Zélikha Dinga
Courtesy of Zélikha Dinga
HURS CURATORS
ZÉLIKHA DINGA
The chef and food artist shares her favorite restaurants, brands and art
Zélikha Dinga’s food-filled world is a feast for the senses. The Parisian chef and artist has made a career of transforming the functional into a form of art. Convinced she would one day take over her family’s bookshop, her love for cooking led her down a different path. After a stint working at restaurants in London and Paris, Dinga launched Paris-based creative studio Caro Diario in 2020—named after Nanni Moretti’s 1993 film. The creative studio specializes in tailor-made culinary experiences working across creative direction, artistic culinary installations, and original food ideas. Her creations—that taste as good as they look—blend the generosity of Italian cuisine with the refined elegance of French pastries. Through her work, Dinga blends taste and aesthetics, continuously crafting joyful narratives and experiences at the intersection of food, art, and fashion. Today, she works with culture’s leading brands from Alaïa and Prada to Flos and Nike. But it’s not our story to tell. It’s HURS.
A DUO’S QUEST FOR THE PERFECT HANDBAG
Laurie-Anne Braun and Margot Baudequin have cracked the code on designing the perfect handbag. The duo behind Fane—a Paris-based handbag brand that launched in Fall 2020—has quietly garnered a loyal following of global tastemakers. And we’re amongst them. The brand emerged from Braun’s and Baudequin’s shared vision of the perfect handbag—one that combines pure, sensual lines with thoughtful proportions and functional details. The kind of bag that’s as beautiful as it is functional, and that truly puts timeless design first. While it may sound obvious, it’s a refreshing take when compared to the logo and trend-first approach most brands take. Crafted with simplicity and quality in mind, each Fane piece is handmade in small batches in France and Italy. That’s what we call luxury.
“Fane is a French handbag brand. Their bags are absolutely PERFECT in shape, size and color, and are all made in France. I own three and can't stop wearing them. They're so elegant and enhance any outfit.”
“Dandelion is a newly opened restaurant in the 20th arrondissement by Morgane Souris and Antoine Villard. The interiors have been done by architect Pablo Goury, the room is big and bright during the day and becomes intimate in the evening. The food of chef Antoine Villard is everything you DREAN to read on a menu, and the FOH is masterfully led by owner Morgane Souris. I eat there almost once a week!”
IN PARIS, AN HONEST AND ELEGANT NEO-BISTRO
Nestled in the 20th arrondissement, Dandelion is the first venture from sommelier Morgane Souris (ex-Parcelles) and chef Antoine Villard (ex-Septime, Double Dragon). Opened in May 2024, this neo-bistro oozes understated elegance with its unfinished walls, vintage Italian lighting, and bouquets by neighboring florist Ortie. The concise, seasonally-driven menu draws from Villard’s experience, featuring dishes like caramelized veal sweetbreads with anchoïade sauce, and tender pork cheeks from the Perche atop Robuchon-style mashed potatoes. Dandelion’s refined yet unpretentious atmosphere makes it a must-visit, as recommended by Zélikha Dinga herself.
AN ODE TO THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Is there anything better than a good book? Few things bring us more joy than spending hours browsing through published works—both old and new—in our favorite independent bookstores. While we enjoy the search as much as the purchase, The French have found a way to make finding your favorites much easier. Librairiesindependantes.com is the leading book search engine in France, bringing together a library of books from independent, national, regional and specialized booksellers. The database gives you instant access to 20 million books available in over 1200 bookstores throughout the country, and allows you to order your favorite titles directly from the bookstore closest to you. Big corporation efficiency while supporting your local bookstore, that’s something we can get behind.
“Books are EVERYTHING to me. I was brought up in my mother's bookshop and my curiosity was stimulated there. When visiting France, foreigners are often surprised by the number of bookshops. It's due to the 1981 Lang law—passed under the left-wing government of François Miterrand—which establishes a fixed price for books. It protects the small bookshops from bigger sellers. Isn't it a fantastic cultural law?”
“I've been a long fan of Yann's work. This particular drawing caught my eye at an exhibition, without knowing why. Turns out it's a drawing of an IMAGINARY museum filled with paintings representing the Sainte Victoire mountain: a place painted by Cézanne, where I spend a couple of weeks every summer. It's displayed in my living room, and looking at it fills me with a warm, familiar sense of summer holiday memories.”
A FRENCH ARTIST WHOSE WORK CELEBRATES THE EVERYDAY
Yann Kebbi’s sketches are a celebration of the ordinary. Seamlessly moving between materials—from watercolor, ink, coloured pencils and pen on location, to engravings and monotypes created in the studio—the French artist captures the intimate yet mundane. His work is a celebration of people and landscapes, highlighting the fleeting moments that often go unnoticed. It’s likely his distinct style that has led to commissions for the The New Yorker, M le magazine du Monde and The Wall Street Journal alongside book covers, packaging and identities. We’ll let Zélikha tell you more about her favorite work by Kebbi.
ZN ALI IS MAKING THE OLD NEW AGAIN
Zain Ali bridges the gap between tradition and modernity. Led by an exploration of the evolution of clothing in his own family and the archiving of that history, Ali founded his label ZN ALI in 2021. Today, the brand offers a complete world of products, from fashion and accessories to quilts and home antiques. Its beautifully crafted handwoven silk pieces and offering of custom sizing and unique pieces are a testament to the brand’s dedication to craft. Beyond its standout clothes what makes ZN ALI standout is its intimate imagery. Often modeled by friends, photographed against casual backdrops, it instantly feels you’re buying into something more meaningful than simply a new outfit.