Observations From Paris to Detroit

Chef Javier here, and I want to tell you about my recent trip to Paris.

It’s funny because Buenos Aires is often referred to as the Paris of South America and Detroit is said to be the Paris of the Midwest. Why? Because these are cities rich with history, art, culture, and architecture. Detroit attracts a lot of creatives. It’s baked into our DNA. I think the way that Detroit struggled in the past was the perfect environment for artists to thrive. That’s what an artist needs to explore their own art — some suffering. As an artist, suffering is rich material to work on. Detroit has many great artists at the moment, so when Julie Egan and the Salonnière team invited me to Paris, France, to collaborate with them, I jumped at the opportunity.Salonnière is a non-profit organization that creates relationships in art and culture, and they do this by inspiring collaboration among different cities. It’s a sort of cultural exchange over food and art. A few weeks ago, the team paired two great cities: Detroit and Paris. And why not? These two places have more in common than you think.Detroit is emerging as a creative hub for fashion and design. Salonnière has set a goal to attract new visitors to explore Detroit’s vibrant art scene, so they set up a week-long event celebrating art and culture in the heart of Paris with DJ sets, marching bands, art exhibits, galleries, and food.

The city really embraced us, which was so special to see. Big banners for “Detroit Salon” were everywhere on Paris’s subways, and I got to cook in the United States Embassy and the Hôtel de Talleyrand. The creative concept for the event came from a wonderful Detroit artist, Elizabeth Salonen. The event explored the intersections of material, memory, and place, translating her poetic design language into an immersive dining experience bridging Paris and Detroit. The theme: a meal that is all white.

The table, the plateware, the flowers, the candles, all of it white. Even the food! I thought, “How the f**k do you make an entire meal white?” This was a huge challenge, but creatively it tickled my brain (you know how much I love to play with the brain). So, I set out to meet Elizabeth at her vision. I got into an underground test kitchen with We Are Ona (an organization that designs breathtaking culinary experiences worldwide) and chef Kenzo Tu of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and we got to work.

One dish we came up with quickly was a steak tartare. Steak, as you know, is not white. To fit this classic dish into our shared artistic vision, I covered the raw beef mixture with poached leeks. Two iconic French dishes rolled into one: steak tartare and leeks vinaigrette. It looked beautiful, especially set against the entirely white table. White is a color of possibility, of hope. Fitting that this Detroit-inspired dinner was themed around white.

I also wanted to showcase Michigan agriculture, so I cooked trout, although this trout came from Basque country and not the Great Lakes. We grilled the trout then covered it with a very spicy white sauce spiked with lots of white pepper, then served the fish with a cauliflower puree with plenty of vinegar and pickled cauliflower on top. I went heavy with the white pepper, and people loved it. I kept saying, “No! More! More!” when the chefs and I created this dish. White isn’t the most appetizing color when it comes to food, but what I found was that it sets a really low bar. You could see the surprise on people’s faces when they tried this snow-white trout dish smothered in white pepper sauce. They were elated by how much flavor it contained.

Partnering with artists is something that I really, really enjoyed, though I do not personally consider myself an artist. I’m cooking. I’m nourishing people. What I do is utility. But I’m always very eager to learn more about art. Art is the blood that pumps the beating heart of Detroit. I always ask, “How can I bring my cooking, my vision for what I want to say, in an artist’s way?” I’m always driven by art. I like beauty. It’s why the plates at Barda look so appealing. Why I’m so meticulous about the music, lighting, and design of my restaurants. I want my cooking to reflect beauty. So I try to get inspired by as much art as I can.Going forward, you can expect more art in my restaurants. Lately, I’ve been thinking about offering physical copies of the DJ sets of Puma. So, when you hear something, you can now put an artist to it. Soon, we will have DJ sets available for people to take home with them. I have also been talking to Sheefy McFly about making a huge mural on the back wall across from the bar. I came back from Paris carrying this tremendous feeling of what we experienced. There is art and beauty everywhere. There is so much art to be experienced in this life, and I hope you all take the time to appreciate what Detroit has to offer.

Yours,

Javi