Jean-Paul Hévin, Chocolatier

Maître chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin has been wowing Parisian chocophiles since he opened his first shop on the Avenue de La Motte Picquet in 1988. Since then he's added two others, one on the rue Vavin in the 6th and  another on the rue Saint Honoré. At all of them you’ll find some of the city's finest chocolate—Hévin is a fanatic for the quality of his ingredients—transformed into some of the most imaginative shapes in town. It’s hard to beat the charm of his coeur en dentelle, a lacy webbing of chocolate in two parts that forms a heart-shaped box for filled bonbons. Or his adorable chocolate stiletto—the perfect gift for a fashionista with a sweet tooth. Other specialties include chocolats dynamiques, with such unusual fillings as chiles, Szechuan pepper and tonka beans. All three shops also include luscious pastries, cooking chocolate, cocoa and imaginative edible gifts. Hévin has always been an innovator: for his latest project he's converted the upper level of his rue Saint Honoré shop into a bar à chocolat, serving unusual chocolate treats at different times of day between noon and 6:30 pm, including chocolate snacks incorporating beets, carrots and spinach; a "zen" chocolate with green tea; and—but not before 6 pm—a chocolate cocktail.

Hévin's boutique on the Avenue de La Motte-Piquet

The chocolate stiletto

23 bis ave de La Motte Picquet, 7th. Métro: Ecole Militaire. 01.45.51.77.48

3 rue Vavin, 6th. Métro: Vavin. 01.43.54.09.85.

231 rue Saint Honoré, 1st. Métro: Concorde/Tuileries. 01.55.35.35.96.

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Originally published in the December 2007 issue of France Today; updated in March 2012

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