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An Epicurean Village Is Too Rich for Some Paris Appetites An Epicurean Village Is Too Rich for Some Paris Appetites
(about 11 hours later)
PARIS — One recent sunny morning, Cédric Naudon, a wealthy French entrepreneur with a taste for fine food, walked down a quiet street in a neighborhood of Paris known as the Haut Marais and gestured toward a phalanx of shuttered storefronts as the sound of power drills pierced the air.PARIS — One recent sunny morning, Cédric Naudon, a wealthy French entrepreneur with a taste for fine food, walked down a quiet street in a neighborhood of Paris known as the Haut Marais and gestured toward a phalanx of shuttered storefronts as the sound of power drills pierced the air.
“This is where the butcher’s shop will go,” said Mr. Naudon, peering inside a half-finished space where sawdust coated the floor. “It’s going to be totally designed, with a library so people can think about the meat,” he said. “Over there will be the cheesemonger, where the cheese will be hidden in designer drawers and taken out and explained.”“This is where the butcher’s shop will go,” said Mr. Naudon, peering inside a half-finished space where sawdust coated the floor. “It’s going to be totally designed, with a library so people can think about the meat,” he said. “Over there will be the cheesemonger, where the cheese will be hidden in designer drawers and taken out and explained.”
He pointed to other outlets destined for an organic bakery, an oyster bar, a fishmonger, ethnic restaurants and a coterie of neighborhood mainstays. “It’s empty now,” said Mr. Naudon, looking around the block, which seemed to be entirely under renovation. “But when all this opens, it will be completely unique.”He pointed to other outlets destined for an organic bakery, an oyster bar, a fishmonger, ethnic restaurants and a coterie of neighborhood mainstays. “It’s empty now,” said Mr. Naudon, looking around the block, which seemed to be entirely under renovation. “But when all this opens, it will be completely unique.”
As a wave of gentrification sweeps through Paris, Mr. Naudon has taken the phenomenon to a new level. An enigmatic man who says he made a fortune in real estate and finance in New York and Paris, he has snapped up about half a neighborhood north of the Marais, one of the city’s trendiest districts, with plans to restyle it into a sleek epicurean village called La Jeune Rue, or Young Street, dedicated to farm-fresh gastronomy and the culture of chic.As a wave of gentrification sweeps through Paris, Mr. Naudon has taken the phenomenon to a new level. An enigmatic man who says he made a fortune in real estate and finance in New York and Paris, he has snapped up about half a neighborhood north of the Marais, one of the city’s trendiest districts, with plans to restyle it into a sleek epicurean village called La Jeune Rue, or Young Street, dedicated to farm-fresh gastronomy and the culture of chic.
An international team of designers, including Tom Dixon and Maud Bury, is styling 36 storefronts around the Rue du Vertbois — home of the legendary Chez L’Ami Louis restaurant — and two adjacent streets. Unlike the Marais or St. Germain, where an invasion of chain clothing stores has nearly stamped out French artisanal life, here fashionably dressed butchers, bakers and restaurateurs will work in an upscale collective dominated by the principal of zero waste, peddling high-concept foods from mod spaces using biological products sourced only from French farmers. An international team of designers, including Tom Dixon and Maud Bury, is styling 36 storefronts around the Rue du Vertbois — home of the legendary Chez L’Ami Louis restaurant — and two adjacent streets. Unlike the Marais or St. Germain, where an invasion of chain clothing stores has nearly stamped out French artisanal life, here fashionably dressed butchers, bakers and restaurateurs will work in an upscale collective dominated by the principle of zero waste, peddling high-concept foods from mod spaces using biological products sourced only from French farmers.
The project is expected to animate a quartier of mixed classes and ethnicities that is now something of a dead zone for culture and night life. Situated between the Place de la République and the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, the area has long been home to numerous Chinese clothing wholesalers and small shops that have resisted previous efforts at development. While a smattering of wealthy young urbanites has recently moved in, a number of low- to middle-income residents remain, along with several public housing units.The project is expected to animate a quartier of mixed classes and ethnicities that is now something of a dead zone for culture and night life. Situated between the Place de la République and the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, the area has long been home to numerous Chinese clothing wholesalers and small shops that have resisted previous efforts at development. While a smattering of wealthy young urbanites has recently moved in, a number of low- to middle-income residents remain, along with several public housing units.
