Chez Carrie: How an American beat French bureaucracy to open a chic Paris bistro

0:01In April, Monocle hosts the Entrepreneurs Live in Shanghai, a one-day conference bringing together founders, investors and innovators shaping businesses across China and the wider region. Join us there and visit monocle.com slash conference for more.

0:38Hello and welcome to The Entrepreneurs on Monocle Radio, the show all about inspiring people, innovative companies and fresh ideas in global business. On today's programme, we're heading to Paris to meet founders shaking up two of France's biggest and most sacred industries, food and fragrance. First, we'll meet an American expat who took on one of the country's most competitive arenas, the Neighborhood Bistro. I just said, OK, let's go for it, thinking, you know, we'll just see what happens. And then everything kind of started to fall in place. And then before I knew it, I was like, oh, my God, this is really happening.

1:14I'm opening a restaurant. And later, we'll head to a Parisian perfume studio that's celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a new release.

1:22Carrie Solomon:When I launched a new perfume, I tried to learn something that never existed before. And I hope that we stand out by our uniqueness and creative independence. This is The Entrepreneurs, with me, Tom Edwards.

1:43You're listening to The Entrepreneurs. Carrie Solomon is the chef-owner of Chez Carrie, a neighbourhood bistro in Paris' second arrondissement, just a few cobblestone streets from Monocle's own café. A Michigan native who first arrived in the French capital to study photography, she built her career in food through cookbooks, recipe writing and consulting, carving out a place for herself in one of the world's most tradition-bound culinary scenes. Carrie opened the restaurant in October last year, following a personal tragedy that led her to originally step away from work. It was returning to the kitchen, she says, that helped her pick up some of the pieces and begin building something new.

2:25Our Laura Kramer caught up with Carrie at Studio 5 in Paris to reflect on that journey, on resilience, and on what it takes to open a bistro as an outsider in one of the world's most demanding culinary capitals. Carrie began by telling Laura how it all started. When I was 14, I met this really cool girl and her mom worked at like kind of the cool restaurant in town. And she was the pastry chef and she made these really amazing desserts. and she got us both jobs there. And so from the age of 14, I was always working in restaurants on like weekends, holidays, summer break. And so it was also the thing that kind of put me through school.

3:07I was able to pay for a lot of bills and the four years that I was studying, I was also working sometimes more hours than I was actually in school. And so by the time I came to Paris, I thought I'll do something different, And even though there was still this like this like underpinning based on kind of like the food industry that was in me, I kind of again went somewhere else. So it was like I first went towards poli sci and then I went towards photography. But that it didn't last that long, I have to say within like six months, I knew I wasn't going to be a fashion photographer and I wanted to be in the food business.

3:43And I've realized that getting into the French food business, which is notoriously, especially 20 something years ago, closed to outsiders. And there's like a whole ladder that you have to or that you're kind of meant to go up. And so through image making, and then I started recipe writing, I kind of got a spot in different kitchens where I was able to witness things, be next to chefs while they were preparing, doing mise en place, even thinking up recipes. So I had this kind of interesting way of arriving on the food scene in Paris. But you did, in the end, do well in photography. I have to say, you said you worked for Elle for a bit, right?

4:27For Elle, I wrote recipes for several years, of which I photographed them as well. And then I did some travel pieces and other food pieces for them. And at what point did the entrepreneurial bug take over? At what point did you decide, I would like to open up my own bistro in Paris? Oddly, it started when I had children. I kind of think I also started to reflect, you know, I knew that the years ahead were going to be focused on children. but I kind of remember thinking as well, but what about me? Like what should I really like plan for the future? And I knew that being in kitchens made me really happy.

5:08So in addition to recipe writing for my own cookbooks, I've done about 10 of them between France and then international publications. And I've also consulted for restaurants, hotels. I worked at the Olympics. I cooked gold menus for the Hon Long Giao Stadium. So kind of all of these different things going on. I knew that they were kind of like building towards something without perhaps being completely sure what that something was. There are moments when I thought maybe it's a catering business or it's, you know, just special events. And then there was this really amazing residency that kind of fell into my lap.

