Small Business Highlight: Paris Dining Club with Chef Jamie Malone
PARIS DINING CLUB
“We’re making dinner parties and meaningful meals at home easy and beautiful.”
About Chef Jamie Malone
Jamie Malone started working in restaurants at age 16. She grew up cooking and baking breads with her dad in St. Paul, Minnesota. Chef Malone traveled and studied extensively in Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and Europe, immersing herself in each region’s cuisine before receiving her culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu. Malone began her cooking career in 2006 working for Chef Tim McKee at the highly lauded restaurant La Belle Vie, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She moved on to be a part of the opening team of several Minneapolis restaurants early in her career, including Georges Chambers Kitchen, Porter and Frye, and Sea Change.
In 2017 Jamie opened her first restaurant, the buzzy and beloved Grand Café in South Minneapolis. She was named as one of one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2017, and has been nominated for several awards, including James Beard Award Foundations “Best Chef Midwest” five times. Jamie has written for Esquire’s “Eat Like a Man” blog and been featured in many magazines including GQ, Saveur, and Elle. In 2014 she won Cooking Light magazine’s “Trail Blazer Award” for her work with sustainable seafood.
Most recently, Malone has created Paris Dining Club & Studio. You can find Jamie at her North Loop Studio hosting events and creating new experiences for people who love food. Read on for an exclusive Q and A with Chef Jamie Malone.
Q & A with James Beard Nominated
Chef Jamie Malone
Can you tell us about Paris Dining Club?
It's my dream that people have dinner parties more often. I am obsessed with Paris Dining Club because we are able to create restaurant quality experiences with our PDC Meal Kits that are ready for you to enjoy and they completely take the stress out of having guests over. I love it because without the stress and task list, you can be in the moment more intimately. And of course if you do not want to host at home our studio is available for small private gatherings.
Your food always looks glamorous, fresh and modern. How does the food styling impact your cooking, and vice versa?
Food is super visual for me. And I guess I do not think of them as two separate things. I have spent a lot of time cultivating a style that appears to be simple but I think looks really elegant because of the craftsmanship that goes into it. Because I am drawn to craftsmanship and older styles, that have proven the test of time, I think the look and style that we achieve is naturally very consistent.
You’re are known both as a skilled chef and also an excellent curator of vibes. What is your advice for hosting a killer party?
Ooooh! Just do the stuff that you love and what you are into. Enjoy yourself and your guests will too. There is no room for stress or questioning your own taste!
You are a chef, but you seem to think like an artists and with food as your medium. Is there a parallel life in which you were not a chef?
I think that creating emotions is my medium and I do that through food and environment. Food is the most important part, and it's the best part, but if you do not have all of the other pieces intentionally in place you do not create the right space to enjoy the moment. My focus is not to demand attention but to create an emotional space where people are open to be delighted.
What are five ingredients you always have on hand?
Fleur de Sal, Buerre de Burrate, Garlic Oil, Smoked Soy Sauce and Jidori Eggs.
Paris Dining Club, how it works
Choose a Menu: Select a prix fixe menu and customize with add-on options and/or rental options. Everything can be prepared for up to twelve people.
Pick a Date: Orders are due by Tuesday at 10am. They deliver and host pick-ups on Fridays. Offering free delivery to all local orders above $200. Use your meal within 4 days.
Heat & Serve: Meals arrive fully prepared and refrigerated. Heating instructions and sommelier notes included.
Interested in renting the studio?
The Studio is a spacious artist loft with a Parisian feel - and serious cool girl vibes - located in the North Loop Minneapolis. It’s ideal for meals of 12-30 people, with fee of $175 per guest. It’s also available without food for photoshoots, meetings, and pop ups.
Interested? Booking is easy!
Fill out this Paris Dining Club Form and they will respond to confirm available dates and details!
You can email Jamie with any questions jamie@parisdiningclub.com
Photography by Eliesa Johnson and Isabel Subtil