For two years, the chocolate and confectionery À la Mère de famille has been offering a collaboration with a ceramist for Easter.
A funny encounter!
However, when we talk with Steve Dolfi, who runs the house, the idea finally seems natural.
“I have always had a taste for beautiful objects and I am passionate about ceramics,” he explains.
I find that it is a discipline that is both very close and diametrically different from our profession.
Certain gestures like molding, for example, are very similar.
But once the ceramic is glazed, it becomes smooth, shiny, colorful while the chocolate always remains a little raw.
It is these common points and these specificities that led Steve Dolfi to develop projects between À la Mère de Famille and ceramists.
“Fifteen years ago, I approached the Astier de Villatte workshop who created an egg cup for us.
It was wonderful.
Unfortunately, we didn't find enough time to pursue the idea."
During all these years, however, the confectioner has kept his eyes open, tracking down iconic signatures or emerging talents, to satisfy his personal inclination but also to realize this desire.
Objective achieved last year and new surprise this Easter period.
Two good reasons to ask him to tell us about his favorites in this area.
Marion Graux
Marion Graux makes, on her turn, in her Parisian workshop, organic tableware where you can feel the work of her hand.
Marion Graux
“I love his work.
It's very organic.
You can feel his hands on each of his pieces.
I met her when we were preparing the Stohrer recipe book and we wanted to borrow some tableware from her for the photos.
It was an immediate crush for his creations but also for his personality.
Through the window of her workshop in Paris, a former flower shop, we can see her sitting in front of her tower, barefoot, among the dried flowers.
His children are there regularly.
There is life, spontaneity and deliciousness in this place, around her.
And it shows in everything she does.
It therefore seemed obvious to me to offer her a collaboration for Easter 2024. She imagined a nest... It is consistent with the egg, of course, but also with her, with her environment.
When she showed me the first Nest Douillet, I said to myself that I wanted it in my home.
So it was a serious lead.
To accompany this sensually shaped nest, we chose to make a chocolate egg, very smooth, shiny, almost perfect.
This contrast works very well.
»
mariongraux.com
Pia Chevalier
Featured pieces by ceramist Pia Chevalier: Pia Chevalier Donuts
In 2023, Pia Chevalier created an octopus and small egg cups to accommodate A la Mère de Famille's Easter eggs.
To the Mother of the Family
“I love going to museum shops!
And that’s how I discovered Pia Chevalier’s work.
More precisely at the Lafayette Anticipations boutique.
We know Pia in particular for her mugs with disproportionate handles, the Donuts, produced by Petite Friture.
There is something about his pieces that is both endearing and astonishing.
This awakened my desire to throw an egg cup for À La Mère de Famille for Easter.
And I contacted her.
I went to his workshop.
And it was crazy!
It's a huge space with lots of craftsmen who work with glass, mirrors... There is also a sculptor.
The atmosphere is so nice!
It was exciting to collaborate with her.
It is quite intuitive.
Interested in the use but adding an artistic spirit.
And she is also very greedy.
For us, she created a large egg cup in the shape of an octopus and smaller models that resemble cups.
»
piachevalier.com
Mithé Espelt
Precious mirror by the ceramist Mithé Espelt who died in 2020 to be found on sites like Collector Square.
Collector Square
“Another style, another era!
I “came across her” or rather on a wall where around ten of her mirrors were hanging, at the Flea Market.
I immediately had a flash!
I wanted to know who it was.
And since then, I've been looking at everything that's sold about her on the sites.
This French ceramist born in 1923 and who passed away in 2020 worked with the designer, creator of jewelry and decorative objects Line Vautrin of whom I am also a fan.
And, I see a form of proximity in their style.
Mithé Espelt transforms earth into ultra-precious material with particular mastery of gold.
I'm crazy about his boxes.
I would have loved to collaborate with her.
»
Luisa Botta Chelly
Steve Dolfin's favorite for Luisa Botta Chelly's ceramic lighting fixtures.
Luisa Botta Chelly
“Return to contemporary ceramics.
I particularly like the ceramic lighting by Luisa Botta Chelly.
She notably created a large perforated ball that we can see on her Instagram account, which evokes Moroccan lamps and creates an incredible light, just like her overhead lamps which have a slightly 1950s line but also remind me of in Star Wars!
You can imagine that I’m thinking of her for the 2025 egg cup…”
Luisa Botta Chelly: @lb.ceramiques
Astier de Villatte
Elegant, white, sometimes illustrated with drawings by John Derian, the ceramics of Astier de Villatte are immediately recognizable.
Astier de Villatte
“It's impossible not to talk about this workshop, located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris and which makes this inimitable white tableware, both hyper-sophisticated but where we also feel the hand of the craftsman.
The meeting with Ivan Pericoli and Benoît Astier de Villatte who founded the house was wonderful.
I was completely enchanted by their Parisian workshop.
We had started experiments.
There was an egg cup which ultimately was not sold with us but they had also molded some of our wicker baskets to create ceramic baskets… I love all their ideas and also their collections created with the artist and designer John Derian.
»
astierdevillatte.com
To the Mother of the Family: lameredefamille.com