5:53at this spot on the 11th in 20, beginning of 2023. And it was there where I realized they kind of just gave me the keys to the place. I was running the kitchen and doing a lot. And I thought to myself, okay, like, if you do this, you'll know whether or not you're ready for your own place. And if you can, you know, handle this, and then still want to, you know, get up every morning, work, work long hours, then maybe you really, you really have it in you. So that was like kind of like the first part of questioning. And then I had this, this part's a little bit more difficult to explain. You don't have to if it's uncomfortable.

6:38I think it's worth, it's perhaps worth mentioning. because it does have an impact on how I came to open Shea Carey. My husband died suddenly and I stopped working for a while and I really pulled back. It was really sudden so I was in shock for a number of weeks. There was a lot to figure out about how to go forward with my life. And the thing that kind of ended up saving me and pulling me like off the couch and out of bed was getting back in the kitchen. And so I went back to this restaurant that I had been cooking at on the 11th and I would go like a couple days a week. I had a really good team who was really supportive, a really amazing sous chef named Tori.

7:36And I kind of like got back into the saddle bit by bit. And then at the end of that residency, I did kind of decide it needed to end and I needed to take some more time still. But then really like look at things in a different way. And I knew that like biting off something really big, like a really big project would be kind of like a motor for me to continue forward. and I kind of went step by step. And then one day I had somebody who was giving me a lot of advice, someone in the business, and she's like, but you're ready. Like, just go for it now and like start looking for your place. And I thought, well, what's it going to hurt?

8:19I'll just like call, you know, this real estate agent that I know who works in the business and say, okay, let's start. And I figured at that point, this was about a year ago, actually. I figured like, oh, it's going to take forever. And it's going to take like, it's going to be so difficult to find what I want. I'll have time. And exactly. I thought like, oh, maybe in a year I'll find the place that I'd like. And he sent me a couple of messages just kind of describing like neighborhoods and places that were, you know, going to be available. And I mean, like two, three spots he sent me over WhatsApp.

8:53I was like, no, I'm not interested in that. And then the night before, I was leaving for New York to do some book promotion on Bohem Cooking. he called me and he said I have a spot but you really need to go now and I was like what like I haven't even packed my suitcase I'm cooking in New York and I haven't even like you know figured out the whole menu and then it's like no I think I really think you should go and it's just down the street from you I was like oh and when he said that like my ears kind of popped up because I knew the restaurant needed to be really close to my apartment and ideally not far from the school of my daughters.

9:33And so I went and it ended up being a place that I had been before. It turns out I knew the chef and it felt right kind of like from the first moment that I went in in a way that then I was like questioning everything. But I was like, wait, this isn't supposed to happen yet. Like, I'm not ready. I don't think anyone's ever ready to open a restaurant, no matter how much you prepare. And then I went to New York and I came back and they were like, OK, what's your decision? I just said, OK, let's go for it. Thinking, you know, we'll just see what happens. And then everything kind of started to fall in place.

10:11And then before I knew it, I was like, oh, my God, this is really happening. I'm opening a restaurant. And then it was just kind of sheer madness, especially in France, opening a restaurant. Well, I was just going to say the French are known for their love of bureaucracy. Is it especially difficult if you are not a French national or originally from France to navigate? It is, unfortunately. And I count myself really lucky because I have friends in the business. I've been coached. I had a great real estate agent. But still, banks, brokers are really hesitant to work with profiles that they're less sure of.

10:53And so I've been here for 20 something years, but it's kind of silly. I still don't have French nationality. It's the next step. The next hurdle. Yeah, the next hurdle, which now I have to say after getting through things that I've got through, it doesn't feel so big anymore. I realized that like the whole financial setup, not being a French national was going to be tricky. And it indeed was, I'll be honest. There were banks that I was told, like, don't even think about approaching them. The first loan broker that I met, I mean, it was a moment in like American politics. I mean, it's kind of always a moment in American politics these days.

11:33But she kind of said to me, she's like, oh, with the way like things are looking with like Trump and taxes, like an American in France, that's going to be really hard to get a loan. And I was I was stunned. But I was like, OK, it's true. Like things are really fraught. in the end I changed brokers and I found somebody who told me like you know we're going to make this happen you you have the right experience one thing that I was told that really helped my dossier was the fact that I was going to be the owner but I was also going to be the chef and to be like you know that committed to to a project not just you know I'm going to open a restaurant I've got this idea I'll find a chef I'll find a team but I was kind of you know like the front line and in the team and still am.

