Luxurious caviar food composition for gourmet dining and culinary concepts.
PARIS — The address is legendary and has been synonymous with elegance for 104 years. At number 18 Boulevard Latour Maubourg, in Paris’s 7th arrondissement, it’s as if ghosts from the past have resurfaced in front of the barely changed facade of the caviar distributor Petrossian.
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Drawn from the archives for our appointment, the black and white photos conjure up memories and silhouettes from another era: mustached men in long overcoats, with women wearing fur coats on their arms. They all flock to Petrossian as if to a place of pleasure and sensuality. Behind the memories, the same story can be savored again and again: that of a caviar with an inimitable taste and a desirable image.
In the space of a century, Petrossian, the courageous company born of the beating heart of the Armenian community, has become a veritable institution. Mikael Petrossian, the company’s young head, welcomes us into his office and cannot resist the temptation to delve into the family history.
“A true epic which started in the 1920s when the brothers Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian had the idea to introduce the French to sturgeon eggs.” The two brothers were the first to introduce caviar to France. The rest is history. The success experienced by the Petrossian family exceeded all expectations.
In the France of the time, which was fastidious when it came to gastronomy and still not very forgiving of new faces determined to make their mark, caviar succeeded in establishing itself — a first feat— and even conquered the most refined palates.
The symbolic power of food remains, much to the delight of the Petrossian dynasty.
Years later, as fashions change, crowned heads come and go and sometimes even fall, the symbolic power of food remains, much to the delight of the Petrossian dynasty. Over the years, the house has kept with the times, changing with generations, moving from wild caviar to farmed caviar and from traditional methods to exceptional know-how.
In the meantime, the industry has largely transformed, almost disappearing and then becoming aware of its fragility. In France, China, Israel, Bulgaria and as far afield as Uruguay, Petrossian had to find partner farms with which to work on its high-end standard.
Customised caviar
That strategy is paying off. In 2024, more than ever, top chefs put their trust in the brand. What's more, at Petrossian they create their ideal selection, tasting and testing until they find the flavors that will be served at their tables. Petrossian has a number of prestigious loyalists: Anne-Sophie Pic, David Toutain, Emmanuel Renaut and Adeline Grattard. All Michelin-starred, all acclaimed by gourmets and connoisseurs alike.
Take Danielle Zaslavsky, a self proclaimed “caviar connoisseur.”
But while it continues to be acclaimed by the finest chefs, caviar has conquered a completely different terrain: the virtual world and social media. Just open Instagram and TikTok. At first sight, these were counterintuitive new spaces for sturgeons, belugas and their cousins. But that was without the ability of a few influencers to advertise caviar, and especially its luxury dimension, to their followers.
Take Danielle Zaslavsky. A self proclaimed “caviar connoisseur,” she posts cleverly orchestrated clips of her tastings in between videos of her daily looks and make-up sessions. The result: almost 10 million views from the very first one posted online.
“For most people, caviar is unfamiliar or very intimidating,” Zaslavsky says, “Lots of people think it’s extremely expensive, and have been taught to only eat it on special occasions. I’m trying to educate my followers, to make caviar more universal and to show that there are very affordable entry prices.”
Her strategy that is not completely innocent: behind her viral videos is the family business Marky’s, which the “queen of caviar” promotes. The business was created in 1983 in Florida by Mark Zaslavsky, a Russian émigré — and the young woman’s father. Two birds, one stone.
The gateway to caviar
In a curious turn of events, the virtual world has become the new gateway to caviar.
Mikael Petrossian confirms this trend, saying “Internet presence has become key. We’re seeing a real ‘web to store’ phenomenon. In concrete terms, people consult the website, find out about prices and products and already have their shopping list ready when they come to the shop. It’s then up to us to advise them. The web takes the fear out of crossing the threshold of our shops."
The visibility of caviar on Instagram and TikTok creates desire and high expectations among consumers.
For Adeline Glibota, deputy Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Le Chef and creator of successful podcast “Girls in Food,” both sociologically and gastronomically speaking, “there is a clear gap between caviar, a luxury product of excellence, and social media, the ultimate mass media."
She says "the visibility of caviar on Instagram and TikTok creates desire and high expectations among consumers. This can sometimes cause disappointment because the proliferation of players on the caviar market segments the offer, ranging from the highest-end to very mediocre products.”
The caviar bandwagon
Nevertheless, more than truffle, lobster or foie gras, caviar has become a tool for “upgrading” a dish or a menu, for breaking the sound barrier and, above all, for inflating the bill.
“Today, the temptation is to use caviar just for the sake of it, for the luxury. But when you put caviar on a dish, you have to feel it. Otherwise it’s just an artifice," says the young Michelin-starred chef Omar Dhiab
Eric Fréchon, the multi-starred chef who welcomes us to his office in the spectacular kitchens of Paris's Hôtel Bristol, observes that “In a way, social media has turned our idea of caviar on its head. Just 20 or 30 years ago, caviar didn’t have much of a presence at all. Today, we can find it everywhere.”
In his view, this evolution is in response to consumer demand as well as current aesthetics: “In terms of image, caviar is effective both in photos and on a plate. It has its own photogenic, striking effect,” Fréchon says.
Caviar’s presence alone has the ability to elevate a dish.
More and more restaurants are jumping on the caviar bandwagon. “In New York, I even saw some in a dumpling restaurant,” says Mikael Petrossian, “The hipsters want it. It’s prawn dumplings with the possibility of adding caviar for $58.”
The same trend is seen in France. When she opened Golden Poppy, her first French address, superstar chef Dominique Crenn immediately offered banana pancakes drizzled with caramel and topped with sturgeon eggs. It’s a combination that’s as effective as it is confusing, and one that was highly commented on online.
For Le Chef's Glibota, “Caviar’s presence alone has the ability to elevate a dish, to move it into the world of luxury and haute gastronomy, whether it’s combined with simple ingredients or added to an already sophisticated dish."
Black gold
A marker of exceptionality and of special occasion, black gold continues to fascinate us. But could its overexposure risk more harm than good?
For Fréchon, “Making caviar more accessible is a good thing.” As long as it doesn’t affect quality. “It allows consumers to discover and have access to caviar without necessarily breaking the bank.” But Fréchon cautions, “The main risk is overproduction. China, Madagascar, Italy, Thailand and other countries are flooding the market with low prices and low-quality products that are caviar in name only. By making consumers believe that caviar is affordable, we are fooling them!”
We are trying to revive the Parisian spirit while adding a resolutely modern touch.
In the kitchen, against the backdrop of the product's Instagram status, a new generation is working on caviar and giving it a new lease of life. Opposite the Madeleine in Paris, in the Art Nouveau rooms of the restaurant Lucas Carton, the genius chef Hugo Bourny is at work. Having passed through the teams of Arnaud Donckele, Anne-Sophie Pic and Hélène Darroze, this young Michelin-starred chef with a sure hand has set about offering caviar in a jewel case.
He uses caviar to enhance leeks grown in the Val-d'Oise region, to enhance crab cakes from the Brittany coast or to garnish fried potatoes with diced beef. “We are pursuing a threefold objective: to revive the Parisian spirit that is so characteristic of this address, while adding a resolutely modern touch that is firmly rooted in the times. And then there's the desire to help our customers discover or rediscover caviar. Patiently, with our know-how, our enthusiasm and our passion,” Bourny says.
To achieve this, he has at least two lethal weapons: a breathtaking 5-course all-caviar menu (300 euros) and a "young people" discovery offer aimed at the under-35s (4 courses for 150 euros). A taste of purity and exuberance or, in Gen Z language, the thrill of #oldmoney and #caviarTok.
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