Today, Le Cordon Bleu Paris turns the spotlight on two ladies from North America and the Caribbean who have turned their passion for cooking into a true entrepreneurial adventure. Valérie, who hails from the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, and Canadian-born Megan, originally from Toronto, both left their careers in hospitality behind to embark on culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Their love of French cuisine prompted them to set up Sel Hospitalité, a boutique hospitality business specialising in tailor-made culinary experiences

Could you introduce yourself?
We're both expatriates living in France, originally from North America and the Caribbean. Valérie was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Megan is originally from Toronto, Canada. Valérie graduated as valedictorian of the Grand Diplôme programme, and Megan is a graduate of the Cuisine & Boulangerie programmes. Our paths first crossed when Megan enrolled on the Basic Pastry course, and we instantly struck up a friendship. We're both serial hostesses with a veritable passion and flair for French cuisine, and we launched our hospitality business, Sel Hospitalité, at the beginning of the year.

What is your professional background?
We both have backgrounds in corporate hospitality, but in different roles - Megan in marketing and brand development, and Valérie on the operational side of things. We both left our professional careers to pursue our culinary dreams in France.
Prior to moving to Paris, Megan was Director of Marketing for some of Canada's largest restaurant brands, ranging from casual dining establishments with over 70 locations to upscale restaurants in Toronto. In her final semester at the institute, she worked part-time for the upscale Parisian catering and events group, Potel & Chabot.
Valerie has extensive experience in high-end hospitality, having worked for the Mandarin Oriental and the Four Seasons in Miami and as Chief Operating Officer for NRG Group, a premium restaurant network located in Port-au-Prince. She also completed an internship at the historic 5-star Peninsula Hotel in Paris, where she worked alongside some of France's leading chefs.

Why did you choose to train at Le Cordon Bleu Paris?
Because it's Le Cordon Bleu Paris! Both of us have always been passionate about cooking, and the pandemic prompted us to take a step back and broaden our horizons. We decided that if we wanted to learn French cuisine, we ought to learn from the very best, in the country that is the world capital of gastronomy, France. We knew that if we decided to pursue a professional career after graduating, our clients would be international by nature and that studying at a globally acclaimed institute would give us the keys and credibility we needed to succeed.

How did the idea of setting up a business together come about?
We were lucky enough to find each other - we both realised very early on that if we were going to pursue a culinary adventure, we'd rather do it together than on our own. While we share many strengths, we also have our very own creative and professional skillsets that we each bring to the table, which makes us a more dynamic team. And on top of all that, being a two-woman team is basically a whole lot more fun!

What is Sel Hospitalité?
Our boutique hospitality business, Sel Hospitalité, specialises in tailor-made culinary experiences - each experience is specifically put together for each client. At Sel, we stretch the confines of the fine dining mould. We wear our personalities on our sleeves and believe in luxury culinary experiences that are more genuine and relaxed without compromising on refined food. Fine dining can be fun, and Sel was created with that in mind. Our main focus is on creating unique culinary experiences through our private catering services and workshops, but we also offer consultancy services that draw on our extensive experience in the multi-faceted hospitality world.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
We're very lucky in that we absolutely love what we do. Spending all day cooking together has to be one of the best parts of our job. A 15-hour day doesn't feel like a 15-hour day when you're rising to the challenge of putting together beautiful plates of food and it’s punctuated by endless fits of laughter! And when we welcome clients and are able to share that part of the experience with them, those are the moments we live for.

What part of your job do you find the hardest?
It's our very first year - doing everything for the first time is always difficult and takes more time because everything is new. We're learning as we go, building trust with our suppliers, meeting potential clients and constantly dealing with all the red tape that is part and parcel of being an entrepreneur. But that's all part of the process, and the progress you make as you keep moving forward is extremely rewarding.


What are your plans for the future?
For the time being, we're focusing on developing our Private Chef services and our workshops, and we're particularly keen to start organising larger workshops. It’s something we hope to do in our second and third years, but that’s all we can say for the moment! We’re right at the very start of our adventure.

What advice would you give future students?
Don't let the boundaries of the traditional path to gastronomic success define what you can do - it may sound clichéd, but the possibilities are basically endless. As long as you have the drive and determination to put in the hours, and are comfortable feeling uncomfortable, you’ll have no problem carving out your own path.