Procopio Cutò, also known as Francesco Procopio Cutò, Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, or François Procope was a chef from Sicily. Billing himself as a modern Procopius, he founded in 1686 what has become the oldest extant café in Paris, Café Procope. It became the first literary coffeehouse in Paris. For over 200 years the cafe-restaurant attracted notables in the world of arts, politics, and literature.
Procopio Cutò
Cutò founded Café Procope in Paris in 1686.
The Café Procope in the Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie is a café in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. The original café was opened in 1686 by the Sicilian chef Procopio Cutò ; it became a hub of the Parisian artistic and literary community in 18th and 19th centuries. It sometimes is erroneously called the oldest café of Paris in continuous operation; however, the original café closed in 1872 and the space was used in various ways before 1957, when the current incarnation was opened; so the claim of "oldest café in continuous operation" is not supported.
Café Procope in 2010
At Café Procope: at rear, from left to right: Condorcet, La Harpe, Voltaire (with his arm raised) and Diderot
Le Procope is in 18th-century style
Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli – founder