If foie gras is a tradition during the end of the year celebrations, artisanal foie gras with Sauternes by Mirjam Lavabre is, in New York, an institution. With livers from a Hudson Valley farm half-cooked in a syrupy nectar, sprinkled with passion and generosity, Mirjam, the international, has been delighting the taste buds of its customers for over a decade. Portrait of a gourmet polyglot who has been living in the United States for nearly 30 years.
Mirjam Lavabre & Sydney Barclais © ️FIAF / Amber De Vos
Mirjam Lavabre is one of those naturally sympathetic people. Comely and complete. A woman in sharing, imbued with humility, at the head of Cuis’In, a catering company that she created more than ten years ago with the father of her son. Immediately, success is there. She in the development of society, her ex-husband in the kitchen. She readily concedes it “ he has gold in his hands and he does his job with passion “. Passion, an essential ingredient in any culinary preparation. Very quickly, Cuis’In collaborated with major accounts, banks as well as individuals. Now is the time to party, and Cuis’In for success.
Mirjam lives between two worlds, the French community and the world of New York gastronomy. Sometimes these two universes come together, and Mirjam always keeps one foot in between.
In Cuis’In’s success notebook, two Franco-French dishes, artisanal foie gras with Sauternes and galette des rois, with rum. In the Upper East Side community, and at the Lycée Français where her son was educated at the time — now a student at USC in Los Angeles — foie gras and pancakes are snapping up! All recognize the quality and know-how of Cuis’In. And they want more. Always with delight.
The famous Cuis’In foie gras
« My foie gras is artisanal. I prepare it with my ex-husband’s recipe »Explains Mirjam. This is how life is, joyful moments and more painful moments intermingle. Ten years ago, when the couple broke up, Mirjam went behind the stove. From afar, her ex-husband tells her cooking secrets and recommendations. He shares this talent that she has observed for years. Mirjam is doing like a boss. It must be said that it has always evolved in the world of hotels and restaurants. In Germany, where she grew up, she obtained a diploma in this industry which took her to Miami in the early 90s.
« One evening, in a nightclub in Paris [où elle travaille pour le groupe Accor] I met a person who was leaving for Miami with André Boudou – Laeticia Hallyday’s father – to open the Amensia. He gave me his number and told me to contact him if I wanted to come and work with them. It’s not falling on deaf ears Mirjam jokes. Two months later, she sells her furniture and flies to Miami, with $ 700 in her pocket. On April 4, 1994, she began to write her new American life.
Arrived in Florida, she discovers this part of America of the 90s. She, who has a gift – she is multilingual – is very quickly spotted by André Boudou, himself. She speaks German, French, English, Italian, Spanish … A godsend in the luxury hotel industry in Florida. ” He offered me to become manager of the fine dining restaurant at Amnesia “. It must be said that the establishment’s wealthy clientele is international. Germans, French, Italians flock there every evening. Then, she was debauched by the restaurant La Voile Rouge, the eponymous restaurant of the Saint-Tropez institution. Ditto, his linguistic ease won over the owner of the premises.
Young Mirjam quickly gets bored of the Florida glittery life and decides to continue her American adventure in another city. Head for the North-East of the country. Direction New York which she joins from Florida in a mini-van. A real adventure. A slice of youth.
Arriving in the city that never sleeps, she very quickly meets people, if not characters, from the culinary industry. Jean Denoyer, owner of La Goulue 70st street, La Goulue Madison Ave, Brasserie Ruhlmann NYC, Le Colonial NYC, La cicala, La Boite, La Coupole NYC, Petruschka, Le Comptoir, The Supper Club, L’absinthe, Orsay, Fizz , Japanese NYC, Encore bakery or Bar Italia. Then Philippe Delgrange, the owner of the famous Bilboquet, or the pastry chef and esthete François Paillard. By discovering the fascinating world of gastronomy in New York, she encourages the one who will become her husband and her partner – then in Virginia – to come to New York. Talented and passionate, he quickly finds his marks in the great kitchens of the city that he marks with his art. For his part, Mirjam works at La Goulue, Ici, Orienta or even Colonial. Then life makes them take the plunge. Together, they create Cuis’In which Mirjam now leads alone.
With a well-filled address book, a fine network of gourmets, for 13 years now, Cuis’In has been a staple of the New York scene. Between Mirjam’s interpersonal skills and Eric’s art, Cuis’In explodes. Two typically French dishes make the success of the company: foie gras and galette des rois. Two dishes made according to the rules of French culinary art. ” When we came home for Christmas, we brought our foie gras Generally, for expatriates, it is rather the other way around. When visiting the Ariège branch of his family, the battle for the best foie gras quickly becomes an institution. New York foie gras always wins!
©️Cuis’In
Mirjam, who scrupulously follows her ex-husband’s recipes, is still very successful over the years. ” My regular customers order the foie gras from me at the beginning of December, ”explains Mirjam. Patiently, she breaks down, prepares, seasons and cooks,n tea towel, this delicate dish that ends up wisely on New York tables. Undoubtedly under the impatient eyes of enticing guests. ” We find in the dishes of CuisIn all the authenticity and generosity of Mirjam, an excellence in the care given to ingredients and recipes. Its foie gras illustrates comfort and familiarity conducive to pleasure and gluttony, ”Explains JC Agid, gourmet and founder of 37EAST.
For my part, I came across the foie gras with Sauterne de Mirjam quite by chance. I was surprised to see an artisanal foie gras in New York. He immediately transported me to a farm in the Southwest. I imagined an old stone building, small windows that illuminated a warm living room. In its center, a fireplace and the crackling of wood. Outside, the smell of fire, cold and ducks. Freely. It is sometimes strange what the simple vision of a local product evokes and this subtle way that invites you to travel. A journey of a moment where all the senses are awakened. Attentive, quivering and excited. Maybe you have to be French to feel this emotion that links a product to a culture, ours. Perhaps you have to be deprived of a trip to France this year and want to recreate tradition and sensations on our side of the Atlantic …
Without doubt, I was fascinated to see an authentic foie gras, innocent of any tin can and far from the perfection that we owe to the machine. Maybe in these times of pandemic, I just want to go back to my childhood home where there are always real local products. Among them, artisanal foie gras. The same as the one made by Mirjam Lavabre.
Article by Rachel Brunet, editor-in-chief of Petit Journal New York
To order artisanal foie gras with Sauterne from Cuis’In
Order at least 48 hours in advance.
Delivery to Manhattan. For customers outside Manhattan (Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester), contact Mirjam directly [email protected]
–
