Diversity is clearly a passion for first-year Luxury Management and Guest Experience Master’s student Chloe Deresoy, who has just launched a café in Paris that trades on variety.

Dual nationality, a penchant for travel and a passion for bringing people together have combined to inspire Glion student Chloe Deresoy to open a Mediterranean café – while studying for her Master’s degree.

The new cosmopolitan venture – which opened its doors in January – offers diners in the affluent 6th arrondissement of Paris a genuine Mediterranean smorgasbord of cuisines, taking them on a journey from Italy to Turkey, through Spain, Greece and Lebanon. Named Café Kaplan (from the Turkish for ‘tiger’), the boutique eatery is open for breakfast, lunch and after-work meals and focuses on quality and exceptional service in a cozy, chic setting.

“Brought up with Mediterranean flavors since my childhood and proud of my roots, I wanted to introduce others to this rich and diverse culture,” says Chloe. “I have been inspired by my travels in the region and am aiming to share the best of what is in my opinion the ideal place to live. Meals are crucially important in Mediterranean culture in bringing friends, family and colleagues together and this informed the concept – to provide a unifying environment that draws upon the diverse cultures in the region.”

A year in the making

Bringing an initial concept to fruition can be a full-time job in itself, but it’s a task made even more difficult by deciding to study for a degree at the same time.

“We started our business plan in January 2022 and began visiting commercial spaces the following month,” explains Chloe. “It was a tough task, especially considering the period from which we have just emerged.

“We wanted to implement our business concept in a district with a diverse mix of clientele drawn from office workers, residents and tourists. After more than a hundred site visits, we finally signed at 20 rue du Cherche-Midi in July 2022. Adapting the site to our branding took a further six months, during which we also ironed out the administrative requirements and got the recruitment process under way. And it was sometime around this point I started my studies at Glion as well!”

Teamwork makes the dream work!

In keeping with the theme, it’s been a collaborative effort from the outset and Chloe credits close co-operation and teamwork with turning her idea into a reality.

“Teamwork – that is, being trustworthy, communicative and honest – is really important for me,” she says. “Café Kaplan is the result of teamwork, particularly the collaboration with my Italian associate, Eddy Di Risio. Our skill-sets complement each other and we both benefit from varied professional experiences and a strong international outlook.

“Moreover, from a practical perspective, we couldn’t have done this at all without the support and involvement of our family and friends. From pre-renovation work and cleaning to logo design, our loved ones have been instrumental in the opening of Café Kaplan. We’ve also been lucky enough to benefit from advice and professional guidance from a range of people, which has been really helpful.”

On course for success

In opting to study the Master’s in Luxury Management and Guest Experience, Chloe says she’s following a passion that she believes will be more valuable for her own personal development.

“Luxury is about know-how, passion, refinement and elegance,” she says. “Glion embodies this culture and stands out as the obvious choice to acquire the codes and skills needed in this multifaceted field. The school also has a strong network of recognized alumni and faculty members, so I was convinced studying here would allow me to develop my professional and intellectual skills as well as embed in me a level of knowledge I could not get elsewhere.

“The choice of degree was influenced by my personality and background. I have already studied international business and entrepreneurship at Bachelor level and I wanted to pursue something about which I am passionate. For me, it was more interesting to learn how to perfectly control the customer journey to offer a memorable experience – the central philosophy of luxury hospitality.”

Chloe is confident that what she learns on her Master’s program will be incredibly valuable and directly relevant to Café Kaplan as well as any other future ventures.

“I am gaining many insights into the luxury customer experience and have discovered that details make all the difference,” she says. “I am already using this knowledge to create the best experience we can offer at Café Kaplan in Paris and I’m looking forward to applying what I learn in the remainder of the program to inform plans for more branches of the café in Europe and the Middle East in future.”

• To discover more about Café Kaplan, visit the website or check out the café’s Instagram page