Parisian Cuisine Embraces Global Influences

WhenEnrique Casarrubias arrived in Paris from Mexico in 2007, he never envisioned staying long-term. He intended to follow a common path for international chefs—traveling to the French capital to learn at prestigious culinary schools, gain experience in Michelin-starred kitchens, and work under renowned chefs like Alain Ducasse, Pierre Gagnaire, and Alain Passard. After building an impressive CV at some of the world’s top restaurants, many chefs return home to establish their own restaurants with the support of investors.

“Initially, we planned to return to Mexico after completing our studies,” Casarrubias shares. “We believed it would be more financially viable to open [a restaurant] back home.” However, his mentor at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Akrame, French Algerian chef Akrame Benallal, urged him and his wife, chef Montserrat Estrada (who had worked at La Tour d’Argent and Le Meurice), to stay and realize their culinary dreams in Paris.

“He said, ‘Enrique, the type of cuisine you wish to create is unique here,’” Casarrubias recalls, referring to the realm of Mexican fine dining. In 2018, he and Estrada launched Oxte near the Arc de Triomphe in the upscale 17th arrondissement of Paris. The restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2021 for its “vibrant, flavorful, and expertly seasoned dishes.”

Paris has welcomed numerous international chefs into its prestigious fine dining scene. Kei Kobayashi opened Restaurant Kei in 2011, showcasing his skill in blending French flavors and techniques in haute cuisine; in 2020, it became the first restaurant led by a foreign-born chef to receive three Michelin stars in Paris.

In the past decade, a wave of immigrant chefs has transformed Paris’s fine dining landscape. Rather than returning home to open restaurants or conforming to traditional French standards, they are launching ambitious venues—such as Brazilian chef Raphael Rego’s Oka and Japanese chef Yuichiro Akiyoshi’s Chakaiseki Akiyoshi—infusing their culinary heritage with innovative flair.

For aspiring fine dining chefs, traditional French gastronomy has long been a reliable choice, especially in Paris, where standards are high and critics abound.

“Many in France and the culinary community still view French cuisine as the pinnacle of haute gastronomy,” explains Christine Doublet, deputy director of the restaurant guide Le Fooding. While French dishes may boast rich, deep flavors, Doublet notes that French diners tend to shy away from bold spices, making it challenging to introduce more adventurous cuisines. “It’s fair to say that the French aren’t particularly daring when it comes to strong flavors.”

Such national pride can easily morph into arrogance and a dismissive attitude toward global cuisines.

In recent decades, diners have grown increasingly curious about global cuisines, fueled by social media exposure and international travel. This newfound curiosity has encouraged immigrant chefs in fine dining to step beyond traditional French boundaries and incorporate more of their cultural heritage into their culinary creations.

“For a long time, foreign chefs adhered strictly to classic French standards,” Doublet explains. “In recent years, chefs from various backgrounds have felt empowered to explore their roots, using the foundational techniques they learned in French gastronomy to open their own mid-range to upscale restaurants.”

Prior to the opening of Oxte by Casarrubias and Estrada, most Parisians were only familiar with Mexican food through tacos, burritos, and guacamole. Mexican cuisine had briefly gained traction about a decade ago when Parisian hipsters flocked to spots like El Nopal, a tiny takeout taqueria that opened in 2010 in the trendy Canal Saint-Martin area, and Candelaria, a hidden speakeasy behind a taco bar that debuted in 2011 in the Haut-Marais. However, misconceptions persisted. Mexican expats were frustrated as the French often confused authentic Mexican cuisine with Tex-Mex, and fast-food outlets selling “French Tacos”—tortilla-wrapped meat, fries, and cheese grilled flat—did little to help.

Casarrubias aimed to demonstrate to the French that Mexican cuisine could be elegant, intricate, and sophisticated. For example, the restaurant's mole is crafted from scratch using up to 40 ingredients, resulting in a rich tapestry of flavors that delights unsuspecting diners. Meanwhile, Estrada channels the tastes of her hometown Acapulco in her signature sea bream ceviche, enhanced by a mild jalapeno sauce that delivers a subtle and refreshing spice.

Chef Park Ji-hye faced a similar challenge. Until recently, Korean cuisine in Paris was primarily associated with bibimbap and barbecue.

“Bibimbap requires mixing all the ingredients, which French culture tends to view unfavorably,” Park explains. “It’s not considered sophisticated; it carries a negative connotation.”

