If we really needed another reason to love the darling-chef Jean Imbert other than his haute-cuisine, darn-good looks, and strict judging on France’s “Top Chef,” he has now outdone himself by opening a restaurant with his grandma in the middle of Paris called Mamie par Jean Imbert.
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Situated in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, Mamie focuses on a seasonal menu and offers only dishes that the chef’s grandmother cooks. This comes as a huge change from Imbert’s Michelin-starred L’Acajou that formerly occupied the space. The new option is perhaps simpler than his own usual cooking — a return to his roots of sorts — but nonetheless will require a reservation far in advance. Other than the grandson and grandmother team, the head of the pastry corner is no other than the World’s Best Pastry Chef from Le Meurice, Cédric Grolet. He too fell in love with the mushy and adorable new concept from Imbert.
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A student of Paul Bocuse, Imbert has always had his grandmother to thank for his passion for cooking. The highly charismatic grey-haired lady has often before made an appearance on the chef’s Instagram, but now he has brought her up to the culinary pedestal alongside himself. After a scandalous fracas with Imbert’s New York City restaurant that ultimately closed its door a few weeks after opening, the chef dove straight into two separate projects in Paris. He opened the ultra chic BB Restaurant at the private athletic club Blanche, and a much more down-to-earth option Mamie.
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Imbert is surely the first to incorporate his grandmother into his kitchen, but definitely following suit of chefs from the Pic and Troisgrois families who chose to work alongside each other. His grandmother definitely does not hold any Michelin stars, but she has the wisdom of years behind her that may be even more valuable.
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Additionally, many time Michel-starred chef Alain Passard from L’Arpege had also made a similar turn to the roots of cooking when he turned his menu into an entirely vegetarian one. While Imbert’s new menu is not vegetarian, it is definitely calling back to the essence of natural eating — a culinary trend recently on the rise.
Mamie par Jean Imbert
35 bis, rue Jean de la Fontaine, 75016 Paris Closed Saturdays for lunch and Sundays
