Luxury watch company Jaeger-LeCoultre and French pastry chef Nina Metayer collaborated to inaugurate the Reverso 1931 Café last year, and now it’s here in NYC for a limited time until Nov 22.
So what do luxury watches and french pastries have in common? The café pays homage to the Reverso watch. The piece was created in 1931 and is representative of iconic art deco design, a style popular in the 1930s for its polished geometric patterns. The café also pays tribute to the art deco style that remains throughout the landscape of New York City, such as the Chrysler building.
Parisian pastry chef Nina Metayer is part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s “Made of Makers” series where the company pairs up with innovative chefs, artists, designers, mixologists and more for different projects. Metayer’s delicious creations will be featured in NYC’s iteration of the café.
Brooklyn-based lettering artist Alex Trochut revealed the “1931 Alphabet” specially created for Jaeger-LeCoultre. His sleek text design can be seen in the logo and lettering of the café. The 1931 Café is an homage to art deco style and previously boasted temporary locations in Shanghai and Paris.
Métayer has designed sweet treats that represent the art deco aesthetic but also embody Switzerland’s homebase for Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Vallée de Joux, a valley of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland that continues into a part of France. Just like the valley, this pop-up is a connector of both countries and cultures. Pastries made with delicious mountain berries, nuts, honey, and Swiss chocolate are all available for purchase at the Reverso 1931 Café in NYC.
Some specialty beverages include creations like a Vallée De Joux Hot Chocolate Scented with Forest Honey. There is also a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate and a variety of lattes, coffees and tea items.
Some of the pastry creations by Metayer include the Bruit De Noisettes, which are crispy chocolate shortbread, soft hazelnut biscuit, hazelnut mousse with a crunchy praline tube. A gluten free option is Secret de Fruits Rouges, which is a light meringue with poached raspberries, blueberries, a soft hazelnut biscuit and airy orange blossom whipped cream.
The pop-up café will be on 729 Madison Avenue near the Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique until November 22. But if you miss the pop-up, don’t worry! The café will be on the move and hitting Hudson Yards with a food truck from Dec. 8 -11, serving hot beverages and specialty chocolates.