Now Open: Mama Shelter Dijon, France

Visitors may travel to the bottom floor’s 202-seat restaurant to savour delectable, regional fare like charcoal-grilled meats, specialty cocktails, and traditional Mama Dishes, as well as the space’s Toile de Jouy-inspired design. Mama’s flagship restaurant is exposed to two outdoor spaces: the landscaped patio and the veranda terrace.

Among the 120 rooms on the property are Mama Shelter’s CineMama, a private 28-seat movie theatre where visitors can host private screenings or video conferences. There are also two karaoke bars, four meeting rooms, and a petanque court.

In partnership with Edmond Fallot, an independent, family-run business founded in 1840, Mama Shelter has developed its own mustard, which is only available on-property. Only local seeds are used at the Edmond Fallot residence, and all of their gustatory properties are preserved by using the conventional stone ground. The mustard, which combines spices from Mama and Burgundy, is available for sale to guests to spice up their meals.

LOCATION
Around Dijon, the undulating countryside is home to some of the most renowned vineyards in the world, including Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Côte de Beaune, as well as fields of mustard and orchards of blackcurrants, which are used to make the renowned Kir of the same name. Dijon, located 1 hour 59 minutes from Lyon and 1 hour 34 minutes from Paris by TGV, has a lot to offer tourists and residents alike, including stunning architecture. The Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, whose oldest portion originates from the 14th century, is a particular highlight.

Dijon is the International City of Gastronomy and Wine because of its distinctive culinary traditions and the “climates” of the Burgundy vineyards, both of which are included as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Everything, from little appetisers to great vintage wines, serves as an excuse to celebrate and give to others.

Serge Trigano, co-founder of Mama Shelter with his sons Jérémie and Benjamin, says: “For almost 15 years, Mama Shelter has worked to anticipate its enthusiasts’ desires for discovery, encounters and happiness. Even more so after a pandemic that has turned the world upside down, shaken up our way of life, thinking and working, Mama has been ahead of society’s evolution, understanding the desire to see elsewhere, by setting up in towns, in regions, renowned for their gentle way of life, their traditions, their better ways of living together. It is therefore only natural that the latest addition to the Mama Shelter family should come to life in Dijon, where we look forward to welcoming you.”

Cédric Gobilliard, Managing Director of Mama Shelter, says of Dijon, “I can’t wait! This motto of Philippe le Hardi, Duke of Burgundy, reflects our impatience to open our latest Mama in Dijon. Mama and Dijon share the same values of warm hospitality, festivity, and enjoyment. Mama Dijon hijacks the strong symbols of this wine region with humour, impertinence and respect to reveal it to its French and foreign guests.”

DESIGN
The Mama Shelter is housed in the old health insurance offices, a brutalist structure from the 1960s that is listed as a historic French structure, on rue du Maret, next to the Saint-Bénigne Cathedral and Jardin Darcy. Benjamin El Doghali, the head architect of the Mama Shelter design firm, describes his newest “playground” as “a large, luminous glass box, 6 minutes’ walk from the station, in the heart of the city,” adding that “the atmosphere of Dijon is uplifting, inspiring, light and playful.”

“My aim was to capture the Burgundian landscape and invite it into the walls of Mama. To be inspired by the undulating vineyards, the geometric patterns of the polychrome glazed roof tiles, known as “toits vernissés” – or “glazed roofs”, which are the hallmark of this region. Tasting the wine, caressing the bottles to transcribe my emotions born of a terroir shaped by generations of craftsmen, growers, to humbly add my stone, that’s how I thought of this Mama with the help of revered artists and craftsmen,” says Benjamin El Doghaïli.

Lila Mercier created the property’s black-and-white carpeting, which symbolises Burgundian grapes. The designs and hues on the caning on the headboards, meanwhile, are meant to mimic the glazed roofs of houses in the Dijon area. Each of its rooms and suites is distinguished, for the first time at Mama, by separate toilets, Tom Dixon basins, large showers, and, in some cases, baths. Other details that affirm its personality include: a charming bench, a desk with a chessboard-shaped top that can be removed to play… even in bed. But above all, they are flooded with natural light, generous, magnolia-colored windows.

“We juggled again, on the one hand to avoid wandering around in a space that was too vast, we made the ceiling as dark as possible and put lights at eye level. Authentic grape harvest baskets were turned into light fittings and a monumental chandelier was hung with 136 pieces of enamelled ceramic reminiscent of traditional roofs, a unique object made by the Faïencerie de Charolles, a local company. In the lower part of the ceiling, a romantic score is played, with alcoves lined with Juliette Seban’s toile de Jouy, inspired by the paintings of Jérôme Bosch, gargantuan allegories.”

WHO IS DIJON?
The historic Burgundy region in eastern France, one of the main wine-producing regions of the nation, is centred around the city of Dijon. renowned for its traditional mustard, winery tours, fall food festival, and structures with architectural styles ranging from gothic to art deco. The impressive Palace of the Dukes is home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, founded in 1787, which has a significant collection of artwork, crafts, and artefacts.

Capetian, Gothic, and Renaissance architectural styles, among others, have been preserved in the city. Every autumn, it hosts an international and gastronomic fair with more than 500 exhibitors and 200,000 people.

Dijon is a green city with a renowned pharmaceutical industry, a significant tertiary sector, a regional economic hub, and a classic food-processing centre (Dijon crème de cassis and kir, gingerbread, Lanvin chocolate).