The work to live vs live to work ideology was among the earliest characteristics of French life that appealed to me as a student. I didn’t know the extent to which that would bear out until I had lived in Paris for a number of years and discovered it firsthand. For Ajiri Aki, the Nigerian-American founder of the online linens and antiques brand Madame de la Maison, her decade in Paris has similarly crystallised a number of life lessons which she has now put on paper in her new book: Joie, a Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life. Ajiri was one of the women I was fortunate enough to profile in The New Parisienne and is also a dear friend so I’m excited to get to have her on the show to dig into this beautiful, inspiring project. 


Mentioned in this episode: 
Madame de la Maison 
Ajiri Aki on Instagram
Joie (order the book!)
OECD report on French productivity 
Paula Sutton, Hill House Vintage
Marché aux Puces de Saint Ouen
Marché Vernaison 
Victoria Antiques
Foire de Chatou 


Thanks to Matthew Jordan for technical production and editing on this episode! 

113: On 'Joie', living well, and lessons from France with Ajiri Aki

In a country like France, where tradition reigns supreme, even a suggestion of change or newness has long been met with scepticism by locals. This is no longer the case, offers writer and adopted Parisian Lindsey Tramuta in The New Paris podcast, a side dish to her bestselling books “The New Paris” and “The New Parisienne”. Here, with an assortment of other local experts, she takes a closer look at the people, places and ideas that are changing the fabric of the storied French capital.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

When it comes to artistic endeavors, Paris shines bright as a historically welcome place to pursue them. The city that gave us the Louvre and some of the finest galleries in the world is full of creative talent or, at the very least, creative inspiration. But how it feels living and working as an artist in Paris is an altogether different story. Today’s guest trained as an architect but has been working as an illustrator and painter for several years and has a unique viewpoint on the arts. Guillaume Sardin has exhibited his work in Southeast Asia, South Africa, and throughout Europe, created works for French icons like Ruinart and Le Bristol, and talks today about how cultural preservation needs to be a bipartisan ambition. 


Mentioned in this episode:
Guillaume Sardin (website and Instagram)
Nantes School of Architecture 
Créolization & Edouard Glissant
French ministry of culture history
Pierre Paulin room at the Elysée Palace 
Aya Nakamura and the Olympics 
Rachida Dati as Cultural Minister 
Stendhal's Syndrome 
Château d'Écouen- Renaissance Museum
Château de Maisons 
Villa Savoye 
Château Rosa Bonheur
Malmaison & Josephine 
Palais de la Porte Dorée 
History of Immigration Museum
André and Ivana Lemaître


Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan 
Music by Little Glass Men 

130: Painting and creating in Paris with Guillaume Sardin

Running a business in Paris is a dream for some, a hardship for others. But for today’s guest, Jane Bertch, it has been a variety of things including life changing. 15 years ago she confounded La Cuisine Paris, a French cooking school that is still going strong. She talks about the journey to Paris and running a cooking school in her book: The French Ingredient: Making a Life in Paris One Lesson at a Time which hits shelves April 9. Our conversation covers the Jane from Chicago to the Jane of Paris, starting and running a business, lessons from locals, and writing a memoir. 


Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 9 with Jane Bertch 
Jane's book: The French Ingredient 
La Cuisine Paris cooking classes 
La Cuisine Paris on Instagram
Jane Bertch on Instagram 

129: On Running a Cooking School in Paris with Jane Bertch

There’s nothing like leaving Paris for a short time to reset perspectives. I’ve recently returned from 10 days in New York and the Philadelphia region and I was struck by how worn and behind both destinations felt. Part of that is lingering socio-economic impact of the pandemic, and part of it may be insufficient funds devoted to much-needed improvements to public services and transportation. It only served to amplify how good we have it in Paris where major infrastructural investment and urban rehabilitation policies have shaped the city. To talk about this, I'm joined by my friend Brent Longley, an urbanist who moved to Paris a year ago with fervent support for Mayor Hidalgo and her transformative policies. We discuss Paris as a global leader in urban transformation, the opposition that still exists to some of the changes underway, and where the Olympics fits into the equation of a sustainable metropolis. 


Mentioned in this episode:
Brent Longley, urbanist 
The Tryphena Project, Brent's newsletter 
Infill architecture 
Paris 2024 Olympic Games 


Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan 
⁠Music by Little Glass Men

128: On bikes, the Olympics, & the Transforming City with Brent Longley

Paris has always been a refuge for foreigners. For a lifetime for some, for a chapter of their lives for others. One of my very best friends in Paris was drawn to many of the qualities that I’ve described on the show over the years (and in The New Paris book) and falls into one of those categories. Like me, she’s been an avid storyteller and reporter covering the many ways that old meets new in the city and how it’s changed over the years. But now, she’s gearing up to leave which is exciting for her and sad for those who love her here. It seemed like the right time to have her on the show to talk about that particular Paris experience, and all of the things she’s seen change in the almost decade that she's lived here. And we made it nearly to the end without tears! 


Mentioned in this episode: 
Sara Lieberman
Sara's newsletter Overthinking It
Sara on Instagram 
Sara's GQ story on Mayor Hidalgo's swimmer son
Hire Sara! 


Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan 
⁠⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

127: On Loving & Leaving Paris with Sara Lieberman

Welcome to the end of 2023! Let's take a look back at the challenging, protest-heavy, crisis-generating year in Paris and beyond, with a few thoughts for 2024. Bonnes fêtes et bonne année! Season 8 will begin in the second half of January. 


Buy my book: The New Paris 
Buy my book: The New Parisienne
Follow me on social: @LindseyTramuta
Follow the show: @TheNewParisPodcast


Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan 
Music by Little Glass Men

113: On 'Joie', living well, and lessons from France with Ajiri Aki

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