Since the moment
Bibou opened its doors in 2009, the accolades have been pouring in: three James Beard nominations, superlatives from Robert Parker and a spot on every "10 best" list in the city of Philadelphia.
Yet the tiny space at 1009 S. 8th St., situated at the southernmost tip of Bella Vista, is anything but intimidating. Chef/owner Pierre Calmels creates dishes that both push boundaries and respect the French tradition of using the freshest, highest quality ingredients, while his wife and co-owner, Charlotte, creates a front-of-house atmosphere that feels like coming home.
The couple sat with us in the Bibou dining room shortly before their lauded Sunday prix-fixe dinner to talk about dining in Philly, green cards and what it takes to be part of the community.
Flying Kite (FK): What brought you to Philadelphia?
Pierre Calmels (PC) : Georges Perrier. Charlotte and I were both living in Switzerland when he asked me to come be his sous chef at Le Bec-Fin in 2001. We’ve been here ever since.
FK: Have you noticed many changes in the dining scene in Philly since you first came here?
PC/Charlotte Calmels (CC): Yes!
PC: There are a lot of young, good, new chefs in the city now. There is great competition and I mean that in a positive way. It raises Philadelphia up, you know? There are many different styles and techniques, many different influences, and that’s a great thing for Philadelphia.
FK: How do you feel about Bibou’s reception by Philly diners? Can Philly handle your most adventurous creations?
PC: Yes, of course. We pushed the limits a little bit at the beginning, and my feeling now is that we have a reputation for pushing boundaries. The people who come to eat here know that at Bibou, they will have something different. Not crazy, not weird, but different. Many people who come here will try something they have never tasted before, because they know it will be high-quality and fresh. They know they can try something different here and that it will be good.
FK: You have been quoted as saying that at least half of your customers are repeat customers. Did you notice a change in your clientele when Bibou started to receive its many national and local accolades?
PC: We still have a lot of repeat customers
CC: It really depends on the day of the week.
PC: Right. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, we get a lot of repeat customers. Friday and Saturday, it’s a mix. At some point we really do need to leave some spots open for new customers. Bibou already has a reputation for being an impossible reservation to get. That’s good and bad. It’s a good problem to have but, in the long run we want to bring in new customers and keep our regulars.
FK: Both professional and amateur reviewers often comment on the homey and welcoming feel of Bibou. Has all of the regional and national press made it more difficult to maintain that feel?
PC: It’s a family business and yeah, we’ve had some good press, but that’s no reason for us to suddenly start using lobster on the menu.
CC: The thing is, that if my husband is not going to be here for some reason, or if I’m not here for some reason, people wonder where we are. They say, “Oh, where is she? Where is he? He usually comes out to say ‘hi’ to all the customers."
PC: People think it’s not the same
CC: Right, but it’s exactly the same.
PC: Ron [Fougeray, Calmels’ sous chef] has worked with me since Le Bec-Fin. If you close the window to the kitchen, you would have no way of knowing if it’s me or him back there. I’m almost always here. I love being here. But when I’m not, the food is the same and Ron can run the kitchen, no question.
CC: And it’s the same for my servers, they know how to do their jobs whether I’m here or not.
PC: The front of house came with me from Le Bec-Fin too. I’ve worked with all of them for 8 years. They know what Charlotte and I want, and we know what they can do. It works really well. It’s a family. It makes trust really easy.
FK: Speaking of family, I see you all outside the restaurant at night sometimes...
PC: (Laughs) Last night we went home at 3:30 in the morning. We were all here, talking about life, the weekend, vacation, the future.
CC: Recreating the world!
PC: We drink a few beers, talk about recreating the world and it’s fun.
FK: What pushed you to strike out on your own and start Bibou? Are you happy where you are two years in?
PC: In France we say it’s always better to have something small that is yours, than something big that is someone else’s. I had absolutely no problems with Georges Perrier or Le Bec-Fin, but we are really happy here. We reached our goal here much sooner than we expected.
CC: Three months. The first reviews came out and that was it. We’ve been full speed ever since.
PC: Now the goal is to keep things steady. We have no interest in resting on our laurels. We want the business to stay busy because we’re continuing to work towards and meet high standards.
FK: What are your favorite restaurants in Philadelphia? What makes them special?
CC: There are three we eat at frequently. Fond, A.kitchen and Zama. Fond and Zama are our girls’ [4 and 6] favorites. And we love Lacroix (but that’s not for everyday!)
FK: Do you see any new trends on the horizon that will impact what you’re doing at Bibou?
PC: The only big trend on the horizon for us right now is the green card we’re waiting for. [laughs] That will have the biggest impact on the future of Bibou.
CC: That will help us decide what’s next. We should be getting them within the next 6 months, and then we’ll know our future can be in Philadelphia. We love it here. This is where we’re staying.
PC: We’ve heard the next 6 months for the last two years, you know? But that’s the thing that will help us plan for the future.
FK: I often see you, Charlotte, out and about in the neighborhood shopping at the Italian Market, chatting with tellers at the bank, etc. Were you particularly drawn to this neighborhood or was it circumstance that brought you here?
CC: The reasons we came to this neighborhood are very straightforward. We wanted to be far from Le Bec-Fin, because it wouldn’t have been fair to put another French restaurant so nearby, especially when much of the staff comes from there.
Second, we wanted less than 50 seats (Bibou has 32). We wanted to do a BYO, so no liquor license. We wanted to buy, not lease, because we don’t want to be kicked out in 10 years, and we wanted easy access to parking.
One day I was driving by after dropping the girls off at daycare. I saw the sign, I called the guy and it just worked out! We knew the space when it was (David Ansill’s) Pif. We even had our rehearsal dinner here, but we didn’t know the neighborhood especially well since we don’t live here. Now I’m here every single day and I always make my rounds:
I stop by Anthony’s and grab a coffee, I stop by the Spice Corner and DiBruno’s. I do it every day. Every day. So now I know everything around here really well.
FK: Have you been happy in this part of the city?
PC/CC: It’s a great neighborhood!
CC: We closed for five weeks this summer while we were in France, and our neighbors kept an eye on everything for us. Both the hurricane and the earthquake happened while we were gone. I had emails from people while we were in France asking me if I wanted them to stop by the house or the restaurant and check in. That’s Philadelphia. Forget about it in DC or New York. That’s Philadelphia.
FK: Are you connected with the international community in Philly?
CC: Yes. There is a sizable French-speaking community in and around Philadelphia. There are three major organizations that I’m involved with. I’m the vice-president of the Union des Français de l’étranger, and a member of the Alliance Française and Philadelphie Acceuil which is based on the Mainline. And we pretty much have a table of native French speakers here in the restaurant every night.
FK: That’s fantastic! Thanks so much for sitting down with me.
PC/CC: Merci et à bientôt
AMANDA FEIFER is a freelance writer and lifetime francophile living in Bella Vista.
Photo
Charlotte and Pierre Calmels with children.