Le Petit Paris: Wednesday, August 25, 1993 Columbia Daily Tribune

For an upcoming special occasion, you can hire your own personal French chef to prepare a six-course meal in your own home.

image of Philippe in kitchen JEFFERSON CITY —The pungent aroma of freshly sautéed garlic still hangs heavy as chef Philippe Habassi meticulously arranges steamed asparagus, yellow squash and snow peas in a semicircular pattern. Next, he adds a new potato carved in the likeness of a wooden shoe and filled with caviar before spooning a rich, peppercorn sauce over the tender filet.

Orange slices and a cherry tomato topped with melted Swiss cheese sitting in the cap of a mushroom complete the enticing display.

But before he's ready to take the ornate plate into the adjoining dining room, he gingerly lays a single stalk of chives across the filet and exclaims, "Voila."

The French-trained chef doesn't miss a detail.

Whether it's the sprig of mint that adorns the whiskey pear sorbet served in a hollowed out pear half, or the French music playing in the background, he's thought of it.

A view of the Eiffel Tower and an after-dinner stroll down the Champs Elysees is about all that's missing.

There is no doubt that if Habassi could transport the famed sites of Paris across the Atlantic Ocean to the Heartland, he would. He tries to make his guests' dining experience as authentically French as possible, and all without leaving the comfort of their homes.

Nine months ago, 31-year-old Habassi started Paris Company, whereby he rents himself out as a personal French chef. He travels to people's homes throughout Mid-Missouri usually with two hefty coolers of food and equipment and a large tackle box for culinary accessories such as knives, tongs and can-openers.

The personal, table-side service appeals to Habassi's gregarious nature.

"I like to talk to people," says Habassi in his lilting French accent. "In a restaurant, you don't have the time to talk to the people."

Philippe with customers Habassi, who was born in Tunisia and moved to Paris at age 6, grew up in his family's restaurant. Under the tutelage of his father, he learned to cook. He augmented those skills with classes from the famed Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. As a teen, he shunned a career as a chef, but by the time he reached his 20s, he recognized the potential of the occupation.
Habassi ended up in Mid-Missouri after he came to visit a friend in Columbia in 1989. He worked as the bakery chef at the Holiday Inn Executive Center and then part-time baking French bread for Gerbes before he married and moved to Jefferson City to open his own restaurant, Chez Monet. That restaurant now belongs to his former wife.

Since he began his fledgling business, Paris Company, he's done romantic dinners for two all the way to a dinner party for 16.

Although going into people's homes to cook requires him to drag along a ton of equipment and food and fumble through cabinets and drawers to find such things as matches or a glass plate, Habassi says he adapts easily to other people's kitchens.

"It's habit now. Little, big ones —whatever the kitchen is,"

In the case of the Mackies' kitchen, where he cooked a six-course meal for the Jefferson City couple's 25th wedding anniversary, the only drawback was their electric stove. Habassi prefers gas stoves.

But it didn't seem to affect his culinary skills —at least not in the eyes of the Mackies.

"Outstanding presentation, and the meal was just marvelous," Bill Mackie says, "Better than wonderful."

Jefferson City attorney Ron McMillin has had Habassi cook several times.

"It's a total eating experience," says McMillin. "The best thing about it is it releases you as a host from having to stay in the kitchen, and it has a certain novelty and certainly is no more expensive than going out to dinner."

Habassi's menus range in price from $40 to $80 per person. His suggested menus include such dishes as mussels with garlic and cheese swan puffs. Caesar salad made table side, French onion soup, lobster in cream sauce, cherries jubilee and handmade chocolate truffles.

Much of his enjoyment comes from the creative part of cooking. "A lot of my stuff is my creation," he says, giving as an example the idea to serve his pear sorbet in a pear.

Habassi plans to increase his clientele and has toyed with the idea of a cooking school and eventually opening his own French restaurant. But the restaurant idea is for down the road after he has introduced enough Mid-Missourians to French cuisine.

"I love my job," he says while whistling as he whips up another of his specialties, Tunisian coffee made with milk. "I feel like I'm home when I'm cooking."

Would you like to book a meal with Paris Company? Click here to learn more!