Many Parisians are eager to see new life breathed into the area. But the redevelopment has also touched a nerve among residents who worry that Mr. Naudon, with his deep pockets and taste for high design, will turn the area into the latest in a string of bohemian bourgeoisie enclaves that have sprung up around Paris, driving the working and middle classes ever farther out.Many Parisians are eager to see new life breathed into the area. But the redevelopment has also touched a nerve among residents who worry that Mr. Naudon, with his deep pockets and taste for high design, will turn the area into the latest in a string of bohemian bourgeoisie enclaves that have sprung up around Paris, driving the working and middle classes ever farther out.
“You have a monopolist who wants to create his own street, but it’s not for those who live here,” said Pierre-Yves Jourdain, a film producer who lives in the area. “This neighborhood has ethnic and class diversity, but with the arrival of La Jeune Rue, those people will be left apart.”“You have a monopolist who wants to create his own street, but it’s not for those who live here,” said Pierre-Yves Jourdain, a film producer who lives in the area. “This neighborhood has ethnic and class diversity, but with the arrival of La Jeune Rue, those people will be left apart.”
Other residents have questioned whether La Jeune Rue, despite its lofty ideals, is simply a real estate play.Other residents have questioned whether La Jeune Rue, despite its lofty ideals, is simply a real estate play.
Mr. Naudon, 42, who never appears in public without a silk scarf and a Rolex, sprang onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere this year, and has sought to maintain an air of mystery. In a country where entrepreneurs say that society stigmatizes financial success, he has avoided quantifying his finances or detailing previous real estate and finance deals, and gave conflicting accounts in an interview even about his education. He declined to divulge the cost of the project.Mr. Naudon, 42, who never appears in public without a silk scarf and a Rolex, sprang onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere this year, and has sought to maintain an air of mystery. In a country where entrepreneurs say that society stigmatizes financial success, he has avoided quantifying his finances or detailing previous real estate and finance deals, and gave conflicting accounts in an interview even about his education. He declined to divulge the cost of the project.
Nonetheless, the French authorities have embraced Mr. Naudon’s vision, which they say could create more than 200 jobs. France’s state-backed public investment bank is insuring the project, and three banks are partly financing the deal.Nonetheless, the French authorities have embraced Mr. Naudon’s vision, which they say could create more than 200 jobs. France’s state-backed public investment bank is insuring the project, and three banks are partly financing the deal.
“We need to reinvent places in Paris to gain a competitive advantage over other cities,” said Jean-Louis Missika, a deputy mayor in charge of the urban renewal of Paris. “It’s an interesting idea, and it could be a new model for urban development — if it works.”“We need to reinvent places in Paris to gain a competitive advantage over other cities,” said Jean-Louis Missika, a deputy mayor in charge of the urban renewal of Paris. “It’s an interesting idea, and it could be a new model for urban development — if it works.”
At the same time, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is mindful of maintaining a social and economic balance as gentrification spreads. “Otherwise, you’d just have ghettos for the rich,” Mr. Missika said.At the same time, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is mindful of maintaining a social and economic balance as gentrification spreads. “Otherwise, you’d just have ghettos for the rich,” Mr. Missika said.
In some ways, the trend of gentrification has become almost unstoppable. Paris, New York, London and other major metropolises have undergone waves of urban renewal for decades, each ushering in more wealth than the last, while also pricing out those with less money.In some ways, the trend of gentrification has become almost unstoppable. Paris, New York, London and other major metropolises have undergone waves of urban renewal for decades, each ushering in more wealth than the last, while also pricing out those with less money.
While the essence of Paris has hardly disappeared, property prices have jumped an average of 165 percent in 20 years, with a 30 percent surge in the last five. The impact has been striking, cutting Paris’s working-class population to 27 percent from more than 40 percent over the same period, said Anne Clerval, an associate professor at the Université Paris-Est.While the essence of Paris has hardly disappeared, property prices have jumped an average of 165 percent in 20 years, with a 30 percent surge in the last five. The impact has been striking, cutting Paris’s working-class population to 27 percent from more than 40 percent over the same period, said Anne Clerval, an associate professor at the Université Paris-Est.
