He is an actor, producer, comedian and now… restaurateur! Jamel Debbouze, in association with the Paris Society group (chaired by Laurent de Gourcuff, famous creator of trendy places, and property of the Accor group, editor’s note), has finally managed to carry out his great wish to open a restaurant involving his mother, whose culinary skills he knows so well. All he had to do was find the perfect place. It will therefore be the IMA (Institut du Monde Arabe), in Paris which, after a decade of Lebanese restaurants (under the banner of the caterer Noura), will now offer Moroccan specialties from “Dar Mima”. A place dedicated to his mother, Fatima. This February 10, 2023, Jamel Debbouze declared in the columns of Figaro : “after allowing my mother to retire, opening a restaurant was the best way to gift her and my friends. My mother has always wanted to share her passion for cooking, it’s her mode of expression.”, he declares, like a beautiful declaration of love, adding that Fatima “plays a key role in this adventure. His intervention is very important, even if it can take second place in relation to the place, to Jamel or to Paris Society. It is she who will give life to the house.”
“She came with twelve plastic bags filled with spices”
His mother indeed participated in the design of the restaurant menu with Lahcen Hafid, a chef from the Ritz who acts as a consultant for “Dar Mima”. And the comedian to specify to our colleagues: “She hasn’t slept much since the launch of the project. With Lahcen, they became childhood best friends. Even with his experience at the Ritz, he didn’t take offense when she told him something was wrong. At the second test, she came with twelve plastic bags filled with colorful spices she had brought from Morocco.”.
And the mother of Jamel Debbouze, residing between Marrakech and Paris, will indeed be present in the kitchen to give instructions and offer authentic dishes! All in a setting signed by the architect Laura Gonzalez who designed the place as a chic and welcoming address, without being snobbish, with a subdued and lively atmosphere in the evening against a backdrop of DJs, singers, musicians… with a view of Paris breathtaking. And for the last information, the menus will be offered there from 50 euros.
See also: Jamel Debbouze: this blunder that Morocco does not seem ready to forgive him!
VF