Interesting Person, Leonie Bouchet

Let’s be honest, milk is great, but who gets excited about milk? Milk is to coffee as the drummer from Coldplay is to Coldplay. What’s his name again? Our point exactly.

But people, now that’s interesting.

In our latest series, Interesting Person, we spend some time with people who make everyday life a little more, well, interesting. No fluff, just the real stuff behind what they do, and why they do it.

Tell us what you do in a way your grandparents would understand it.

I would tell my grandmother that I create - mostly through food. I imagine, shape, and build culinary concepts and brands, working with wonderful people across food, design, beauty, fragrance, and fashion - weaving culinary artistry between disciplines. I bring people together through conscious, creative, plant-forward meals and shared experiences. I do and certainly cook. Yet I also design the entire story - the atmosphere, the aesthetics, the feeling that lingers around the table long after it’s cleared.

What’s something you’re proud of right now?

I’m proud of building something that feels aligned. Creating work that nourishes people, physically and emotionally, and doing it in a way that feels intentional.

What’s your desert island dish?

Granola bowl with fruits, through and through.

What smell makes you nostalgic?

Caramelising onions floating up the stairs on a slow Sunday morning. And the scent of violet and iris - powdery, bright, slightly melancholic. It reminds me of France, of women in my family.

What’s the most overrated food trend?

Dubai chocolate. I think I don’t need to elaborate.

What’s your drink of choice?

At the moment: a homemade tomatotini. Umami, bright, tangy - slightly unexpected.

If you had to give a TED Talk tomorrow, what would it be about?

Conscious creation and conscious eating - how the way we make and consume food shapes ourselves, culture, community, and care.