A slightly shorter dispatch today which takes the form of an impromptu interview. I am an extremely nosy person and love nothing more than unearthing jewels from other’s stories and histories. It is why I love reading memoirs and biographies, you can peek below the surface and delve into the innermost workings of someone’s brain.
Therefore, to interview someone whose work I admire and whose originality I am slightly envious of is always a pleasure. For this week’s newsletter, I spoke to Camille Machet, co-founder of Early June.
Early June is a concept restaurant in the 10th arrondissement in Paris that doesn’t have a chef. Instead, they work on a rolling chef rotation, bringing in chefs from around the world to cook their menus in the beautiful Early June kitchen. From Sweden to South Korea to coastal California, the chefs that come to cook at the restaurant all have one thing in common — they cook wicked food.
Co-founded with Victor Vautier, the restaurant was forged out of a desire to do something different. Camille tells me that the “idea was just to open a wine bar with joyful wines and creative food” — joyful wines is such a lovely description and definitely emblematic of the atmosphere that they have created.
Using the word ‘joyful’ to describe wines reminds me of one of my favourite anecdotes told to me once by a friendly sommelier — if you don’t know anything about wine and want to sound impressive whilst describing the bouquet and the legs (?), you should use adjectives that have nothing to do with taste. Think nostalgic, sentimental, academic, joyful! It works every time.
The casual setting of Early June allows the atmosphere to depend on the crowd and the night, it can be relaxed and tranquil or it can be buzzing with electricity. The open kitchen allows for an exchange of energy, from the chefs to the hungry mouths and back again. The “main goal is for the chefs to have fun and to enjoy being in and cooking in Paris”. In a similar vein to Max Rocha’s Cafe Cecilia, putting an emphasis on the happiness of the chef translates so freely and evidently into the plates that are served and it makes sense. The unshakeable impression that to become a chef you need to give up your hours, your energy, and your life to dedicate everything to the craft is surely timeworn. In the same way that, post-Covid, we are exploring a new balance between life and work, realising that relinquishing time and working all hours doesn’t serve us anymore. Happy chefs = good food. Simple as!
Camille and Victor have curated their roster of chefs through word of mouth and recommendations from friends in the chef community, hoping that one day “all the best” will come to cook at Early June. “We loved hosting events with chefs from other countries to bring something different and decided to do it every time”.
The permanent address now sits proudly next to the Canal Saint Martin at 19 Rue Jean Poulmarch. The area itself lends well a sense of movement, with perennial bridges joining to the two Quais together and cycle paths winding down each side of the water, the locomotion is discernible. With an embroidered cultural history, a restaurant that celebrates this has truly found its perfect location.
The future is already shining oh so bright for Early June and I cannot wait to see who is next to make their mark on the Parisian kitchen.
Shopping List for you
Autobiography special
Goes without saying — Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
My Life in France by Julia Child
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon
Brilliant Tori. So proud of you.👌👌😘😘
I’m really enjoying reading these Tori. You write beautifully and have such a talent to transport me to the places you describe... and you always leave me feeling hungry after I’ve read them! Xx