Fulgurances, Laundromat Opens in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

After five years flourishing in Paris, Fulgurances brings its chef residency program to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Like the Parisian original, New York's Fulgurances, Laundromat will be an incubator for young international chefs who've worked in some of the world's most exciting kitchens but not yet opened their own. Each chef resident will take over as executive chef for their 3-to-6 month term at the 34-seat Greenpoint restaurant. The first Fulgurances, Laundromat chef resident will be Chilean Victoria Blamey (Gotham Bar & Grill, Chumley's) fresh off her residency at Blue Hill Stone Barns. Victoria will offer a 5 to 6 course prix-fixe for $80, with an optional wine pairing for $50.

Since its inception in 2015, Fulgurances founders Hugo Hivernat, Rebecca Asthalter and Sophie Cornibert have scouted the culinary talent of tomorrow, offering up-and-coming chefs the opportunity to shine. Similar to an artistic residency, Fulgurances gives budding culinary talent the keys to the kitchen and the staff support to execute their vision, without the administrative and financial complication of opening a restaurant from scratch. At Fulgurances L'Adresse, in Paris' 11th Arrondissement, the owners have tapped chefs such as Mexican Mariana Villegas (Pujol, Cosme, Union Square Café); Australian Sebastian Myers (Chiltern Firehouse, Viajente, P. Franco); Israeli Tamir Nahmias (Frenchie, Yam'Tcha, Adar) and others who have gone on to helm their own successful projects. The team is so good at curating talent that their loyal Parisian clientele returns for each new chef resident to experience L'Adresse anew, knowing that Fulgurances' hospitality and wine credo remain a throughline.

To that end, Pierre Buffet, one of Fulgurances, Laundromat partners, is also the wine director and oversees the French-leaning wine program that consists of producers who the team knows personally, including some offerings available exclusively there in New York. All wines poured at Fulgurances are farmed organically (though not necessarily certified as such), with zero or very low sulfites. And Fulgurances, Laundromat will also feature bottles from promising American natural wine producers.

With her experiences cooking at international restaurants such as Mugaritz, ABaC, The Vineyard, Corton, and Atera, not to mention overseeing the gastronomic reinvention of New York City's historic dive Chumley's and Greenwich Village institution Gotham Bar & Grill, Chilean chef Victoria Blamey epitomizes the Fulgurances paradigm.

Conceived of by Brooklyn design firm Re-a.d., Fulgurances, Laundromat retains original details from its prior incarnation such as tin ceiling, raw brick and the LAUNDROMAT exterior signage, coupled with contemporary sconces by Parisian studio Ovalum, custom tiles by Atelier Zelig, vintage chandeliers from Hudson's Far Out Finds and custom wood by Adrian Dentzel at Atelier 80 built locally by Brian Welch at Where Good Things Are Made. "We used natural materials throughout the space as much as possible to echo the passion of a chef for simple ingredients that come alive when put together," says the Re-a.d. design team.

Born in 2010 with an event called "Les seconds sont les premiers" (the seconds are the firsts), which invited a sous chef to cook a dinner for 70 guests for the first time under his own name, 'Fulgurances' has stood for a transversal and pluridisciplinary approach to cooking, as a culinary events agency, its magazine, which features both emerging chefs and photographers, and its chef residency program.

"For Fulgurances, cooking is about being open to the world, so it was only natural to extend this adventure to New York." - Rebecca Asthalter, Co-Owner

FULGURANCES, LAUNDROMAT is located at 132 Franklin St., Brooklyn, NY, 11222. Call 347-223-4106 or visit fulgurances.com. Follow in social media @fulgurances_laundromat_nyc

Photo Credit: Colby Edwards

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