Devour Paris: Food Guide to Feed Charity

After tourists visit Paris, rare is the day that you hear from them again. My job as a guide is to pack a few hours full of memorable experiences and hope that they manage to retain at least 10% of the tidbits I throw their way (no one can remember every detail about every Henri and Louis). After that, the experience fades into an ocean of Facebook albums and forgotten pastry shop names.

When Chis Aswad emailed me about a book that he was publishing, however, I perked up a bit. We spent a few hours exploring the Canal and the Marais, focusing heavily on various food locations – naturally. After spending a month in Paris, Chris, a New York-based market researcher, took all of these experiences and wove them together into Devour Paris: A Curated Guide to Savoring the City Like an Insider.

The best part? Proceeds from the book's sales go to a charity, Citymeals on Wheels in New York City, which provides meals to elderly New Yorkers. “I thought it made sense to have the charity be helping those who don’t have enough to eat, and the budget cuts here in the US at the moment are killing this charity,” Chris told me.

It’s refreshing to think that a tour can lead to something quite beneficial to society.

Sneak peak...

The self-published guide provides description and photos from some of Chris’ favorite places in Paris that are both familiar and decidedly local. He indulges in the ever-touristy café Les Deux Magots and the city’s oldest pastry shop Stohrer. But he also discusses some spots that haven’t made it into all of the guidebooks yet like Pralus, Mazet, and his favorite restaurant Draco.

I feel partially responsible for turning him onto Du Pain et des Idées and the Marché des Enfants Rouges, and he’s a fan of Le Petit Cambodge, as all should be. The mix of addresses and the upbeat style of the book make it a great alternative to the sometimes routine lists of food places that one finds in the guidebooks. Also, it’s thin, which means portable, which means practical for those looking to bring some light reading for their travels.

Take a look at the site to get a taste of some of the photography and then order a copy (or an e-book, which donates more money to the charity since there are no printing costs!).

Thanks, Chris, for the shout out and good luck with the book!

Top Photo: Chris Aswad