12:17As you see, I just ran here from busy lunch service. And I have to say, I stopped in the other day. It was totally purely by accident. I saw the bright, warm, yellow, inviting restaurant and it was a terrible rainy day. And I was like, oh, I want to go there. It looks so nice. It looks like it could transport me from this terrible weather. I came in and the food is amazing. The service is fantastic. And I thought, oh my gosh, how long has this place been open? And it's been open since October. It's been open since, yeah, October. It's been four, a little over four months. Oh, congratulations. And it all happened so quickly.

12:57Because it happened so quickly, had you already had the idea of what the restaurant was going to be? Or did you have to kind of like hurry that along a little bit? And tell us about what we do find at Shea Carey. So the process, I knew more or less what I wanted to cook. I wanted a menu that was very vegetable focused, but really like generous and comforting, really, really bright, kind of big flavors that encrunched in like acidity and spice that I feel that we do well in the US. but I didn't want it to read as vegetarian. I didn't want to be like stamped as vegetarian. And so there are small, I knew there would be small amounts of animal protein, but more so used as condiments and kind of like, you know, judicious quantities.

13:45And sourcing was super important for me. So I kind of knew who I wanted to work with. I found a farm just outside of Paris, but then like, you know, putting together the front part of the restaurant, certain elements in the kitchen, going through the different licenses that are needed when you change the color of facade or when you get a restaurant that has a terrace here and the previous owner had just like renewed his terrace. I don't know, like six or I just got his own license like not long before, but I had to go through the whole process again. And everything like, I don't know, when you buy a restaurant, you start at zero.

14:23And so you have to get new new authorizations for almost everything. That was a bit nerve-wracking. But I knew the vibe I wanted, and I had a friend, an architect friend who stepped in and was amazing. Her name is Nelima, and she kind of put together this dream that I had that feels like a French bistro. I kept the original tiling. I kept the beams. I put in a really long bar comptoir that you can sit at and you have room for your knees, for your belongings, to hang a bag. And so that I all knew. I mean, putting it together, especially during summertime with like, you know, the month of August vacation here was obviously quite nerve-wracking.

15:07Of course. And like I said, brand new, freshly opened. What can we look forward to, let's say in the year ahead, looking forward to your first anniversary? So something else that I kind of jumped right into, I knew when I would open a restaurant that I wanted it to be a place for others, for other chefs, and had a lot of female chef friends and cookbook authors in mind that could come cook there too and do events and cook with me, do book signings. And so I put together this calendar that's just begun for the next two months where I've invited different women to sign their books, to do demonstrations.

15:49We have a wine class coming up this weekend, a fermentation demonstration afterwards, sourdough pizza on a Friday night. The list kind of goes on and we're going to have a spring party in March. And so planning events like this, especially the idea too was like, if I have some events that are planned like this, it will help us get through the, you know, the rainy months in Paris winter. So something that people can look forward to is different, you know, we say in French, brunch or dinner that we cook with different guest chefs. And so that goes into the end of March. And then the terrace opens.

16:34We have a beautiful terrace on a street that's piétonne. So it's foot traffic. the whole half of the front part of the restaurant opens up. So I'm really hoping that it'll just feel kind of breezy and we'll quickly be enjoying this warm weather. Food-wise, so we're doing quite a bit of fermentation, of pickling, and we've made it through winter, and we've managed to ferment and pickle like anything that can be done, any variety of squash. And I have to say, there's some really vibrant colours there, but now I'm really looking forward to spring and to some new offerings. That was Carrie Solomon, chef-owner of Chez Carrie in Paris.

17:25And you can find out more by heading to sheaacarri.com.

17:38You're listening to The Entrepreneurs. David Benedek is the founder and creative director of BDK Parfum, an independent fragrance house he launched a decade ago in Paris. Raised in a family of perfumers, David grew up surrounded by scent and stories in his grandparents' boutique in the French capital. Laura Kramer headed to the brand's flagship perfume studio in the Palais Royal neighbourhood to discuss the company's 10-year anniversary and the release of a new fragrance. David began by telling Laura about his latest creation.

18:11Carrie Solomon:Our new perfume is Velvet Tonka X-Tray, which is the X-Tray version of Velvet Tonka. Velvet Tonka was launched in 2022, and this year we're launching the X-Tray, which is a bit different from the original. I would say that the X-Tray is a bit the natural evolution of Velvet Tonka original. We have added a beautiful pistachio accord with soft leather notes, on the back. We have kept the Tonka and the almond. And I would say that the Tonka X-Ray is even more gourmand than the original. I think the original is more floral and the new X-Ray is more gourmand. And for this, you collaborated again with Alexandra Carlin.

