Who offered macarons in NYC first?

[JeanneCake]

I overheard someone today commenting about a TV show where Francois Payard was a judge and she was gushing about how the contestants must have felt to have him as a judge; and she said "after all, he was the one that brought French macarons to NYC" and went on and on about how intimidating it must have been for the chef contestants.

It made me wonder: Who was the first to sell macaron in NYC? Was it Fauchon or was it Payard? Or someone else?

[azlee]

payard opened on the ues in 1997. fauchon opened in 2000. i'm pretty sure i've had macaron in nyc before 1997 but i don't recall where.

[weinoo]

There was a really famous French pastry shopp/bakery on Lexington Avenue in the 70's (streets, not decade) that closed some time ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they had macarons.

[Mjx]

There was a really famous French pastry shopp/bakery on Lexington Avenue in the 70's (streets, not decade) that closed some time ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they had macarons.

Payard, no? I was crushed. Loved that place, even though they took my money and made me fat. They've reopened on Houston, but I haven't been there, yet.

There was also Les Friandises, although that may have been in the upper 60s (and which I don't remember seeing when I was last wandering about in the area, in August).

[JeanneCake]

I was thinking it was where ever Florian Bellanger had worked (not Fauchon, before that) because it was in a Martha Stewart magazine eons ago but I couldn't remember much about it; one of the other girls just didn't think that Payard introduced NYC to macaron but I wasn't much help!

[butterscotch]

Bonte?

You never forget your first croissant.

Edited October 15, 2011 by butterscotch (log)

[weinoo]

Payard, no?

Definitely not Payard. He's a relative babe in the woods.

Bonte?

That might just be the place.