Messika Jewelry and High Jewelry Maison takes over the iconic Parisian terrace of Printemps. With its stunning panoramic view as the main attraction, Café Messika is a restaurant which celebrates the art of living with a menu inspired by both Valérie Messika and the Franco-Colombian chef Juan Arbelaez. Below they discuss working together on this exciting project, good food and beautiful things.
This is M
Valérie, why did you choose Juan for this project and what does Juan’s cuisine inspire you?
VALÉRIE MESSIKA (VM): Juan and I have been friends for a number of years now, and when the opportunity to open Café Messika arose, I immediately thought of him. I love good food and I wanted to take this first step in the art of living with a renowned chef, who has a reputation for bringing the senses to life.
Juan's cooking is full of vitality, modern and colorful, which is exactly what I was looking for. Café Messika is a restaurant for sharing - unpretentious, it is not a gourmet-style restaurant. Juan knew how to keep this in mind when he worked on the menu by offering simple and delicious dishes. I think we share the same values, we want the best but we remain accessible in what we offer.
And you Juan, what did you like about this unique Café Messika project?
JUAN ARBELAEZ (JA): It was really inspiring for me to work with Valerie! It was a new experience. I put my knowledge and my creativity into this project and offered Valérie a taste experience to match her vision. It was very important that Café Messika encapsulate the spirit of the Maison, retracing the story of Valérie and her family, who are at the heart of this adventure! To achieve this, I had to take a step back and move away from my own natural inspirations and my own history. I loved that challenge. Especially since Valérie and her husband Jean-Baptiste are my long-time friends. It goes without saying that this project was meant for us.
Why did you decide to create a first culinary experience for Messika with this restaurant?
VM: Café Messika gave me an opportunity to go further in my relationship with those who appreciate and support Messika. Through cooking, I can give them an in-depth look into my daily life, my habits and what drives my imagination. Sharing a meal with loved ones is a moment that means a lot to me because I have a very strong relationship with my family. Cooking brings us together around a table. With Café Messika, I can give our customers that same experience and allow them to share the values that are so dear to me and offer a real experience that resembles me.
This is M
How was the menu created, and what did you want it to contain?
VM: I sent Juan some of the dishes I grew up with, inspirations for what I like to eat and what I always crave! He then used his talent to transform my ideas in his own way into a beautifully curated menu with quality products.
JA: From this list, I created a proposal truel to my way of cooking and my personality. A very expressive, very colorful, super dynamic and hearty universe! Valérie then brought her look, her vision, and we re-worked and refined certain dishes to simplify them. It was a great exercise: I stripped my recipes of the unnecessary additions and focused on the simplicity. This is often the beauty of working in pairs: we do things we are less used to, and compromise allows us to innovate!
Are there any signature creations?
JA: Yes, we have quite unique dishes at Café Messika for this reason: I am thinking of Valérie's grandmother's pasta, for example. We started from her original recipe and slightly updated it. Or even Valérie's husband’s burger, we worked on it with him to make it unique and to his liking! There is also the Valérie’s Caesar salad, which we have completely adapted to her taste. This restaurant is an immersion in the universe of Valérie Messika.
VM: Juan's DNA shines through despite everything and that's what is beautiful! It's his signature, we can taste it! He brought his perspective and found the right balance to meet our requirements. We recognize his signature in each of the dishes. It is a style of cuisine with many elements, the perfect blend of freshness and spices.