I really dislike Sunday nights in, so I do my best to avoid them when I can.
Luckily my last night of the week was occupied by Amuse Gueule (a colloquial version of amuse bouche) — a series of bilingual story-telling events given by people in the food industry. If you’re keen on the food scene or just love la bouffe, then this is for you.
Hosted at Le Bal Café (my chance discovery turned go-to brunch; top-notch kedgeree), Amuse Gueule was set up by Lina Caschetto (chef at Saturne, Paris) and Alice Quillet (chef at Le Bal) with the intention of developing a community for chefs, suppliers, foodies, business owners and mixologists in the city.
The eclectic mix of stories—everything from a very hungover debut shift, to cooking a meal for a celebrity in the Canadian snow—were an entertaining inside look at the Parisian food scene and the harsh realities of starting a business from scratch.
Tickets are 10€ each, and included a drink and snack. Or two drinks and no snack depending on how English you are.
The speakers were:
Arash Hajianpour – Manager, Quixotic Projects (Candelaria, Le Mary Celeste, Glass, Hero)
Melissa Sarrazin – Owner, The Food Muse
Youssef Louanjli – Owner, Fragments
Alejandro Escobar – Owner, EL NOPAL Tacos & Burrones
Nico Alary – Owner, Holybelly
Lina Caschetto – Co-founder Amuse Gueule, Canadian-Born chef in Paris (most recently at Saturne)
Samuel Nahon – Founder, Terroirs d’avenir
Omid Tavallai – Owner, Emperor Norton
The next event—dans la merde (in the shit)—is this Sunday, March 22nd, once again at Le Bal Café. Book your ticket here.