How This NYC Chef Uses Tableware to Evoke Dining in France
Step into La Mercerie, the all-day café nestled within Roman and Williams Guild in New York City, and you’ll feel transported to Paris. Chef Marie-Aude Rose summons the City of Light with exquisite crêpes; pommes dauphine; and a blackened cheesecake, called Tourteau Fromager, that has become her signature pastry. Her food draws upon the homestyle cuisine she learned while growing up in Paris in a family that cooked every day, as well as her years spent in the kitchens of culinary legends Guy Savoy and Pierre Gagnaire.
It’s not only the food that evokes this sense of place. Many of the tabletop accessories in the café come from Rose’s favorite French designers (some of which are for sale at the Guild). Her design aesthetic blends cosmopolitan chic with bucolic simplicity. “I have both a Parisian girl and a country girl in me,” Rose says. Read on for where to buy her favorite items.
1. La Rochère Zinc Espresso Cup Set
“I don’t like having too many dishes, and these glasses are versatile. I can serve water, coffee, or tea in them at La Mercerie. They’re elegant but casual.” ($55 for 6 at surlatable.com)
2. Bernardaud Lucioles Aureole
“I discovered these porcelain candleholders when my husband, Daniel, and I opened our second Paris restaurant, Spring [now closed]. We used to put them on the tables at night for beautiful, subtle lighting.” ($77 for 2, bernardaud.com)
3. Bleu D’Argile Provençal Dinner Plates
“I grew up partly in Burgundy, and this was the style my mother bought at the local ceramic artisans’ workshops. I guess it was imprinted in me.” ($32 each, bleudargile .net)
4. Perceval 888 Table Knives
“These are really well-made and very efficient. Their style is rustic and elegant at the same time.” ($370 for 6, perceval-knives.co.uk or $163-$412 at amazon.com)
5. Charvet Editions Tea Towels
“These are chic and rustic, and the fabric is perfect. I love that balance of efficiency and aesthetics.” ($48 each, rwguild.com)
6. Saint-Louis Twist 1586 Mature Wine Glasses
“I like the shape of these. They’re really delicate and beautiful.” ($135 each at barneys.com)
7. Astier De Villatte Simple Pitcher
“I enjoy this pitcher for an outdoor lunch in the garden. It contrasts well with the elegance of the Saint-Louis glasses.” ($214, abchome .com)
