At Caroline Stackler’s table

Here is the first Tomète home tour of 2024. For this new year, we find Caroline Stackler , the founder of the committed and inspiring candle brand ENSŌ PARIS .

In full confinement, Caroline is interested in the craze around upcycling and second-hand goods. By lighting a candle, it clicked when she noticed the total absence of these trends in this market. She then created ENSŌ PARIS, a brand of scented & vegetable candles poured into antique or eco-designed objects. Once the candle is consumed, you keep a beautiful reusable object.

Caroline grew up in a large family sensitive to the art of hospitality. She therefore quite naturally likes to bring together her loved ones in her Parisian apartment.

Welcome to the table dressed in Tomète de Caroline.

Tomète: What type of host are you? Team “I think about the menu and decoration weeks before” or team “last minute”?

Caroline Stackler: I'm more of the type to anticipate. I like to plan my menus in advance, this allows me to prepare as many things as possible in advance so that I can fully enjoy my guests.

And also, being a bit of a freak by nature, I like to have time to clean up the apartment and buy a little bouquet of flowers!

What is your ideal number of guests?

I love large, very festive tables that remind me of my childhood, but when it comes to entertaining at home, I prefer to cook for 2 to 4 people. This allows me to be more creative and sophisticated in the dishes I prepare, and to entertain in a more intimate way.

If you could invite just one guest to your next dinner party, living or dead, who would it be?

Mmmh it's very difficult to choose just one person, but I would love to do a one-on-one with the artist Frida Kahlo. She is an inspiring woman, who knew how to transform her suffering for the benefit of art, freedom and pleasure. A beautiful incarnation and lesson in resilience, a subject that fascinates me!

A song that we will definitely listen to if we are invited to your house?

I created a special playlist with lots of very diverse songs. A mix of rap, jazz and bossanova to create an exotic and warm atmosphere.

The cocktail or drink you can expect to taste when you arrive home:

Red wine for sure (not French for nothing)!
I also like to offer Macvin as an aperitif, a liqueur that comes from the Jura, my favorite region.

Your dream menu includes:

All my mom's dishes make me dream and salivate :)
She is (objectively) a great and passionate cook! She has the gift of perfectly combining flavors from around the world. This “innate” fusion comes from the fact that she has lived in many countries. It is without a doubt, with my sisters and brother, our number one inspiration when we start cooking.

What gift do you usually give your hosts when you are invited?

A good bottle of wine, or a scented candle ;)

What place does tableware have in your family? A memorable memory or something special to share about your family meals?

Growing up in a large family of five children, meals always took center stage because they were the only special times we were all together. My mother, being a fine cook, made us aware at a very young age of good products and their diversity, and she naturally passed on to us the art of hosting.

For special occasions, we always have very decorated and colorful tables. Fold the napkins, go look for flowers in the garden, think collectively about the menus: festive meals quickly become a family affair where everyone puts in their two cents. It’s a subject that fascinates us, that brings us together, and that we always take very seriously !

A memorable memory or something special to share about your family meals?

Difficult to choose a specific moment. On the other hand, I remember a generally very lively atmosphere during family meals, with many arguments around political subjects in particular. There was atmosphere!

A recipe or decoration book to recommend to help our readers prepare their next receptions?

Being ¼ Laotian, I grew up with Asian cuisine which is part of my roots and my upbringing. The “Cooking with Morgane” channel on YouTube shares typical recipes from this chef who comes from Laos. I also like all of Ottolenghi's cookbooks - they are beautiful and the recipes are divinely good.

Share an anecdote about your worst (or best) experience around the table when you hosted at your home?

When I moved in: on boxes, without a chair! But whatever, the most important thing for a successful meal is of course good company (and quality products).

Your favorite at Tomète:

I love my khaki linen napkins, I use them all the time. For me, it's the perfect alternative to paper towels, the use of which I'm trying to reduce: it's more beautiful and more eco-friendly!

Who would you like to see on our newspaper for our next Home Tour?

I'm sure my friend Mathilde Boulley Bianchi would be a good fit! She is a designer and also launched her textile brand with Adrien, her partner. They both have great taste :)