Julien Allano X Julien Emery: a chef, a craftsman, a collab

In March 2024, Julien Allano embarked on a new adventure. After many years at Le Clair de la Plume in Grignan, the chef opened his first restaurant, JU - Maison de Cuisine (3 toques), in Bonnieux. A long-term project, Julien Allano thought through every detail, right down to the design of his furniture. And to say the least, Julien Emery and Allano found each other! The latter, who runs Mobilier Singulier near Valence, made her tables, some lighting fixtures and a magnificent countertop in French wood. The two men tell us more about their collaboration.

You didn't know each other before your collaboration. How did you come into contact with each other?

Julien Allano: It all started with Adeline Cathelin of Studio Mo-Mo. She heard I was opening a restaurant and sent me a message on Instagram saying she had a great network of artisans and that if I was interested, I could give her a call.

Julien Emery: I do indeed work regularly with Adeline, and it's a great pleasure to work with restaurateurs, as we often share the same taste for tailor-made creations. With Julien, things were very straightforward from the start.

How did your collaboration start?

J.E.: My team and I went straight to the restaurant at the start of the project. We spent a lot of time there to get to grips with this atypical place, with its vaults, its stones, its sometimes cramped rooms... Julien showed us a few inspirations, and we drew everything up from there. Of course, the project evolved over time, with technical constraints, but everything was fluid.

J.A.: Julien is someone with great taste. He's quite introverted, he thinks and internalizes a lot, but all of a sudden, he'll come up with his idea, his solution, and come up with all the answers!

What pieces have emerged from this collaboration?

J.E.: With my team, we made the tables, counter and lighting fixtures, all in French walnut, near Grenoble. Julien wanted wood that looked like wood... It sounds silly when you say it like that, but we needed wood with contrasting colors, on which you could feel the grain, while at the same time creating silky-smooth tables.

J.A.: I didn't really know Julien's work, but I trusted Adeline, who coordinates everything. Mobilier Singulier's approach matched my values. At all costs, I wanted French wood, transformed by French craftsmen! Julien and his team made it happen!

Florian Domergue

Julien Allano, in your "down to earth" approach to recycling, you even used wood scraps in the kitchen. Can you tell us more about that?

J.A. : I remember the moment I had the idea. It was raining, I was in the car on the way back from the workshop, and I saw all these wood shavings that were going to go to waste. I thought they absolutely had to be used in the kitchen, for the wink of an eye, but also for the gustatory aspect of course. I use them to smoke vegetables, sauces, fish... I've had the equivalent of 400 liters of wood shavings thanks to this!

Julien Emery, has a chef ever asked you for something like this before?

J.E. : Absolutely not (laughs)! Julien's ideas are a bit crazy, but coherent. He really has a gift for telling stories and bringing a unique project to life. It all makes sense because Julien has created a real bond with my team. He hosted two of my carpenters for several days, lodging and feeding them, so they could take the time to create everything and fine-tune every detail to the reality of the restaurant. It really made a lot of sense in our creative business.

What were the advantages and disadvantages of this collaboration?

J.A.: For my part, I've seen nothing but advantages. It's been a real pleasure, very easy from start to finish. I found myself very much at home in their work, their way of doing things, their great rigor and finesse. If I had to start all over again, I'd do exactly the same thing!

J.E.: I felt a great deal of mutual trust right from the start of the project, and that was really nice. It was quite a lot of pressure, because it was a big project for us and we really wanted to live up to his expectations. We could do something simpler, faster, with fewer constraints... But without the passion that drives us, it wouldn't have the same flavor! And the big plus is that we've been invited to eat at the restaurant's inauguration!