At La Bonne Cécile, a French bistro near some of Mr. Naudon’s future shops, the owner, Benoit Doremus, said locals were waiting to see how La Jeune Rue would unfold. While it could be good for business, “the question is whether average people will be able to afford a baguette,” he said. For Ms. Clerval, who wrote a book, “Paris Without the People,” exploring the impact of gentrification, the project “raises the question of whether a single person should decide how parts of a city evolve, and if the citizens affected can have any say in it.”At La Bonne Cécile, a French bistro near some of Mr. Naudon’s future shops, the owner, Benoit Doremus, said locals were waiting to see how La Jeune Rue would unfold. While it could be good for business, “the question is whether average people will be able to afford a baguette,” he said. For Ms. Clerval, who wrote a book, “Paris Without the People,” exploring the impact of gentrification, the project “raises the question of whether a single person should decide how parts of a city evolve, and if the citizens affected can have any say in it.”
Mr. Naudon rebuffs his critics. At a time when many French entrepreneurs are leaving France for opportunities elsewhere, he argued, he was the rare Frenchman investing in France, armed with creative ideas and a dedication to an ecological ethic. He insisted that the project was neither elitist nor a mere property investment. Gentrification would happen anyway, he added, and at least his concept supported farmers and created jobs.Mr. Naudon rebuffs his critics. At a time when many French entrepreneurs are leaving France for opportunities elsewhere, he argued, he was the rare Frenchman investing in France, armed with creative ideas and a dedication to an ecological ethic. He insisted that the project was neither elitist nor a mere property investment. Gentrification would happen anyway, he added, and at least his concept supported farmers and created jobs.
“Instead of saying, ‘Who is this guy? He’s suspicious,’ I wish people would support me and thank me, and say I’m doing a good thing for my country by investing in it for real,” he said.“Instead of saying, ‘Who is this guy? He’s suspicious,’ I wish people would support me and thank me, and say I’m doing a good thing for my country by investing in it for real,” he said.
“Let’s be clear,” he added. “I am going to make a lot of money with my concept. I’m sorry that I have a good project. But what’s better? Doing nothing?”“Let’s be clear,” he added. “I am going to make a lot of money with my concept. I’m sorry that I have a good project. But what’s better? Doing nothing?”
On a recent afternoon in his light-filled atelier, Mr. Naudon huddled with a dozen collaborators, including chefs, mixologists and designers, putting the finishing touches on blueprints for his shops and restaurants. Several are scheduled for a fall opening, with the rest coming over the next year. Mr. Naudon owns most of the spaces and has placed every shop under a single holding company.On a recent afternoon in his light-filled atelier, Mr. Naudon huddled with a dozen collaborators, including chefs, mixologists and designers, putting the finishing touches on blueprints for his shops and restaurants. Several are scheduled for a fall opening, with the rest coming over the next year. Mr. Naudon owns most of the spaces and has placed every shop under a single holding company.
“My main problem as a gourmet is that you can’t find really good products in Paris,” said Mr. Naudon, who as a child roamed Paris savoring food with his Moroccan and Italian parents. “Right now my Saturdays are eaten up having to go to the Seventh Arrondissement for good cheese, the 14th for meat, the Eighth for bread and so on. Here, we’ll be bringing everything together.”“My main problem as a gourmet is that you can’t find really good products in Paris,” said Mr. Naudon, who as a child roamed Paris savoring food with his Moroccan and Italian parents. “Right now my Saturdays are eaten up having to go to the Seventh Arrondissement for good cheese, the 14th for meat, the Eighth for bread and so on. Here, we’ll be bringing everything together.”
By cutting out middlemen, he said, his shops would be able to offer bread and other products at a fair price. A forward-thinking policy of zero-waste — like sharing the meat from a cow between the butcher and the restaurants, and repurposing the hide at a designer hardware store — would also help keep prices down.By cutting out middlemen, he said, his shops would be able to offer bread and other products at a fair price. A forward-thinking policy of zero-waste — like sharing the meat from a cow between the butcher and the restaurants, and repurposing the hide at a designer hardware store — would also help keep prices down.
High-concept-design drawings rested on desks, including details for a marble igloo at the fishmonger and a sushi-style conveyor belt for the bakery. He is even installing a mill to grind an ancient strain of wheat from a 250-acre plot that he had sown in southern France.High-concept-design drawings rested on desks, including details for a marble igloo at the fishmonger and a sushi-style conveyor belt for the bakery. He is even installing a mill to grind an ancient strain of wheat from a 250-acre plot that he had sown in southern France.
“For the last two years, I’ve put my money and soul into going all over France to find the best products ever,” Mr. Naudon said, lighting up. “Finally, we are going to have the ideal street in Paris.”“For the last two years, I’ve put my money and soul into going all over France to find the best products ever,” Mr. Naudon said, lighting up. “Finally, we are going to have the ideal street in Paris.”