LAist Interview: Gilles Amsallem

Today is more than just Friday the 14th of July, it’s also Quatorze Juillet, as the French call Bastille Day, their holiday celebrating the storming of the Bastille as the beginning of the French Revolution and independence from tyranny. What better way to say “Vive La France” than posting a French-flavored LAist Interview with Gilles Amsallam, co-founder of French Tuesdays, a weekly members-only social club that has just established a presence in Los Angeles.

French Tuesdays holds an event every Tuesday in different venues all over town for its members and their guests. The only constants are the champagne provided by French Tuesday’s sponsors and a Francophile vibe. France-Amerique, the New York-based international edition of Le Figaro, features a profile of French Tuesdays members on a monthly basis. This month the paper profiled French Tuesday Los Angeles member, Bérénice Colomb-Yeghikian of Lakeview Terrace.

Angelenos can celebrate Bastille Day locally at the following events:
-There’s an invitation-only cocktail reception tonight at the French Consul’s residence in Beverly Hills.

-The consulate will also host a freeBastille Day LA festival over at the Page Museum in the Miracle Mile.

-Some French restaurants around town plan to have special menus in honor of the holiday. Try Café Marly, Joe's in Venice, La Cachette or Melisse in Santa Monica.

If you want a direct view of what's going on today in Paris, check out our brethern at Parisist or the Anglophone The Paris Blog. Since there's more to France than just Paris, check out This French Life.

Age and Occupation:
41 years old, co-founder of the French Tuesdays (an event planning company in NY, Miami and LA)

How long have you lived in Los Angeles, and which neighborhood does you live in?
I have been in LA for approximately 10 weeks now and found a great apartment in West Hollywood.

Why do you live in Los Angeles?
I moved to LA to develop our third French Tuesdays city.

Why did you start French Tuesday in Los Angeles?
We decided to expand to Los Angeles as a logical progression of our business from East Coast, then WEST . Also our main sponsor, Laurent Perrier, was eager to increase it’s presence/image in the L.A. nightlife scene as well, the same way we did in NY and Miami.

Do French Tuesday participants only speak French at these events? How many French-speaking people attend your events?
It is Francophile event, not a francophone event, so any nationalities are welcome, even encouraged, as we only have 35 % of French people coming to event, 35% are American and the rest is 30 different nationalities.

Other than French Tuesdays, where do most French/European people congregate/live here in the city?
From what I see the biggest concentration of French people are West Hollywood and Hollywood, at least in the trendy world...

Where did most of your compatriots gather to watch the World Cup in public last weekend? We've seen many Italian flags still fluttering from cars, would a French Angeleno ever hang a French flag from his car?
In LA, most of my friends gather in different home and a few French restaurants and one in particular sponsored by TV5 at the Cafe Marly...

I guess French wave flags when they win and get very quiet and as well affected when they lose. Brazilians are happy all the time, win or lose but still happy, French are more patriotique and passionate about it.

What is different or the same about the Los Angeles French Tuesdays experience?
It was pretty scary for us to open in Los Angeles because we heard from everybody that Angelenos had a difference in mentality like: going out early, sleeping early, not liking to get dressed up too much, don't like to drive too far from where they live as they already drive so much to go to work, not drinking during the week due to severe drunk driving laws, etc...

However, I believed in our concept and decided to apply the same rules as on the East Coast. And it worked out perfectly. People are spread so much and never have the time to see each other. We found the perfect excuse for them to meet at one specific spot every other Tuesdays.

What is your favorite movie(s) or TV show(s) that are based in LA?
My favorite movie based on LA is "LA Story" by Steve Martin. And as well : the Cohen brothers' "The Big Lebowski."

What's the best place to walk in LA?
My favorite walking area is in Santa Monica, from Main Street where flea market can be found on the WE to Montana Ave from 20th St to the Ocean.

What is the "center" of LA to you?
The center of LA for me is West Hollywood; you can go out in Hollywood as easily as going to Beverly Hills or Westwood and Brentwood. It is in the middle as well of plenty of the Freeways, 20 minutes from the airport, too.

If you could live in any neighborhood or specific house in LA, where/which would you choose?
If I could go anywhere in LA, I would stay in West Hollywood but I would like to go higher up in the hills to have the view of the city from a big house with my own swimming pool. Such a privilege...

People stereotype Los Angeles as a hard place to find personal connections and make friends. Do you agree with that assessment? Do find it challenging to make new friends here?
I agree totally with that assessment even if it doesn't apply to me. In two months, I found and met so fast so many amazing people, interesting, cultural, and educated than I found in NY in a year.

When I was coming just for a few days for many years without knowing anybody, I was never able to find someone interesting. Most of the people stay together in their home, diners and that is all. But French Tuesdays make them all connect in a friendly, classy environment, discovering the city and as they say: it was the event that the city needed.

So FT LA is proving once mor that the concept is a platform for personal and professional networking. I have seen the first business deal and the first couple moving in together after only four events. I have never been so happy.

What is the city's greatest secret?
The city's greatest secret is a very hidden beach (don't spread the word ) at Point Dume, just before Zuma Beach near Malibu

Where do you want to be when the Big One hits?
When the Big One hits, I want to be where I will be the most needed to help survivors go back to their life ...