this sandwich lives in Paris.

a recipe.

The best spots are unassuming. They’re the corner cafés you dip into on rainy afternoons… the hidden gems that seem to pop up only when you’re lost… the “one place” that quite coincidentally, finds you.

Such was the case for me last summer… strolling the 12th arr. en route to my favorite produce market in Paris. I smelled Salvo Olio e Vino en Vrac before I saw it… a sage-green façade nestled between spice shops. Lured in by the smell of simmering pesto and slow-melting cheese, it had me at bonjour.

Shelves crowded with hand-shaped pasta, salami suspended overhead… I watched the shopkeeper paint slabs of golden focaccia with olive oil, layering earthly treasures one by one... mortadella, burrata, pistachio pesto, basil… the rest is history my friends. I bring to you, a best spot.

Pin it for your next trip to Paris and in the mean time, tickle your tum with this hot take closer to home:

this sandwich lives in Paris

a recipe

Ingredients:

• a rectangle slice of focaccia (for SF readers, I source from Cheese Plus)

• a few folds of mortadella, prosciutto, or choice cured ham

• a generous amount of burrata (the creamy inside, stracciatella, is the golden ingredient here)

• a dramatic drizz of pistachio pesto (regular works but juice is worth the squeeze on this one)

• Optional: tomato, preferably a colorful, happy heirloom

• Olive Oil, course salt, cracked pep

Steps:

1. Spread pesto on both sides of focaccia

2. Place cured ham, burrata, sliced tomatoes in such a way

3. Drizz pesto & EVOO, sprinkle s&p

4. Heat sandwich in a panini grill or sauté pan, use a heavy spatula to press until cheese melts comme ça

Traveling has a delicious way of heightening our senses… lavender honey from Provence hits different than a $20 jar from Whole Foods, par example. I’ll wax poetic on the Oxtail Rigatoni only to be found here in Rome… the divine caliber of Croissants mastered here in Paris … the 3-hour brunch of my dreams held safely here in Copenhagen. Context is often the secret ingredient.

But the truth is, traveling is a gift that extends far beyond the roundtrip. It filters the way we see, taste, sip, savor, live & love closer to home.

My pantry is sprinkled with global goodies—a daily nudge to bake, cook, and create with international influence. As I write this very letter, a loaf of Danish Rugbrød (rye bread) is baking away in my California kitchen…post in progress ;)

Sure, this sandwich lives in Paris. Grab a few quality ingredients & you can too.