhône (like Saint-Joseph)

Extra Bits You’ll Hear:

Why marinating the beef is optional (and often unnecessary)
Why French home cooks don’t obsess over pearl onions
How this dish reflects how French people actually entertain (low-stress, make-ahead, lots of leftovers)
What to do with leftover sauce

If you’ve ever been confused about whether you’re “doing it wrong” with beef bourguignon, this episode is your permission slip to relax, save your good wine for drinking, and stop taking French food myths so seriously.

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Respect the Crêpe

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Crêpes Are Not Street Food (Mostly)

Crêpes may be one of France’s most iconic foods, but chances are you have been eating them wrong, or at least misunderstanding what they are. In this episode of Fishwives of Paris, Emily and Caroline break down the myths surrounding crêpes, explain why treating them as street food is mostly a tourist habit, and unpack the deep regional identity behind Brittany’s buckwheat galettes.

From linguistic nitpicking (crêpes vs galettes vs krampouezh) to the surprising agricultural history of buckwheat, this episode explores how geography, language, and industrialization shaped one of France’s most misunderstood dishes. In this episode:

Why crêpes are not traditionally street food in their region of origin
The difference between sweet wheat crêpes and savory buckwheat galettes
Brittany’s cultural independence, from language to infrastructure to food
Truly too many things about buckwheat for one bullet point
Candlemas (La Chandeleur), why France eats crêpes on February 2

Where to eat galettes in Paris

We mention Breizh Café as our favorite spot in Paris and Lyon for traditional buckwheat galettes. You will also find many classic crêperies serving plated galettes around the Montparnasse area, historically where trains from Brittany arrived. One important note: traditional galette restaurants serve cider, not wine, in keeping with Breton custom.

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Tartiflette: Humble Beginnings or Brilliant Marketing?

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Tartiflette May Look Like an Old-School Dish, But It’s a Marketing Coup in Disguise

The French are masters of après-ski delicacies like cheesy raclette, fondue, and tartiflette – hearty dishes with loads of melty cheese to help you warm up after a day on the slopes. But while tartiflette may look like a time-tested creation with deep Savoyard roots, the reality is that this casserole of potatoes, bacon, onions, and melted Reblochon cheese is a baby by French food standards, invented in the ‘80s by a clever ski resort owner looking to make good on a dairy glut. But this is no simple case of terroir-washing, as Emily and Caroline are here to share.

Tune in to discover:

The story of how tax evasion led to the invention of the stinky, washed-rind marvel known as Reblochon
Why the roots of tartiflette run deeper than you'd think
How to recreate this French specialty at home – even if you can't get your hands on raw milk French cheese

In this episode we mention Oma cheese from the Von Trapp family in Vermont.

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

We are currently seeking partnerships. If that’s you, get in touch: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

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The Secret Lives of French Mushrooms

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Mushrooms Are Fun Guys – As Long as They Don’t Kill Ya

If you see Paris mushrooms on a French menu, don't go assuming they've been grown in the French capital – these days, about 70% are actually grown in China. Their name is a reference, not to their provenance, but to their roots: Paris mushrooms first gained acclaim in the gardens of the palace of Versailles before their culture moved to the underground caverns of the Catacombs.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The role French pharmacies play in foraging for mushrooms
Why the French word for mushrooms might make you pause
Why foraging in France is treated as sacred — and tightly guarded
The unsuspecting relationship between mushrooms and the catacombs of Paris
How the Loire Valley incorporates tourism into mushroom production
Why French shoppers fiercely prioritize hyper-local produce
How the French prepare mushrooms, including our favorite spot to enjoy them stuffed with snails, garlic, and butter

Places, people & references mentioned:

La Cave des Roches – A historic mushroom farm in the Loire Valley that now relies on tourism to survive economically challenging times
Bruno Zamblera – A grower who still cultivates mushrooms underground, continuing a nearly lost tradition
Café de Musée – Where Escargots à la Bourguignonne are reimagined using mushroom caps instead of snails (Emily’s favorite)

Mushroom dishes & recipes discussed:

Duxelles – Finely chopped mushrooms cooked down with shallots and herbs
Sauce à la Forestière – A classic mushroom-forward French sauce

This episode is a journey through tunnels, traditions, and taboos — revealing how something as humble as a mushroom can tell the story of Paris, French food culture, and what it means to eat locally in a globalized world.

