The front of the restaurant Gumbo YaYa Southern Kitchen in Paris, France, invites diners who want a different culinary experience in the City of Light. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Special for Cronkite News)
PARIS – Food is sacred in Paris. From the way cafes make croissants differently to each brasserie’s take on steak and frites, the culinary scene in the City of Light is one of the most prestigious in the world. Yet tucked in a courtyard on the corner of Place du Colonel Fabien sits a restaurant that is one of a kind and has its roots in a culture far outside France’s borders.
The first soul food restaurant in Paris: Gumbo YaYa Southern Kitchen.
Located in Paris’s 10th District, Gumbo YaYa was started in 2015 by Afro Parisian chef Lionel Chauvel-Maga. In the near decade that followed, the spot received awards, grew into a passionate community, and attracted big names to its doors, including some of the biggest current stars in American music, including Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean and Lil Yachty.
After previously owning a deli-style restaurant in Paris, Chauvel-Maga used his travels to visit his family in the United States, specifically Macon, Georgia, to inspire his version of Southern comfort food. From there, he took his knowledge and opened the first comfort food eatery in Paris, named after the gumbo-like dish made popular by late chef Paul Prudhomme.
“He was thinking of something to do, then came up with the chicken and waffles,” Gumbo YaYa chef Vincent Ndenga said. “Then he created the burger, and we learned the recipe from there.”
Ndenga is one of three leading chefs in the kitchen, along with Lionel and two other assistant chefs. While his inspiration comes from kitchens in the southern United States, Chauvel-Maga has a natural passion for all things culinary.
A cook batters and fries chicken in the kitchen of Gumbo Yaya. The restaurant attracts locals but also popular hip hop artists. (Photo by Sydney Lovan/Special for Cronkite News)
“What is really striking about him is his love for food,” Gumbo YaYa server Maelle Adjovi said. “Sometimes he just goes in the back and cooks (random) things. That’s what he likes to do in life.”
The style of cooking has a rich history. The term “soul food” surfaced during the Civil Rights Movement as a way to honor the traditions of Africans who became Americans. It’s popularity continues to grow, including in Phoenix where Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles and others have developed loyal followings.
Gumbo YaYa’s kitchen is a small area, maybe big enough for three people to work at once. They also have an outdoor area where they prep sides and other secondary items, but the main course stays up front. The restaurant prepares sides like fries, potatoes, cornbread biscuits and drinks in the morning, Ndenga said.
The chicken and waffles are all made fresh for each customer. Gumbo YaYa cuts around 65 to 130 pounds of chicken every day. The pieces are coated in a mixture of flour and cornstarch and fried in boiling vegetable oil until done. Don’t worry, the recipe for the fried chicken isn’t a secret, but good luck finding out how they make their candied yams.
“Oh, the yams are good!” said Bianca Williams, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. “They’ll make you want to slap your mama.”
Williams was with her daughter and son-in-law for her wedding anniversary. The three were adamant that while they’ve tried this style of comfort food all over the South, they all agree there is something special about YaYa’s take on fried chicken.
“It’s thick but cooked thoroughly,” North Carolina native Toni Norton said. “It’s so different but so familiar, too, so it doesn’t feel like the French version of fried chicken. It’s just better.”
It’s no surprise that the restaurant attracts icons of American and French hip-hop culture. Chauvel-Maga has decorated the restaurant with faces and albums of stars from his favorite genre. The shop always plays songs from all ages of rap, whether it is from the early 90s’ 2Pac or The Game from the 2000s. Hip-hop is always in the air when eating at Gumbo YaYa.
The love for rap isn’t just among fans but also among artists. Many of the restaurant crew members are musicians and perform yearly at the restaurant’s block parties. Specifically, they’ll do shows during the Fabula Music Festival, a large celebration of music in the city, and the restaurant crew will organize a party where they perform.
“The crew is the reason why he came through,” Adjovi said. “We’re all artists. We all like music as well as fitting into that rap, urban culture.”
That combination of cooking and urban culture has driven Lionel to success and is pushing his passion forward at Gumbo YaYa.
“It’s not only about cooking for him, but it’s the whole dynamic of urban culture, Afro-American culture and Afro-culture in general,” Adjovi said.
All of his passions have built a very loyal following around the restaurant. A group of regulars go multiple times a week who are part of the rap artist culture Chauvel-Maga has created. The welcoming feeling is always there, whether it’s new or old customers. For Americans looking for food to remind them of home, or Parisians looking for a taste of the States, this is the place to be.