Hanging Out With Julien,
The Parisian multi-passionate entrepreneur.
Meet our next door neighbour Julien, a very creative Parisian that fell in love with Lisbon. We are constantly bumping into him in the neighbourhood and wanted to know more about his projects.
This is Julien. Get to know him.
Can you tell us your story so far?
I was born in Paris, raised in Montmartre. In 2010 I left Paris to study hospitality and business in Switzerland. From there I moved to Barcelona, then New York and finally Miami. A good friend from university had told me a lot about Portugal. So about six years ago I came to check it out and my family and I ended up relocating to Lisbon.
Moving to Portugal was one of the best decisions of my youth. I had been looking for a new space where I could be close to nature and live with a greater sense of freedom. At this point I had always worked in hospitality, and had a dream project that I wanted to develop with an emphasis on combining my passions- food, art, culture, and wellness. With my partners Vilena Fridovskaya and Marc-Antoine Schaetz we started working on this project in April 2019 and after few space hunting we discovered this abandoned building in Rua Da Boavista. And thats how Boa Lab was born, a platform and community for sharing creativity.
Before Boa Lab was a reality, my time was (and still is) primarily dedicated to food & beverage. When I met Nicolas Martinez, a talented chef from Colombia, we started hosting events around Lisbon which is now transitioning into a juice & healthy snack bar called Ruda. Its located in Campo Mártires da Pátria and the emphasis is utilizing whole foods & seasonal local produce, a shared passion of both Nico and I.
Next steps for you?
On July 9th we open our new exhibition at BOA featuring Mathieu Chavaren, an artist that I find incredibly interesting. Mathieu find his inspiration from both book and real human and if you notice in his drawings, the perspective and the movement are always different depending on where you stand. This awareness of placement & perspective has become more relatable for me as we navigate through Covid-19.
Later in July BOA Lab will relaunch our in-house program of movement, sound, and dance along with some new activities to offer our community during the Summer months.
Ruda will also open it's doors along with Ruda on-the-go, our food truck that will be in different locations near and far Lisbon.
Best spot in Portugal for you?
Sintra, I have completely fallen in love with Sintra. Especially these past few months considering the silence that comes with no tourism. I find it enchanting up there.
And Praia da Vigia, near São Julião in Ericeira. A secluded beach I've recently discovered.
Do you have a favourite Portuguese artist?
Rudolfo Quintas, a Multimedia artist that plays with 3D AI algorithms and mappings. I have always been passionate about music and movement and the first time I saw his work it really inspired me. He did a show in The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Chiado that completely blew me away, the installation was around Artificial Intelligence that read data and automatically filtered Portuguese news. Rudolfo has been one of the most surprising artists that I have met here, I really admire him.
What does style means to you?
Style in general starts with appearance and attitude. Style can be anything, it's not only clothes, it's what represents your identity in that moment. I believe it takes time to master you style especially considering we as humans are constantly evolving as well as our circumstances. Style is who you are through Culture, Fashion, Music, and all tastes.
Where do you find inspiration from?
Yoga has opened my outlook on life in a very profound way. And gardening. Both of these practices are teaching me so much about what really matters and how to be in the present.
What’s the Band / Music Style / Spotify playlist that inspires you?
I grew up listening to Hip-Hop, Soul and Jazz. When I was living in Barcelona, I went to Sonar 2010 and in this moment I discovered Electronic and House music. House music today brings you so much history in one song, from the sounds to the vocals. And if you pay attention to this kind of music you will notice that many of its sounds were already created in the 60s-70s-80s when it was all instrumental. But truthfully I love many genres of music, lately I have been listening to Cesaria Evora and I can't stop playing Jorge Ben - Toda Menina Baiana
Any guilty pleasure worth mentioning?
Chocolate. I have a zucchini chocolate cake recipe I make often. Cooking is definitely one of my guilty pleasures.
I also really enjoy watching wildlife and nature documentaries especially when they allow me to travel to unknown places and diverse cultures.
Photography by João Hasselberg.
