Inside E. Dehillerin, France’s Oldest Cookware Shop

A photo of the E. Dehillerin storefront, taken by Chuck Williams on a trip to Paris.

We’re always influenced by our travels, and right now we’re inspired more than ever by the restaurants, people and culinary traditions of France. Which only makes sense, given the heritage of Williams-Sonoma: After all, it was a trip to Paris that first gave Chuck Williams the idea to open his own kitchenware shop in America in 1956.

Strainers inside E. Dehillerin. Photo credit: Flickr/Richard Allaway

In his first visit to the City of Lights, Chuck was dazzled by the French and their ability to elevate food and cooking. In particular, he was enamored by E. Dehillerin, a cookware emporium near the city’s Les Halles market with floor-to-ceiling shelves full of cutlery, cookware, baking tools and ceramics. For him, wandering through its narrow aisles was a revelation: He was blown away by the vast array of specialized equipment that was readily available to both restaurant professionals and home cooks alike.

The E. Dehillerin Ideal Knife Collection

Today, E. Dehillerin remains a top European cookware destination for home cooks looking to upgrade their kitchens. At the nearly 200-year-old shop, which sits on the rue Coquillière near the Louvre museum, cooks can find everything from extra-thick copper cookware to brass-plated duck presses, escargot dishes, terrines, butter curlers and more. In particular, we love the shop’s handcrafted knives—so much so that our merchants are the exclusive carrier of E. Dehillerin’s Ideal Knife collection, which features knives with hand forged stainless-steel blades and black-stained beech wood handles.

For more E. Dehillerin, check out Williams-Sonoma’s E. Dehillerin Ideal Knife collection, and pay a visit to the original 1820 store on your next trip (address below).

E. Dehillerin, 18-20 Rue Coquillière, 75001 Paris, France