Gabrielle de Villoutreys

The taste of surprise

By Laurence Jacquet

Responsible food, natural wines, visual and musical arts: immersive concoctions in original locations. At the helm is Gabrielle de Villoutreys, who created Goodis Pop Up, an experiential culinary events agency. It’s a new project for this enthusiast, who started out in the music business. In 2006, she founded Les Plages Electroniques in Cannes. As artistic director for the international event, she travels around the world to music festivals to meet artists and discover new sounds. “I’m Swedish and from the Côte d’Azur, so I’m used to flitting between cultures! Then, from 2017, after she moved to California, Gabrielle co-organised the American version of the Mutek festival (digital arts & electro music) in San Francisco. But another project was taking shape. “The city is a unique culinary capital that brings together cuisines and chefs from all over the world, both in terms of street food and haute cuisine. The concept of “fusion cuisine” actually originates there. At the time, I lived on a farm where we made cider. I soon became passionate about food and tastes.” In 2021, back in Europe, she enrolled at the University of Gastronomic Sciences – a pioneer of the slow food movement – in Italian Piedmont and left with a master’s degree in Wine Culture. “I did the harvest, visited vineyards, assisted a sommelier… and finally organised my first ‘pop-up dinner’in a castle. It was a revelation! I really wanted to bring creative talents together for an experience based on taste, wine and design.” With Goodis Pop Up, Gabrielle invites chefs, decorators and artists to create amazing themed dinners in atypical places (art galleries, beaches, perfumery, monuments, etc.) for brands or individuals.

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