Creator of spaces, fire and cultural fusions

Having spent his childhood in Abidjan, where the smells of the rice mills in the Bietry neighbourhood have stayed with him ever since and his teenage years in France, where he studied law, this tireless cosmopolitan founded the Asado Club in Paris – his first pop-up restaurant, in partnership with his Argentine partner, Sabrina Goldin. This marked the beginning of Carbòn, a restaurant in the Marais where he pays homage to nature by offering fire-cooked cuisine that showcases the work of small-scale producers and artisans.

Cultural fusion lies at the heart of his approach; he sees himself as a creator of spaces and atmospheres. It is but a short step from fire to roasting, a step that Stéphane Abby takes by presenting his vision of a Carbòn café for MOMUS, where he blends and brings together three continents.

  • Bouquet sur le bar noir du restaurant le Carboni's de Stephane Abby
  • Stéphane Abby préparant un bouquet de fleurs derrière le bar
  • Bras de Stéphane Abby posé sur un table où sont posées une tasse de café et des lunettes noires
Carbòn packaging signé Stéphane Abby

Your passion for coffee ?

Stéphane: It comes from my grandfather, a mysterious but very gentle man who both intimidated and fascinated me. Every morning at his house in Abidjan, where I used to stay overnight regularly, he would have his coffee delivered by a porter in a large thermos flask. I would find him in the living room, already dressed and ready, savouring it delicately. Ever since then, I’ve seen coffee as a ritual imbued with elegance.

Carbon for you ?

I wanted to find in this creation, as in my cooking, natural and very direct flavors. I designed an intense, spicy and floral blend, with notes of chocolate, vanilla and caramel. In homage to my roots, I wanted to include a very beautiful typically African variety, the Nganda, harvested in Rwanda.

  • Enseigne du restaurant Carboni's de Stéphane abby posée sur une banquette en cuir dans un intérieur chaleureux en bois.
  • table dressée dans le restaurant le Carbonis de stéphane abby
Your first coffee ?

Stéphane : First attempts aren’t always successful. I must have been 12; my parents had forbidden me from drinking coffee. Alphonse, the young boy who looked after me, had secretly taken me along for a ‘initiation’ amongst men. I remember a disgusting, sugar-laden concoction, but it was brilliantly prepared by a street vendor on a street in Abidjan.