Elite Traveler May-June 2018

elite traveler MAY/JUNE 2018 71

Pierre Gagnaire Paris Head chef: Pierre Gagnaire

59–73

10 MINUTES WITH… Pierre Gagnaire

Al Sorriso Novara, Italy

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Head chef: Luisa Valazza Contact Angelo Valazza, info@alsorriso.it, +39 032 298 3228 alsorriso.com 2017/56 ▼ Narisawa Tokyo Head chef: Yoshihiro Narisawa Contact +81 357 850 799 narisawa-yoshihiro.com 2017/60 Le Pavillon Ledoyen Paris Head chef: Yannick Alléno Tantris Munich Head chef: Hans Haas Contact Boris Häbel, maître d’, boris.haebel@tantris.de, +49 893 619 590 tantris.de 2017/63 ▲ Bras Laguiole, France Head chef: Sébastien Bras Contact Véronique Bras, restaurant director, reser@bras.fr, +33 565 511 820 bras.fr 2017/62 ▼ Head chef: César Ramirez Contact +1 718 243 0050 brooklynfare.com/chefs-table 2017/65 ▲ Vue de Monde Melbourne, Australia Head chef: Justin James Contact Hugo Simoes Santos, restaurant manager, vuedemonde@vuedemonde.com. au, +61 396 913 888 vuedemonde.com.au 2017/70 ▲ Arzak San Sebastián, Spain Head chef: Juan Mari Arzak Contact informacion@arzak.es, +34 943 278 465 arzak.es 2017/67 ▲ Contact ledoyen@ yannick-alleno.com, +33 153 051 000 yannick-alleno.com 2017/64 ▲ Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare New York

Chef and owner of a collection of renowned restaurants, including his eponymous three- Michelin-starred establishment in Paris, Pierre Gagnaire is a culinary icon across the globe and a leader in modern French fine dining. The legendary chef lets us in on the secret to continually creating such innovative cuisine. What makes your restaurants special? I have restaurants in many places but I can still say that I’m always in the kitchen. It’s important for me to maintain this energy. I’m not a big company — I have it all in my own hands — so to maintain the quality of that many restaurants, I need to be in the kitchen all the time and have a very good team with me. When I take on a chef, it’s a big opportunity for them but it’s also a big opportunity for me. Howwould you describe your style of cooking? I work with my heart, with passion. I try to give each dish a real identity. When I started it was easy to surprise the guests with a dish I’d made, but it’s harder now that everybody has Instagram — they’ve seen what they’re going to eat before they come. But my goal is to first create something that tastes good, and then that makes you go ‘wow.’ I think that is our signature style. Each dish is based on something classical but made into something that isn’t classical anymore. Where do you find your inspiration? For me it’s about passion and the ambition to keep offering something new. I always want to make something special. When I’m creating new dishes

I need to be alone and to be healthy, because when you’re tired it’s impossible to think. But the real secret is that the creativity comes with the product. Sometimes I become fascinated by an ingredient. For years I was fascinated by the beetroot and after I went on to licorice. I travel a lot to be in the kitchen at my restaurants and even though I don’t get my inspiration when I’m traveling, it is important to be open to it. If you close the door your creativity is dead. You must always stay open to what’s around you. Is there a dish that stands out at restaurant Pierre Gagnaire right now? We have a special dish in which duck is marinated in cacao for two days and presented at the table at the beginning of the meal under a bell made from chocolate. The duck is smoked at the table with herbs and wine, then we break the chocolate bell and take the duck to the kitchen to be cooked. At the end of the dinner when the guest leaves, we give them a small bag with the smoked chocolate inside. Everything about that dish is classic — the way we cook it and the sauce — but the end result is something completely different. By Lauren Jade Hill

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+1 415 393 9000 coirestaurant.com 2017/71 ▲ Made in China Beijing Head chef: Kent Jin Qiang

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Head chef: Kunio Tokuoka Contact +81 758 811 101 kyoto-kitcho.com 2017/76 ▲

Chocolate gâteau from Pierre Gagnaire