The highly anticipated opening of Printemps, a French luxury retailer known for its financial district, will not only offer the latest haute couture, but also fine cuisine from a top queen-born chef.
After spending the past 17 years on the West Coast, Gregory Gardet returned to New York and won three James Beard Awards for French-style fees that attracted Haitian roots.
“It's great to be back,” Gourdet told Side Dish in an exclusive interview.
“I love fashion and started my career at a fine French restaurant along with my Haitian heritage. That really makes sense.”
Gourdet oversees five food and drink hotspots on the second floor of Printemps. This means spring in French and will officially open on Thursday at Wall Street Skyscraper, the first day of spring.
The department store features Maison Passerel, a luxury restaurant with an all-day cafe, champagne bar and raw bar, and its 85-seat restaurant with its own entrance to Broadway.
Touted as the opening of New York's largest retail and restaurant since Hudson Yard's founding, Shopping Mecca hopes to revitalize a major hit in the neighborhood due to the work-from-home phenomenon following the Covid pandemic.
During the soft opening on Tuesday, 37-year-old Kayley O'Malley and her friend Kiera Elliott, 28, were among those who leapt into a stylish champagne bar. The pair were celebrating Elliot's upcoming marriage.
“We shop in the window, shop in weddings, drink in alcohol,” said O'Malley, who lives in Fidy. “Everyone gives this area a hard time. It was a very commuter, but it's starting to gain personality. I hope this helps. [the area] It'll get better. ”
Elliott, who lives near Battery City, added:
“SIP and Shop” destinations also include places where you can roam your champagne bar cart and hold expensive flutes in each dressing room.
“What we're doing here is really special. It's a fashion, food and drink/hospitality experience, and all of those pieces interact very well with each other,” said Gurdet, who started working for the world-acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongelichten, who was honoured by the Michelin star.
“I walk around drinking champagne while I'm shopping. This is perfect. I also eat oysters and shrimp cocktails on the other side of the space. I think it's cool.”
Along with Maison Passerrell, which will open in April, Printemps features Café Jalu, a 25-seat all-day restaurant.
It offers fresh juices, Viennoiserie, and pastries, including many gluten and dairy-free options.
“We want this to be everyone's favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood. The coffee is great. We have pastries, croissants, and we also have lunch and afternoon crowds,” Gourdet says.
On the second floor there is also Salon Vert, a live bar with 32 seats. Gourdet adds Haitian green condiments to Oyster Mignonettes.
Near the store's spa and beauty treatment area, the champagne bar also offers zero-proof options, mocktails and green juices.
Behind the Maison Passerle is the Red Room Bar, a 25-seat cocktail lounge where Goudette serves cocktails, mocktails and small bites.
The red room bar is adjacent to the Red Room, which is also the city's latest interior landmark, designated in June.
It features double-height windows, a 33-foot-high ceiling, and walls of red ombré and gold mosaics created by the famous 20th century mural Hildreth Meière.
The interior of the building is by Paris-based architect Laura Gonzalez.
Funded by Qatar's Olympe Investment, Printemps is a high-rise building designed by Ralph Walker, covering 55,000 square feet.
The landmarked limestone-covered tower, built in 1931, was originally the headquarters of Irving Trust.
It features a luxury residential condominium by developer Harry Macklowe. He goes to the bank saying that department store openings will help turn home sales.
Having “food and drinks are seamlessly integrated into the store” is part of a statement by Jean-Marc Bellaiche, CEO of Printemps Group, which is part of what makes Printemps in New York unique.
