Lenôtre, one of France’s most prestigious culinary brands, recently opened a small delicacy store and café on Karlavägen in Stockholm. We had a chat with its store-manager Nina Rabhé.
Lenôtre is not very well known in Sweden – can you tell a bit more about it?
“Gaston Lenôtre founded the company back in 1957, and it’s very well known in France and internationally. The French National Culinary Team, for instance, works in their laboratory. They run a restaurant with three Michelin stars, and also educate chefs in their own culinary school. Their products contain no transfats, preservatives or color additives.”
Why did you decide to bring the brand to Stockholm?
“I moved to Stockholm with my husband Roy after having lived in the UK for several years, and we thought that there was so much missing in the market – interesting brands that were available elsewhere. We wanted to work with food and had a family connection to France, so after a series of meetings with the headquarters, we went for Lenôtre.”
How do the products arrive here do you bake in-store?
“All our products come from Paris. The only thing we do in-house is the croissants and pain au chocolates, which we get as dough and bake here at the store. All the 17 Lenôtre boutiques around the world work in the same way. The pâtisseries are delivered a few times a week, while other products – such as duck and goose liver, vinegar, olive oil or macarons – arrive a bit less frequently.”
