In Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, during the frantic last scene, one of the characters tries to create a diversion and yells, "Vive la vie de bohème!"

There was a bohemian spirit in Paris last week: a beautiful spring weather — can you believe a full week of bright blue sky? — each terrace full of beautiful people having their apéritif staring at 5pm. And each meeting happened around a table: a saucisse de Morteau with purée de pommes de terre with Sylvaine, a Lebanese mezé with Gisela and Rima, a cheese and meat plate with Fanny , a tartare with Dara, a tea with Stephane, candies with Sylvie, dim sum and baozi with Delphine, a brioche with Sabine, a croissant au beurre with Hugues, a wakame salad with Sara, a pièce montée made of choux à la crème with Stephen at Pascale and Albert’s marriage.

Every day was a food celebration.

I’m now back to New York City with a nice round belly — and an equally nice, round, and joyful spirit of celebration. So bohemian!

Just on time to invite you to celebrate another marriage, the union of Art and Food.

How the Sausage Gets Made

When I asked artist Stephen Morrison to title his new exhibition, he proposed this intriguing and fun one. If you’re familiar with Morrison’s work, you know that he transforms familiar baked goods, fruits, vegetables, and other everyday foods into uncanny dog-like forms. He has developed a playful visual language of “food dogs,” and this new exhibition debuts twelve additions to the growing pack — always with his signature blend of humor and surrealism.

So let’s party: you are cordially invited to the opening reception of Morrison’s exhibition, How the Sausage Gets Made, on Friday, May 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., at The Scion Project, 288 Smith Street, Brooklyn. It's a great occasion to discover this lovely place where The Invisible Dog has started a residency — its delicious coffee, its immense backyard, and the immense heart of its owner, Eric Caleron.

Admission is free, but please RSVP so I can plan how many drinks and little bites to prepare especially for you.

Ahmed Yacoubi’s Alchemist’s Cookbook

Moroccan artist Ahmed Yacoubi (1928 - 1985) also knew how to play with humor and surrealism: Soup to cure jealousy, If you are 64, this dish will make you younger, How to be gentle to your brain are some of the recipe titles of his famous cookbook published in 1972.

On Saturday May 31, from 11am to 6pm, we will celebrate Yacoubi during a special closing art-marathon day at Atelier Jolie as part of New-York Arab Festival.

Poetry, performance, and art from contemporary Arab artists, living and working in New York today will infuse all over 57 Great Jones street. There will be a cooking class, readings by actors and poets including Omar Berrada, Amr Kotb and Andrew Riad, screenings of video and film from across the Arab region, as well as fashion and design throughout the day. More will be announced soon.

And there will be food too.

On Saturday May 31, from 12 to 2.30pm, Eat Offbeat, the best home-cooking from around the world made by refugee chefs in NYC, has invited Moroccan Chef Rkia to prepare a Tagine station for the lunch- chicken or vegetarian options will be available - ready to be devoured on site.

Don’t wait to RSVP! We’re offering Festival Day Passes and Festival Day Pass + Lunch.

The Invisible Dog goes for a walk in France

I’ll be spending July and August in France — the longest I’ve been away from Brooklyn since my arrival 16 years ago — and I’m very very excited.
Director Mohamed El Khatib invited me to take part in his project in Avignon (July 7–13), where I’ll be cooking traditional Provençal recipes.

The rest of the time, I’ll probably be cooking a lot, reading a lot (about cuisine), hosting dinners — and lunching a little, and making a trip to the beach of course.
(I miss Coney Island already)!

I’m (still) a bit available for other — yet-to-be-imagined — projects: if you’d like to invite me to cook a dinner, teach a cooking class for your children or friends, take part in your artistic event, give a talk, meet artists, intern in your kitchen, or anything else fun that comes to mind — feel free to reach out. I’m flexible, curious, and very mobile.

I can’t wait to see you here and there and whisper to your ear:

Seasons may change, winter to spring
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
And I love you until the end of time

Yours Lucien

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On The Walk

Encounters and highlights from fellow travelers in the arts.

Our friends from L’Alliance New York are pleased to present Das Plateau’s mesmerizing production Little Red Riding Hood. Created in 2022 at the prestigious Avignon Festival, this poetic and visually stunning adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale reintroduces us to a Little Red Riding Hood who is brave, curious, and full of mystery. The tale, cherished by generations, comes alive with captivating imagery and unforgettable characters. Enhanced by fragments of poet Olivier Cadiot’s Futur, ancien, fugitif, this interpretation offers young viewers and adults a magical experience filled with charm and empowerment.

May 30 & 31
Ages 5+
Tickets start at $20 - Two performances only!
Book your tickets here

Comp tickets offered to paid readers, see below

Gifts for paid subscribers

The Invisible Dog is offering
- 5 Ahmed Yacoubi / NYC Arab Festival day passes
- 2 Tagine Eat Offbeat luncheons at Atelier Jolie
- 10 complementary tickets for a performance at L’alliance New York

Please follow the instructions after the pay wall below to receive them.