History through menus

Our history began in Paris in 1820, when Jean François Potel, master pastry chef at rue Vivienne, and Etienne Chabot, the well-known chef of the French court joined forces and laid the foundations of a home catering company to be known as Potel et Chabot.

Luxury catering

Success soon became their dinner guest; they served kings and institutions, and organized most of the period's important railway inaugurations.
As their reputation grew, they purchased buildings and shops, including the food store of the oldest Parisian caterer, the famous Chevet.

French and international catering

Over the years, all those involved have left their mark. By 1900, driven by the phenomenally successful Mayors Banquet (25,000 dinners served in the Jardin des Tuileries), Potel et Chabot had become a benchmark caterer in France and abroad.
It opened three offices in Paris, two stores in London and one in La Baule and Cairo, and acquired the best pastry and ice cream shops in Paris: Rebattet, Poiret-Blanche, Viard-Josephine, Charvin, Corcellet… In 1950, as the catering business became ever more successful, Potel et Chabot dropped its stores in favor of prestigious reception pavilions. It was therefore at the Pavillon d’Armenonville that, in 1970, Maurice Bataille celebrated the 150th anniversary of this long-standing but still youthful Parisian caterer.  
Potel et Chabot was acquired by Bongrain in 1986, and so the adventure continues… in New York, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, London, Singapore…: a history envisioned nearly two centuries ago by two passionate admirers of gastronomy and French art de vivre: Mr Potel and Mr Chabot.