After moving to France as a student in 1991, she spent years as an interior designer before pursuing her culinary passion. In 2017, she launched Oma (“mom” in Korean), her bistro in the 9th arrondissement, where her signature mulhué would often sell out. Traditionally a dish enjoyed by fishermen at sea, mulhué features raw fish and vegetables in a spicy, icy red pepper broth. Park’s refined version appeals to Parisian tastes, with crystal ice pebbles floating in a pink broth adorned with delicate radish slices.

Her recipe caught the eye of hotelier Olivier Bertrand, who was so impressed that he invited her to move to the luxurious five-star boutique hotel Château des Fleurs, which he opened in 2023 near the Champs-Élysées. Once known for French fine dining, this upscale area has evolved to host international fine dining establishments like Oma and Oxte.

For Casarrubias, who arrived in Paris at just 20 years old and dedicated himself to the restaurant scene, gaining industry recognition required immense effort.

“I’m extremely proud to have experienced that era,” he reflects. “It wasn’t our cuisine, language, or homeland. But I recall a chef telling me that success would come only if I worked four times as hard.”

This sentiment resonates with many immigrant chefs, including Alan Geaam. Escaping the conflict in South Lebanon in 1999 at the age of 24, Geaam paid human traffickers to bring him to Paris. He arrived without speaking French, had merely 30 euros to his name, and slept on the streets. By day, he labored on construction sites and, at night, washed dishes at a Lebanese restaurant, where he finally received his big break after the chef was injured.

From that point, he embarked on a relentless path of self-improvement, mastering French, collecting cookbooks, arriving early for shifts at French restaurants, and staying late. After two decades of honing his skills in French cuisine, Geaam felt it was time for his work to truly reflect his journey.

“I didn’t want to remain in the shadows of a story that wasn’t mine,” Geaam explains. In 2017, he chose to open a French-Lebanese restaurant named after himself, Restaurant Alan Geaam, located in the 16th arrondissement. Just six months later, his bold decision was rewarded with a Michelin star.

At the restaurant, the dishes celebrate both French and Lebanese influences, featuring items like charcoal-grilled falafel paired with smoked eel and chickpeas on a creamy tahini base, or pigeon encased in a nutty buckwheat crust, complemented by a tangy-sweet pomegranate glaze.

“Gradually, I noticed that people were becoming more interested in Lebanese cuisine, and I experienced a wave of emotions while blending the two culinary traditions,” Geaam shares. “The plates may look modern and very European, but the essence of Lebanon is present in every dish.”

As Doublet highlights, examining the most successful immigrant chefs in Paris’s fine dining scene reveals a common trend: mastery of French techniques combined with international flavors.

“Chefs are now embracing much grMytour creative freedom, blending traditional French elements with herbs, spices, pastes, and techniques from around the globe,” she notes.

A signature dish at Oxte honors Casarrubias’s grandfather, a butcher in Mexico, while reminiscent of boudin noir (blood sausage); the chef infuses his homemade sausage with chipotle and cinnamon, pairing it with marinated octopus and a robust beet mole, enriched with recado negro, a distinctive Yucatan chile paste.

At Oma, Park combines flavors that evoke nostalgia for both Korean and French children in her Oma rice; garnished with soy sauce-braised beef, a poached egg, seaweed, and marinated radish, it may remind French patrons of coquillettes (macaroni with cheese and ham).

The rising enthusiasm for sophisticated global flavors may stem from a hard and humbling reality: French gastronomy has diminished in appeal.

“At some point, you have to consider, ‘How many more traditional French restaurants can be opened?’ I believe diners are eager for something new,” Doublet observes.

The French government concurs. During a press conference in April to unveil a new gastronomy initiative, French tourism minister Olivia Grégoire remarked that competition from regions like Asia, Spain, Denmark, and Peru has overshadowed France’s fine dining scene.

“Since the late 1990s, [French] gastronomy has been challenged by the emergence of foreign cuisines and has found itself trailing behind the success and impact of other nations,” Grégoire stated.

As part of this initiative, the government plans to assist French chefs in launching endeavors in markets like Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, and to send chefs overseas to acquire new culinary skills to bring back home. While this approach is ambitious and well-meaning, the government might benefit from looking inward, leveraging the abundant talent from abroad that is already present in Paris.

Vivian Song is a Korean Canadian journalist who relocated from Toronto to Paris in 2010. She creates a diverse range of content, from food and travel pieces to breaking news, in-depth investigations, cultural critiques, and personal essays. Her work has been featured inthe New York Times, CNN, BBC, Vice, Robb Report, Lonely Planet, andthe Telegraph UK, among other outlets.