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Story by Olivia Mayer of the Tribune's staff, photos by Steve Harrison. Reprinted with permission from the Wednesday, August 25, 1993 ©Columbia Daily Tribune

	Table-Side Service
Where Magazine "Most Romantic Table 2001" Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Missouri "2001 Smoke Free Dining Award" The St. Louis Jewish Light "Restaurant of the Month" July 2000	For an upcoming special occasion, you can hire your own personal French chef to prepare a six-course meal in your own home. JEFFERSON CITY —The pungent aroma of freshly sautéed garlic still hangs heavy as chef Philippe Habassi meticulously arranges steamed asparagus, yellow squash and snow peas in a semicircular pattern. Next, he adds a new potato carved in the likeness of a wooden shoe and filled with caviar before spooning a rich, peppercorn sauce over the tender filet. Orange slices and a cherry tomato topped with melted Swiss cheese sitting in the cap of a mushroom complete the enticing display. But before he's ready to take the ornate plate into the adjoining dining room, he gingerly lays a single stalk of chives across the filet and exclaims, "Voila." The French-trained chef doesn't miss a detail. Whether it's the sprig of mint that adorns the whiskey pear sorbet served in a hollowed out pear half, or the French music playing in the background, he's thought of it. A view of the Eiffel Tower and an after-dinner stroll down the Champs Elysees is about all that's missing. There is no doubt that if Habassi could transport the famed sites of Paris across the Atlantic Ocean to the Heartland, he would. He tries to make his guests' dining experience as authentically French as possible, and all without leaving the comfort of their homes. Nine months ago, 31-year-old Habassi started Paris Company, whereby he rents himself out as a personal French chef. He travels to people's homes throughout Mid-Missouri usually with two hefty coolers of food and equipment and a large tackle box for culinary accessories such as knives, tongs and can-openers. The personal, table-side service appeals to Habassi's gregarious nature. "I like to talk to people," says Habassi in his lilting French accent. "In a restaurant, you don't have the time to talk to the people." Habassi, who was born in Tunisia and moved to Paris at age 6, grew up in his family's restaurant. Under the tutelage of his father, he learned to cook. He augmented those skills with classes from the famed Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. As a teen, he shunned a career as a chef, but by the time he reached his 20s, he recognized the potential of the occupation. Habassi ended up in Mid-Missouri after he came to visit a friend in Columbia in 1989. He worked as the bakery chef at the Holiday Inn Executive Center and then part-time baking French bread for Gerbes before he married and moved to Jefferson City to open his own restaurant, Chez Monet. That restaurant now belongs to his former wife. Since he began his fledgling business, Paris Company, he's done romantic dinners for two all the way to a dinner party for 16. Although going into people's homes to cook requires him to drag along a ton of equipment and food and fumble through cabinets and drawers to find such things as matches or a glass plate, Habassi says he adapts easily to other people's kitchens. "It's habit now. Little, big ones —whatever the kitchen is," In the case of the Mackies' kitchen, where he cooked a six-course meal for the Jefferson City couple's 25th wedding anniversary, the only drawback was their electric stove. Habassi prefers gas stoves. But it didn't seem to affect his culinary skills —at least not in the eyes of the Mackies. "Outstanding presentation, and the meal was just marvelous," Bill Mackie says, "Better than wonderful." Jefferson City attorney Ron McMillin has had Habassi cook several times. "It's a total eating experience," says McMillin. "The best thing about it is it releases you as a host from having to stay in the kitchen, and it has a certain novelty and certainly is no more expensive than going out to dinner." Habassi's menus range in price from $40 to $80 per person. His suggested menus include such dishes as mussels with garlic and cheese swan puffs. Caesar salad made table side, French onion soup, lobster in cream sauce, cherries jubilee and handmade chocolate truffles. Much of his enjoyment comes from the creative part of cooking. "A lot of my stuff is my creation," he says, giving as an example the idea to serve his pear sorbet in a pear. Habassi plans to increase his clientele and has toyed with the idea of a cooking school and eventually opening his own French restaurant. But the restaurant idea is for down the road after he has introduced enough Mid-Missourians to French cuisine. "I love my job," he says while whistling as he whips up another of his specialties, Tunisian coffee made with milk. "I feel like I'm home when I'm cooking." Would you like to book a meal with Paris Company? Click here to learn more! Return to Previous Story by Olivia Mayer of the Tribune's staff, photos by Steve Harrison. Reprinted with permission from the Wednesday, August 25, 1993 ©Columbia Daily Tribune	Would you like to learn some of Chef Philippe's secret recipes? Click on the following to learn how to make: Vegetarian Sandwich Philippe's Fresh Fruit Flambé Langouste Stuffed Crêpe Salade du Chef

Table-Side Service

For an upcoming special occasion, you can hire your own personal French chef to prepare a six-course meal in your own home.