18:49You've done this before. It's a creative partnership you keep returning to. Why is that?

18:54Carrie Solomon:Because I feel very good with her. I get along very well with Alexandra. She became my friend. First, I have a lot of respect for all what she created. I think Alexandra Carlin She's an amazing parfumer. She knows how to be creative and to be understood at the same time, which is very important. And the way she put balance and refinement in her formula is just everything for me. It's super creative. And then at the same time, it's very wearable, which I love. Is there a scent that you still haven't fully captured that you'd really like to play with? That's something that kind of lingers in your mind.

19:26I'm sure you're always thinking about combinations, but is there an area you've not gone into yet?

19:30Carrie Solomon:yeah I would love there's many things that I would love to explore again, new things that I would love to explore in the perfume maybe something that smells like the sky something very free where you feel free from everything you know and that you have the feeling of flying I don't know how I would do that but I would love to create the smell of the sky, a beautiful sky, a blue sky a bright sky And how big is the team now? In our studio, we are 24 people working. And in the flagship, there are three people. And we have more people working in the department. So in Paris, I would say that we are around 30 people.

20:12Carrie Solomon:Yes, I began alone. So 10 years ago, I was alone. And now I have a team of 30 people. And I'm very proud of that. And my team is like my family. So I'm very happy. And because that family aspect is so important to you, that's what you grew up around. That's how you want to build it. how do you know when you find a team member that gets it? You're like, yes, we need to have this person on our team. You know it very, very quickly. Yeah, after one week, you know that it's, if it's the right person, I don't know. You feel it. I don't know how to explain. It's a feeling, it's an emotion you feel inside.

20:44Now, the new scent pays homage to your Moroccan roots and childhood afternoons with your grandmother. How do you translate a memory like that into a scent?

20:57Carrie Solomon:it comes very natural i would say it's not something you decide it's something that you you feel inside your soul inside your heart it's a long process i think it's something that you you interiorize to your own body your own soul and then finally unconsciously you just imagine the same true memories and then when you try to work on the formula on the paper it comes very naturally, you know. For example, if you take the example of Bouquet de Hongrie, which is the memory of my grandmother's garden, for me it was very clear how I would like this garden to smell with like the green side of the flower in the water because in Paris it rains quite a lot, so it's always a bit aquatic flowery.

21:44Carrie Solomon:So I knew that I wanted to take that direction. So I don't know, it's something very natural for me. I love that and of course you come from a perfume family. A very quick bio, if you wouldn't mind, remind listeners your heritage, I guess. Yeah, I mean, my grandparents from my father's side, they arrived from Transylvania in the 50s in Paris. And at the basic, my grandfather, he used to be a lawyer. But before, he couldn't be a lawyer because there was not the recognition of the diploma. So he needed to do another job. And my grandmother, she became a facial therapist. So she began to give a lot of facial to all the Transylvanian Hungarian women that were living in Paris.

22:29Carrie Solomon:And at that time, all of these women were beginning to wear perfume. And she asked my grandfather to buy her perfume. And this is how he got the idea to open a perfumery shop and to sell all the big names of the perfumery at that time, like Christian Dior, Plymouth, to a lot of customers. and his first clientele were the American customers visiting Paris. Then my parents took care of the shop and I grew up surrounded by perfume. Of course you did. And in this sense, and so your creativity was always going. And we've spoken a little bit before about the creation of the bottle and the design of the bottle because there's a very important monument here in Paris that was the idea behind it.

23:14Tell me a little bit about that.

23:16Carrie Solomon:Yeah, for the design of the bottle, I was very inspired by the shape of the roof of the building in Paris. But rather than being inspired just by one roof, I wanted to give like a meaning, a message inside. And I thought about what is one of my most preferred buildings in Paris. And I thought about Le Grand Palais. Because Le Grand Palais, you know, this is a very beautiful place built by Gustave Eiffel. where you have all the fashion show, art exhibition. So it's a place that showcases creativity in general. So I thought it was a nice message to put inside the design. And so the shape of the cap is very inspired by the shape of the roof of Le Grand Palais.