We met Tristan Laffontas, founder of Club MoiChef. The most selective club for gastronomy enthusiasts. His high standards and his commitment to producers amazed us. More than a club, a true inspiring model !
Hello Tristan, you are the founder of MoiChef, could you introduce yourself in one sentence?
My name is Tristan Laffontas and I am the founder of a club of gastronomy enthusiasts.
You mention promoting the work of handmade artisans for almost 10 years. Can you tell us more about what motivated you to create Club Moichef and how this idea was born?
At the beginning, 9 years ago to be precise, I created MoiChef which was a very high-end gourmet box, in which we put products used by very great chefs and we delivered these boxes to our customers, who could cook the recipes of these great chefs at home. For example, we made the box of Michel Guérard, Guy Savoy, Yannick Alléno, Alexandre Couillon, Alexandre Mazzia, lots of very big names. The club was born a little over 4 years ago now, following the observation that this work of the box did not allow me to sufficiently promote the work of these producers. And above all, I had to, it's how the boxes work, to negotiate the price with them. And that didn't suit me at all because the more I evolved, the more I met people who sometimes had great difficulty making ends meet and I wasn't at all comfortable with the idea of negotiating prices with them. As a result, I created the club with an economic model which has nothing to do with it and which allows me to create value for everyone, particularly for these producers who have earned close to 2 million euros since we created the club.
You're talking about highlighting the Great Producers every month through articles, videos and even live performances from their farms. How do you choose these producers and what are your criteria for highlighting them ?
To choose producers, there are several different channels. Firstly, it's been almost 10 years, so obviously I've met a lot of people, especially during my tour of France in a van that I did for 1 year, meeting these producers and artisans. Already at the time I met a lot of people, but on top of that, we are a club of food enthusiasts, so there are more than 600 members who also sometimes give us tips on great producers to meet. In the team, there is Côme de Cherisey, my partner who is the former CEO of Gault & Millau. I'll let you imagine that he has a lot of network. Also Stéphane Méjanès, gastronomic journalist for over 12 years, who knows everyone. Indeed, it helps to find producers.
Over the years, to what extent has the demand for your club evolved ?
In 10 years, the company has evolved a lot, especially through our economic model where we tried to find something very fair in which we only get paid with the contributions of our members and we do not take any commission at all on the sales that we make, which is not a very trivial economic model, but it allows us to move towards a model that is much fairer and much more readable. That is to say, when I highlight people who work well, for example like OSCO. People know that I have nothing to gain since I don't make a cent on these sales. Which allows me to sometimes insist heavily on members and tell them : frankly buy it because it's really great. They know that I have nothing to gain when I say that, it's even the other way around, it makes a little more work for us when there are a little more orders.
As the founder of Moichef, what are the main values that you want to transmit to your members?
I don't know if I want to say that I want to transmit values to the members of the club, because they are grown up, they have the values they want and it is not up to me to tell them what values to have. On the other hand, what I try to send as a message regularly and through the producers and artisans that we highlight in the club, is everything that is around the ecological approach. For example, eating less meat, we perhaps don't say it enough yet, but eating less meat is important and we can eat less but much better, of much better quality, from time to time. Or also, I try a lot to highlight the social values of the club, especially when we highlight producers who are on the other side of the world. It happens even if most are in France, obviously. It's very important for me to spend time there to understand how people work and to be sure that we are not in a form of child exploitation, or exploitation of women compared to men or things like that. These are messages that I distill little by little and I hope that it has an impact on the members but also on all the people who listen to us.
Are you visiting each of the producers you recommend on the platform ?
Yes, indeed, I will meet each of the producers that we highlight in the club. This was not always the case, since we were created just before Covid, so I might as well tell you that for a period, we were not able and we had to be content with creating Instagram lives on their exploitation. But now, it's been more than 2 years since I met all the producers and artisans that we highlight in the club. I spent a lot of time with them, I have this luxury of really spending a lot of time. Typically, I'm leaving tomorrow evening for Ethiopia to see a new artisan producer who is there !
At OSCO, we create alcohol-free aperitifs with character that enhance winemaking know-how. How do you think these drinks could fit into the gastronomic universe that you promote with Moichef ?
