Jean-Michel Carasso

Where do we start?! Jean-Michel was born in the Belgian Congo to a Greek father and a French mother. He grew up in Paris and has lived in England and the United States. In 1979 he moved to Florence and has lived there since.

His love of other cultures (and languages - he speaks 7 of them!!) has led him on a journey through art, food and literature, often combining them to create some of the most unique and interesting gastronomical experiences Florence has ever seen. From the success of various eating establishments like Café Voltaire, Gauguin and Florence's first kosher restaurant, Ruth's, Jean-Michel brings to Odyssey his flair and soul for "haute cuisine from all around the world".

He is specialized in North African, Middle-Eastern, Greek and other Mediterranean dishes. He is also a kosher chef and often works under the supervision of the Chief Rabbi of Florence for any special needs. He knows Italian cuisine perfectly and "Promenades gourmandes en Toscane", his Tuscan cookbook, was published in 2002 by the great French Publishing company Robert Laffont (view).

Jean-Michel also works as a free-lance journalist, contemporary art curator and cultural operator. He has written of food and culture for Italian and French magazines and newspapers (Passage, Paese Sera, Firenze Spettacolo, Metrò and others) and has been called, in the last two years, by the University of Siena to teach for a master in food and drinks specialization. Jean-Michel is now involved in consulting and collaborating with some important catering companies in Florence, often acting as an "ethnic" and kosher chef on request, but his will is to develop Odyssey, a project of selective and almost intimate catering: the dream of every chef!

Paula Carrier

Paula Carrier has been involved in the food industry for several years. She began her career as a chef in various food pubs in England (where the best British cuisine is often found). She has catered for small and large events, such as weddings and holiday catering. Her last business in the UK before she moved to Italy was running her own successful food shop selling high quality local naturally-reared and organic food and her own homemade products such as ready meals, pates, preserves and sauces. She also was involved in the UK Slow-food movement.

Cooking has always been a passion of hers. She learned her basic skills from her mother when she was a child and continued to develop her knowledge and love of cooking throughout her years at university and young adulthood. She was always keen to learn new techniques and styles of cooking. She loved all the different styles of cuisine available in Britain. Having attended university in a particularly multi-cultural area, she endeavoured to learn how to cook Indian, Thai and Chinese food, so that she could reproduce those fantastic flavours at home.

Paula moved to Florence in 2004 after working under the supervision of several top English chefs. Here she decided to use her international culinary background to create her own structure as a culinary consultant and has since offered her expertise to several top Florentine caterers while developing her own unique niche with Odyssey - a small and selective project but with infinite possibilities.