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

We are currently seeking partnerships. If that’s you, get in touch: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

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Lowkey, Christmas is Pagan AF

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT

The Bûche de Noël and French Christmas Episode

It’s no surprise, in structure-loving France, that the menu for Christmas dinner is pretty much set in stone – or should we say, petrified in wood? After a veritable eating frenzy of oysters, foie gras, roasted capon, and more truffle-studded cheese than any accountant (or cardiologist) would recommend, on December 24th, most French people feast on a cake shaped into a log, complete with meringue mushrooms and chocolate bark. And before you go trying to link the Yule log to a manger, know that the bûche de Noël has got nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.

Tune in to discover:

How and why France co-opted a pagan tradition to turn it into a pastry marvel
Why we have the English to thank for making bûche de Noël an approachable home bake
Just some of the most out-there bûches on offer from celebrity pastry chefs
Why most French people deviate from tradition with a newer version of a bûche that’s easier, cheaper, and a whole lot lighter

Check out our Instagram to see photos of Caroline's Caga Tio creation from the episode @fishwivesofparis

We collaborated with Lucy Vanel of PLUM Lyon for a gorgeous meringue mushroom recipe which you can find on our episode webpage: https://www.fishwivesofparis.com/episodes/s1/the-buche-de-noel-episode/

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

We are currently seeking partnerships. If that’s you, get in touch: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

We are now proud partners of Goget

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Sh*tting All Over Champagne

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 08:25:16 GMT

The Episode Where we Party Poop on Champagne

Dom Pérignon’s French Wikipedia page claims he invented Champagne – but the truth is way cooler than that. The world’s best-known sparkling wine has roots in English cider-making and has a host of intrepid local widows to thank for its deliciousness, not to mention its renown.

Tune in to learn:

How Champagne accidentally became one of the most lauded wines in the world
Which glassware to choose and why
What the heck Dom Pérignon actually did to give him such a reputation

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

We are currently seeking partnerships. If that’s you, get in touch: bonjour@realfishwivesofparis.com

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Bread is Life

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

CEO Apollonia Poilâne on how Poilâne defied baguette trends, inspired Dalí, and threads a century of history into each loaf

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Hot Air Balloons & Regret: Beaujolais Nouveau Has Arrived

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Every third Thursday of November, French bartenders across the hexagon pull millions of corks, unleashing aromas of banana Runts and regret: it’s time for Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine whose release date is literally written into law, and whose marketing has included everything from Japanese Beaujolais baths to hot-air-balloon deliveries.

Beaujolais Nouveau has a surprisingly deep history, rooted in the 14th-century banishment of the Gamay grape from bougier Burgundy. Once dismissed as a gimmick, this glou-glou (gluggable) red has evolved and Caroline and Emily are here to defend its honor.

🎙️ Tune in to learn:

• The story of the man who made Beaujolais Nouveau a 1970s global phenomenon

• The winemaking technique that makes Beaujolais uniquely drinkable young

• Why you might be wrong about not aging Beaujolais Nouveau

• And whether pairing it with Thanksgiving dinner is genius… or just a marketing myth

🎧 Fishwives of Paris — where French food myths go to die.

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli and Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

We are now proud Goguette affiliates.

💌Want to partner with us? We’d love to talk to you about press and sponsorship opportunities here: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

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Satan’s Beverage & Toasted Colonialism: A Tale of French Breakfast

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Forget bacon and eggs, in France, breakfast doesn’t even come on a plate. 🥐☕️

Instead, it’s all about the bowl, a ritual shaped by global trade, 17th-century aristocrats, and a serious caffeine habit.

Tune in to learn:

Why the French word for lunch, déjeuner, actually means breakfast
The FWOP's take on bacon and brunch in France
How three caffeinated plants from three corners of the world: coffee, tea, and chocolate changed French mornings forever
What French people actually eat for breakfast (spoiler: it’s not croissants 🫣)

Plus: Caroline and Emily spill their favorite breakfast spots in Paris (5 Pailles) and Lyon (Odessa and Le Déjeuneur).

