Nov 12th, 2016, 04:58 PM

Fusion Cuisine: Jean-Yves Vuong Makes Fine Dining Intimate Again

By Lauren Janelle Green
Image Credit: www.jeanyveslechef.com
French Master Chef Jean-Yves Vuong reminds the culinary world what concept dining is all about.

If you've ever booked an Airbnb in Paris, taken the Métro, or found yourself buying fresh produce in the city's bohemian 11th arrondissement, chances are you have already encountered the force that is Chef Jean-Yves Vuong

Despite having his face plastered around one of the world's busiest cities, Jean-Yves Vuong is not a man who seeks fame, fortune, or notoriety, but instead someone who is dedicated to enlightening the sacralized ceremony we've come to know as fine dining. 


Airbnb ad with Chef Jean-Yves Vuong. Image Credit: Jean-Yves Le Chef Facebook Page

When I first made my way to Jean-Yves' table with my friend Kojo, I knew we were attending a dinner designed by a French Master Chef who specialized in fusion cuisine from Vietnam and modern France. The dinner was sure to be an exposition on how art mirrors an artist, and how Jean-Yves' detailed staging of East and West was an extension of himself. There would be rice, flowers, carefully laid sauces and, if we were lucky, curry. The dinner was exclusive and, above all else, it was fusion art on a plate that demanded exploring from qualified foodies like ourselves.

When greeted by Jean-Yves, it felt like we were in someone's home. He took our coats and walked us to a sitting area surrounded by pictures of calligraphy and strange geisha women who looked at me with faces I found oddly comforting. They paired well with the soft music and candles and, more importantly, confirmed my feeling that we were in for a big treat. Immediately, Jean-Yves took charge of the room, introducing himself as a chef who is "in the business to invite."

He relayed to us that, although he has been cooking since he was ten years old, he was originally an architect and worked in an industry where he wasn't asked to create anymore. "When you finish your project, nobody remembers you," he said. "When you cook for people, people never forget you."


Image Credit: jeanyveslechef.com

Jean-Yves' concept dinners are about much more than just cooking. When you book with him, you commit to what he calls a "gastronomic experience" dedicated to an intimate group of twelve guest in one of his homes. Amongst them are visitors who come from different generations and different cultures who Jean-Yves treats as valued guests in his home of gastronomy. He nurtures both food and guest as he plays host and chef in a beautiful apartment that feels like a sort of social sanctuary. I wasn't worried about which fork to use with what noodle or the proper way to sip the wine.


Image Credit: jeanyveslechef.com

I was led down a romantic five-course journey that began with a glass of champagne that Jean-Yves poured with happy mango pearls, and a silky Tom Kha chicken coconut soup served as the meal's introduction. Then came a small platter of caramelized tofu topped with perfectly wrapped stuffed cabbage — a huge hit with the tofu virgins in the group. It was followed by my longtime best friend: sticky rice cooked in banana leaves paired with Vietnamese style stir-fry beef. At this point, I could've died a happy woman. But Chef Jean-Yves decided to stun us all with his take on the French macaron, gilded and layered with ample crême fraiche that I wanted to live in forever. 


Image Credit: jeanyveslechef.com

We asked the chef where he sees himself long-term and if he plans to develop his concept within the walls of a restaurant. He quickly told us, as if revealing a small but important part of himself: "I have no added value to open a restaurant...and I don't need to be very rich. I just need enough to live with my passion and to be happy with myself." 

If every night is anything like our night as his guests in Cité Popincourt, cooking for Chef Jean-Yves is not merely a creative expression bound to pretty plates of fusion art, but an invitation to indulge in the human experience that is eating with others. 

Dinner with Jean Yves Le Chef by Erik Conover

Chef Jean-Yves Vuong
Cité Popincourt
75011, Paris
Reservations: info@frenchytaste.fr