Zuri Camille de Souza
The French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici launches a residency for culinary experimentation and creation from January 2022. The culinary residency is part of a new programme of the French Academy of Rome that, for the first time since its creation, invites a chef to occupy its kitchens for the duration of the residency.
This residency focuses on the themes of sustainable development in the catering sector, awareness of eco-gastronomy and alternative consumption, zero waste and food know-how. In this context, the chef is invited to develop a culinary project during his/her residency: creation of menus for the cafeteria of the Villa Medici, workshops involving artists, creators and researchers hosted by the residency, and dinners for guests composed of creative and innovative dishes with organic and fair trade ingredients.
As part of this first residency, the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici is delighted to welcome chef Zuri Camille de Souza.
Her inspiration stems from her childhood spent in southwestern India. Born to parents of different regions and religions, a Catholic father from Kenya and Goa and a Hindu mother from Pune and Bombay, it is through food that she explores her identity.
For Zuri Camille de Souza:
“Cooking is a way of paying homage to my family, to all the love my grandmother put into the dishes she prepared, to the walks I used to take with my father to compare dishes from neighbourhood food stalls, to my mother explaining that the best cake batter resembles wet sand from the beach, and to my brother, who was enthusiastic about perfecting each new recipe he discovered.
Having lived in Maine, the United States, Istanbul, Turkey, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Jericho, Palestine, Bombay, India, and currently in Marseille, France, I realise that my fondest memories are of the food, the meals I have shared, the impromptu dinners and the fun I have had discovering new flavours.
My goal as a chef is to transmit these emotions to others, through revitalising, stimulating and comforting dishes“.
For Zuri Camille de Souza, cooking is also a meditation, an end-of-summer dance, an endless challenge. It is a love letter to nature and its abundance and a reminder of the need to rethink our relationship with ecology.
Blending his expertise in permaculture, ecology and design with his work as a chef, he founded Sanna Marseille, a catering service for plant-based cuisine.
The culinary residency was conceived thanks to the sponsorship of Laura Vidal and with the support of Laura Vidal and with the support of The Small Group, composed of : Paris Popup, La Mercerie Marseille, Chardon, Livingston Marseille, Harry Cummins and Julia Mitton.
