A Parisian juice bar and vegetarian café, OTIUM offers a committed, flavorful, and spiritual approach to food. Organic, healthy, and seasonal produce, inventive, rustic yet refined recipes, and an authentic and intimate setting that invites us to disconnect and contemplate.

Kaitlyn Reinhart , co-founder and chef of this gourmet paradise, offers us organic recipes with original and delicious flavors, as well as harmonious juices. A Canadian and Parisian by adoption, she agreed to tell us about her journey.

What was your background before OTIUM?

Before creating OTIUM, I was a fashion show and photoshoot producer. I had a lot of clients who came from NY and LA, and who wanted to drink cold-pressed juices. At the time, the offerings in Paris were almost nonexistent and of poor quality. So I had the idea to develop a range of cold-pressed juices with excellent ingredients and sleek, desirable packaging. With Charles, my partner, we created the juices in a small workshop in Saint-Michel. My first client was Dior. Several other major fashion houses quickly became interested in us, and the OTIUM adventure was launched.

Why did you get into the juice and food industry?

I've always been interested in food. Even after a long day at work, I enjoyed cooking dinner. It was a moment of meditation, introspection, and creativity. I was nourishing not just my body but my mind as well.

I've been vegetarian since I was 18. It quickly became a lifestyle and a source of creativity. When you eat meat, the plate is built around the meat, to which you add side dishes. When you cook vegetarian, there are no side dishes. All the ingredients are in harmony with each other. It's a development of flavors.

Where does this desire to undertake come from?

I didn't want to work for anyone else. Charles and I wanted to show our world, to share our passion for food. But even more, we wanted to share our lifestyle, which went far beyond juices and food. Our whole world revolves around slow living. I like to take the time to live and cook. I make my own bread by working on the fermentation process for a long time. All of this takes time. You have to let time take its course.

How do you balance commitment and pleasure?

In my approach, I've never been dogmatic. For me, it's super important that everyone listens to their body. We shouldn't impose a diet on ourselves. My partner, for example, can't be vegan for health reasons. I wanted to create an inclusive cuisine. That's why I offer both vegetarian and vegan products.

I want people to discover vegetarian cuisine in a different way. It's not just vegetables and activism. It's a combination of flavors, colors, and creativity. It's a philosophy, too. OTIUM is a moment of inner well-being. From the beginning, we conceived the juices as inner nourishment. OTIUM is a moment of disconnection, poetry, and contemplation.

What advice would you give to a woman who wants to start a business?

In entrepreneurship, there's the risk of working too much, not taking the time to eat, not taking care of yourself. My advice is to know how to slow down. You have to find a balance when you're an entrepreneur. You often feel like if you're not working all the time, you're not working enough. That's not true! You have to know how to take a step back and enjoy the process.

What is your WILD SIDE?

I've always loved expressing myself through collage. I've been doing it since I was a teenager. It helps me embody my ideas. I'm very inspired by women's bodies and I like to play with gender by combining a man's costume with a woman's head. Before launching OTIUM, I did a few artist residencies in Spain. I lived with six other artists there; it was a unique creative environment.

Even today, I continue to think of food as an art form. Art is everywhere at OTIUM; we exhibit artists in the restaurant, we work with them for our photo shoots, and we try to design each dish as a small work of art.

Otium , 56 Rue de la Rochefoucauld, 75009 Paris