Paris Eastside is the first of a few new exciting businesses to open on the Carother’s building on the corner of Broadway and Pike. Owner Muriel-Marguerite Foucher promises a modern French cooking school and retail space, but nothing like we’ve seen before.

“You won’t find pictures of baguettes and berets in here.” says Foucher who has been celebrating the store’s grand opening this week. She’s hoping to provide an authentic shop that you would find in Paris today, not the nostalgic version of Paris she typically finds in the US.

The stark white storefront at the CHS advertiser is accented with bright kitchen accessories with a big colorful counter in the center.

Born and raised in Paris, Foucher brings years of experience running a French cooking school out of her home for nearly a decade. She moved to Bellevue four years ago with her family and has been eager to get back to teaching. Originally planning to open in the Citizen Building on 13th and Madison, Foucher met with local shop owners Jon Milazzo and Lori Pomeranz of Retrofit Home who encouraged her to consider a more central location on the Hill.

After exploring, she was drawn to the eclecticism, energy, and diversity where Pike/Pine meets Broadway. Through a series of serendipitous events, she signed the lease in September and has completed a full remodel over the last three months. In 2013, her new neighbor Capitol Cider  is expected to open next door as the old art gallery space finds new life.

The prospects for Paris Eastside’s success in the heart of things on Capitol Hill are interesting to ponder. On one hand, there’s nothing else like it. On the other, well, there’s nothing else like it.

(Image: CHS)

Paris Eastside will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM and will hold classes daily. There will be a series of afterschool kids craft and cooking classes to expose children to new flavors, adult cooking classes that incorporate food and wine pairings, and groups classes for small offices or group date nights. The store will also feature a collection of cooking utensils, custom designed linens, and handmade goods from Parisian artists now living in Seattle.

Muriel-Marguerite Foucher (Image: CHS)

As part of the grand opening, you can attend a free class at Paris Eastside. Class schedule and registration can be found here. Here’s what’s on tap:

Friday, December 7 (a few places left on the 7th only)

Friendship bracelets called ‘bracelets de l’amitié’ are an extremely popular fashion in France. 

Most Parisians wear 5 or 6 around their wrist. Come and make your own with a lovely charm. 5pm (45 minutes session)

Saturday, December 8th (a few places left for the morning class)

Learn to cook like the French. We’ll prepare a tasty and easy French recipe, perfect for the Holiday season. 11am or 5pm (1 hour sessions)

 You can preview what to expect in class from one of Foucher’s television cooking demonstrations. Just in case you think French means too fancy for you, she also self published a French microwave cookbook, Easy French Microwave Recipes, for her college-aged son.