After over 25 years in France, one of the things I still miss from the States is Trader Joe’s. So imagine my delight when I recently stumbled upon a whole stash of TJ’s hiding right in plain sight in the middle of Nice!
Click photo to enlarge
Bizarrely, the discount chain Aldi stocks a bunch of Trader Joe’s products, and while some (like cranberries) are always there, others cycle in and out (like Brookies …which are not in the photo because I ate them…) Click the link above for the current list and keep clicking ‘+ Voir Plus’ at the bottom to see more.
Turns out that way back in 1979, ‘Joe’ Coulombe sold Trader Joe’s to one of two feuding brothers that co-founded the Aldi German discount grocery chain years before. Flash forward, and now the bare-bones budget Aldi supermarkets are all over France although they are operated completely separately from Trader Joe’s in America (…and the Aldi stores in America are owned by the other feuding brother, so no contact at all with Trader Joe’s). But since French Aldi and Trader Joe’s share a parent company, French Aldi has been quietly stocking some of their awesome products for years, and I had no idea.
…You’re welcome!
Could Picard actually be Trader Jacques?
On the flip-side, eagle-eyed expats have noticed a striking similarity between Trader Joe’s made-in-France frozen food aisle, and the uniquely French Picard frozen food boutiques… to the point that there are multiple reels on TikTok and Instagram along the lines of ‘Discover Picard: the Trader Joe’s of France.’
It could be true: Trader Joe’s buys direct from manufacturers then rebrands and sells at a discount under their own Trader Joe’s label, a deal that cuts out the middleman but also contractually swears both parties to secrecy. So I have no proof, but all I can say is that American expats should definitely check out Picard Surgeles for those nights when cooking is just not in the cards.
There are several Picard stores in Nice but you may never have noticed them because from the outside they resemble a sterile white medical lab (compounded by the word Surgeles, which means ‘frozen’ but implies ‘Surgical’ to English-speakers, lol), but inside is an icy Trader Joe’s-adjacent wonderland with row after row of top-loading chest freezers full of quality and imaginative (if expensive) frozen delights.
Insider tips:
- Picard stocks actual bags of ice cubes year-around if you are having a party
- And they famously deliver without breaking the cold-chain!
See Related Page: French Grocery Store Tips
Photo credit: Best of Nice… taken on my vintage TJ’s tote bag
This Thursday, being the third Thursday in November, is the official release date and festivities for this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau: it’s the first taste of this year’s grape harvest, before the rest of the 2025 vintage is put away to be aged.
I was surprised to learn that Japan is the largest importer of Beaujolais Nouveau, followed by Germany, and then America, where Georges Duboeuf imports over 2 million colorfully labeled bottles each year just in time for Thanksgiving. (…Until the Trump Tariffs that is… good luck finding cheap Beaujolais Nouveau in the US this year!)
You would never suspect what is buried underneath Place Garibaldi… it’s a hidden museum, the 
While jack-hammering up Place Garibaldi for the tramway, the city discovered the ancient city walls just 10 centimeters below the sidewalk! Place Garibaldi had been slapped over the ruins of the fortress walls guarding the entry to the old town and complete with notched turrets, a moat and drawbridge, and an aqueduct from the mountains.
To find it, just go to Place Garibaldi and walk to the flat area to the left of the Monoprix: look for the free-standing elevator and sign, and that’s where you will find the 30 stairs… that will take you back 600 years!
So what was happening 80 years ago from THIS year? In 1944 Nice liberated itself before the American forces even arrived, but one year later in 1945, the US Army saved Nice in a different way.
Click the map to enlarge.
Before becoming America’s 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson visited Nice in 1787 when he was the US Ambassador to France. His trip was focused on finding agricultural innovations that he could employ back in the US, and as such he toured the vineyards of Bellet.