About Chef Justin Kent, owner of Zia and Picnics in Paris
From the Chef: I began working at L’Arpege, the 3 Michelin star restaurant in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris when we moved here from Colorado in 2011. I was inspired by the beautiful, abundant produce that Chef Alain Passard grew in his own gardens. It was a huge learning experience for me, working in the Michelin world, seeing how important the commitment to high quality, fresh ingredients is.
After working at L’Arpege, I went on to work at Agape Substance by David Toutain, and Restaurant Verjus. Both restaurants focused on seasonal ingredients with the chefs putting their unique view on them.
From there I launched a private catering service and Picnics in Paris, delivering gourmet picnics to tourists and locals throughout the city. The idea of Picnics in Paris started with my wife Lindsey of Pictoursparis.com. She asked if I would be willing to cater a picnic for a client at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. We created an intimate, gourmet picnic that they enjoyed during a warm summer sunset. From there Picnics in Paris was born and over three years we provided many couples and families with memorable picnics.
I’ve always wanted to own my very own restaurant. Something casual but elevated, with great food and coffee to go with it. We decided to open Zia near the Eiffel Tower so we could still offer the gourmet picnics to go. The restaurant opened its doors on January 4, 2017, and we hope you visit the website for Zia and we hope to see you for breakfast, lunch or brunch one day soon!
Stay awesome! ~ Chef Justin Kent