🎧 Fishwives of Paris — where French food myths go to die (and breakfast gets a reality check).

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

We are currently seeking partnerships. If that’s you, get in touch: bonjour@fishwivesofparis.com

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Red Tape & Red Wine: Yves Cuilleron Builds an AOC

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Episode 3: How Do You Build an AOC? Featuring Guest Yves Cuilleron

Is there anything Frencher than wrapping our wine in a bundle of bureaucratic red tape?

If you’ve ever seen a meme about “sparkling boyfriends” or “sparkling anxiety,” you’ve already brushed up against France’s infamous wine labeling system: AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) and its modern twin AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée).

In short, these are France’s quality seals, the rulebooks that tell you exactly where a wine comes from and how it’s made. They cover everything from grape varieties to vineyard size to how high the vines can grow. It’s also the way the French usually talk about wine, asking for a Bordeaux or a Sancerre, rather than a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay like we tend to do in the U.S.

There are currently 363 French wines with AOC/AOP status, from Champagne to Saint-Émilion, and the Rhône is about to welcome lucky number 364: AOC Vins de Vienne.

To walk us through how you actually build an appellation from scratch, we’re joined by legendary winemaker Yves Cuilleron, who has been at the forefront of reviving forgotten vineyards in the Northern Rhône.

Tune in to learn:

Why these hillside vineyards are back-breaking to farm and why the results are worth it
How the region lost its historic name, Seyssuel (no, not because it looks like “sexual”)
How Yves helped rescue Condrieu from extinction, cementing his status as one of Caroline’s wine heroes

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

Partnerships & inquiries: bonjour@realfishwivesofparis.com

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The Higher the Stank, the Closer to God

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:00:00 GMT

What do a runaway priest, a Norman maiden, and a stinky wheel of cheese have in common? According to legend: the birth of Camembert, France’s most infamous fromage. But is that story fact or just a little too… cheesy?

In this episode, Emily and Caroline dig into the rind wars, the myths, and the funk:

How Camembert, Brie, and other bloomy cheeses got their snowy white coats
The cheese faux pas that’ll get you permanently uninvited from Caroline’s dinner parties
Why so much Camembert is bad (and how to spot the real deal)

Nicknamed “God’s Feet” for its aroma, Camembert isn’t just a cheese — it’s a cultural battlefield. We’re here to slice through the myths and tell you what’s really on the plate.

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

Interested in partnerships? Let’s talk: bonjour@realfishwivesofparis.com

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Is there a Baguette in Your Pants?

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Is the baguette really French? (Spoiler: only kinda). France’s most famous loaf isn’t as French as you think. In this episode, Emily and Caroline dig into the absurd myths and surprising truths of the baguette’s history, from Napoleon’s army to Viennese bakers, all the way to why the “traditional” baguette was only invented in 1993, making it younger than most millennials.

Tune in to learn:

Why most baguettes in France are industrial (and not worth the carbs).
How to spot a truly great loaf (sexy baguette ASMR included)
Baguette etiquette tips for your next trip to France.

The “good” baguette we devour on-screen is from Les Artistes; if you’re in Lyon, give them a try and tell them we sent you!

Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli & Paris-based food journalist Emily Monaco.

Buy our Guide to Paris: https://cart.winedinecaroline.com/fishwives-guide-to-paris

We are currently seeking partnerships. If that’s you, get in touch: bonjour@realfishwivesofparis.com

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Introducing The Real Fishwives of Paris

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:09:23 GMT

The Real Fishwives of Paris is the French food and wine podcast that flips the table on tradition. Hosted by Lyon-based sommelier Caroline Fazeli and Parisian food journalist Emily Monaco, we bust myths, explore culinary history, and tell the untold stories of French cuisine and wine culture.

🎙️ Launches September 15th!

🍷 Learn about French food traditions, wine education, Paris food culture, Lyon gastronomy, and the real stories behind baguettes, Bordeaux, and beyond.

Whether you’re a Francophile, foodie, wine lover, or just obsessed with France, this is your go-to podcast for bold storytelling and delicious controversy.

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes looks at French food, interviews with chefs and sommeliers, French wine deep-dives, and culinary myths debunked — all with a dash of humor and a whole lot of heart.

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