In Reims in May, the Belgian Mallory Gabsi, a star and "young chef of the year" of the Michelin, and the Latvian Raimonds Tomsons, best sommelier of the world 2023, inaugurated at the champagne house Mumm "La Table des chefs", whose chefs will tour every three months.

In the salons of Mumm, who accompanied meals at Buckingham Palace or Cannes, the former serves green eel, "dish of the poor" whose nettle is the main ingredient of the sauce, or a hash with beef cheek in which he puts, like his grandmother, a gingerbread toast to bind the sauce.

"We're having fun," said Mallory Gabsi, who has her restaurant in Paris but likes to be "well surrounded" and have a "free spirit". "That's how gastronomy should work today," with "a little touch of youth and madness," adds the chef.

Latvian Raime Tomsons during the competition for the best sommelier in the world he won, on February 10, 2023 in Paris © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP / Archives

Hugo Desnoyer, star butcher from Paris, goes against the trend (less meat and alcohol) by offering his Table a veal-Hennessy tartare pairing.

"In France, cognac is probably a bit has been but I myself was surprised by the +match+ (of the association, editor's note)," he told AFP.

"Hyper profitable"

"It's a new way of consuming gastronomy at a time when we no longer own a car but we have Uber, where we no longer have records but we have Spotify... It's freer and more exciting," said Victoire Loup, a culinary consultant, for AFP.

According to Bernard Boutboul of Gira Conseil, which specialises in the field of restoration, the "big advantage" of these projects is that they "test without too much investment". "It's super profitable, we only pay rent and we choose places where there is no need to put a lick of paint."

Butcher Hugo Desnoyer in September 2017 in Paris © JOEL SAGET / AFP/Archives

Burrata with maad (a tropical fruit), ravioli with sweet potato, arancini-harissa: at the Parisian pizzeria Daroco, Mali met Italy for three dinners. A way to emancipate oneself from "the closed universe of a restaurant pure and hard", explains the flying chef Diadié Diombana.

"Parisian customers want to be amazed in more and more beautiful, more and more crazy places," said Alexandre Giesbert, co-founder of Daroco.

Several ephemeral projects are hosted by media personalities, including alumni of the popular show Top Chef. "It's a buzz" and "it's very new" in terms of communication, says Bernard Boutboul. "We used to advertise."

Dinner at the museum

The Franco-Portuguese Louise Bourrat, winner of the last season, brings a touch of "rock" with her ephemeral dinners to the historic Ladurée boutique in Paris. "For the duck, we run hibiscus ketchup on the plate like a blood stain, street art style," she told AFP.

Guillaume Sanchez, who participated in the show in 2017 and likes to "express himself differently" than in his starred restaurant Neso, signed an "ultra-raw" card at Perchoir Y in Meudon (west of Paris), in a waterfront park joined to an old airship shed transformed into a museum.

In the gardens of the Carnavalet Museum dedicated to the history of Paris, Julien Dumas, a Michelin star, succeeds Thibaut Spiwack, also former Top Chef and new star 2023.

Hangar Y, a former airship hangar transformed into a cultural center, on March 17, 2023 in Meudon, west of Paris © STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP/Archives

The place "takes more and more importance when it is offbeat, original, improbable," says Bernard Boutboul.

Before developing the cocktails of Les Petites mains, restaurant of the Palais Galliera, mixologist Sébastien Foulard visited the exhibitions of the Parisian fashion museum and wondered "what taste could these dresses have".

"A place with DNA pushes you to do things I wouldn't think about in my own bar," he explains. "Jean Paul", with pastis, evokes the South and the marinière, Gaultier's favorite piece, while "Thierry", with vodka and coal, recalls Mugler's obsession with black.

© 2023 AFP