OSCO is in line with many of the values that I personally hold. To begin with, there is another reality which is a little hard to hear in a club like ours : alcohol is not good for your health, there is no minimum dose, we all know that but we want to hide it from ourselves, because we love good wine. However, it's important to remember it and say it to yourself, and deal with it, and that doesn't mean you have to stop drinking, but the recommendation is not to drink. OSCO, you help us to move in this direction obviously and you help us very well because you do it with a product which is of very good quality and which fits with other values that I have in the club, it is these values of transparency, especially in the list of ingredients that are in your products. There are a lot of products that are riding this alcohol-free wave in which there are lots of chemical flavorings that potentially have a good taste. I would be the first to be fooled, but when I read the list of ingredients, it doesn't make me dream at all and these are not the kind of products that I want to highlight in the club. Then, the last point is the valorization that you make of a product which is too little valorized I think today in France, which is verjuice. I think it's an excellent idea, particularly because it helps French producers and also because it's extremely good and it brings acidity and pep to your product.
Did you know about verjuice? What does that inspire you?
Yes, I already knew about verjuice, because I have family who are in the world of wine in Muscadet and also because there are still a few chefs, not many, but there are some who use verjuice to bring this touch of acidity, of pep to their dish, so that's how I discovered it. Despite everything, it's still rare that I come across a verjuice.
For an aperitif, what do you recommend ?
When someone asks me for advice for aperitifs, I already answer that I am not necessarily the best person to answer because my expertise lies mainly in the product and artisanal part. On the wine side, it’s another fairly complex project. But what I like to answer is to direct people towards a cider, because it is not a very sexy product by default even though there are exceptional ciders. I find that it is much easier to make a mistake with a wine than to make a mistake with a cider if you follow 2 or 3 basic rules. In particular look for a pure juice, do not go for a cider, because “cider” has nothing to do with it. We can put sugar, we can put lots of things in it and then possibly if there is no addition of CO2, that can be a good indicator too. So, we can make mistakes less easily and if we really go to the very good ones, I'm thinking of Maison Hérout or Jacques Perritaz for example from the Cidrerie du Vulcain, for 20/30 euros we have atomic bombs ! What they do is awesome !
If someone offers you a non-alcoholic cocktail, what do you say ?
If someone offers me a non-alcoholic cocktail for an aperitif, I answer : why not, but what’s in it ? I'm always happy to discover something new. When I opened OSCO, I was super happy. There are evenings when I want to drink alcohol, even though I just said earlier that I know that alcohol is bad for your health. But alternate from time to time and do something a little softer, I love it !
A place where you would like to share a glass of OSCO ?
A place where I want to have a great evening, I know there will be good food, a good meal, why not in a restaurant, and where I know I can't drink because I have to drive. I would be very happy if OSCO was there.
An address to discover, what is your little HQ ?
I advise you to go to the Annex. I don't know if it's a good idea because I don't want too many people to go there, but the Annex, located at 15 rue Chaptal, 75009 Paris, is great ! It's historic, it's been there for a very long time, it's a family affair with the father in the kitchen and the son in the dining room. If you want to eat a veal chop with morels that arrives in a cast iron pan, placed on a pedestal table next to your table, frankly, this is the place to go ! It's a very traditional cuisine, but very well executed, with lots of beautiful bottles.
What are your news ? Any new projects coming up ?
Yes, I have lots of new projects, it never stops. The biggest project is a name change. That's why I haven't said it too much since the beginning, now I only talk about Club because I'm in the transition phase between Club MoiChef, which is the old name, and the new name that we just submitted to the INPI. I can't reveal it yet because I'm missing 2, 3 things to check, but it's a big project for us. We've been called MoiChef for 9 years, the MoiChef box, the MoiChef Club. This no longer really makes sense today because MoiChef is me becoming a chef, I will be able to cook products in my kitchen, it's not exactly that anymore ! Now, we are much more of a community, it is more around “us”, “them”, the producers and artisans that we put forward. So, we wanted to change our name, it's a bit scary, I won't hide it from you, and I don't know yet how long I'll continue to say the old name, but it's a big project. And then, beyond that, we have 10,000 projects for the year, but subscribe to our newsletter on our site and you will discover all that.
Would you like to try an OSCO tonic ? What do you think about it ? - Tasting
Downright !
Wow, incredible nose already ! There are lots of plants, it's so good. That's what I have to tell people, it's really very good, it's a real joy. It's not to replace alcohol, it's a very pleasant drink in its own right, it's so good, really well done !
It’s great, I’m such a fan !
The final word ?
If you want to follow me, while waiting for the transition, go follow my personal account : @tristanlaf
Photo credits : Jenni Johnson