Paray-le-Monial is about to gain a permanent taste of the Indian Ocean. Lucie and Dylan Meetun, who have been feeding the town from a food truck parked at the Netto supermarket since February, plan to open a full restaurant on rue des Deux-Ponts by November, moving into the Viva la Vida establishment.
The couple’s path to this point is anything but conventional. Both worked as wedding photographers before the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted that career. They pivoted to food, and what had been a shared childhood dream became a working business. “Cooking was a passion and a childhood dream,” Dylan explains. “People close to me were already encouraging me to open a restaurant. That is about to become reality.”
Lucie comes from La Réunion; Dylan from Mauritius. The two islands share a culinary sensibility shaped by spice, hospitality, and layered cultural influence, though each keeps its own distinct traditions. “What we have in common is our sense of hospitality,” the couple says. They arrived in France three years ago to be closer to family, discovered Paray-le-Monial during a vacation, and stayed. A temporary visit became a permanent commitment.
Their food truck, “Saveurs des 2 îles” (Flavors of the Two Islands), has drawn a steady enough following to justify the leap to a fixed address. The restaurant will open with a dining room seating around 30 customers and will continue offering takeout. Come summer, the couple plans to add an outdoor space dedicated to island culture, serving gajaks (a type of Mauritian tapas) alongside cocktails.
The menu draws directly from both islands’ traditions: rougail saucisse, a spiced sausage preparation; massala de poulet, a curried chicken dish; vegetable pickles known as achards; samoussa pastries; and tuna meatballs. Lucie and Dylan have made a point of sourcing ingredients locally wherever possible. Only the specialized spices travel further, purchased from a specialty grocer in Chalon.
Meanwhile, the food truck keeps its current schedule while the restaurant takes shape. It operates from the Netto parking lot on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and appears Wednesday and Sunday evenings at a campground in Charolles. Orders and inquiries can be directed to 06 82 40 74 95.
Whether the permanent space can sustain and grow the loyalty the food truck has already built will be the real test when November arrives.