Elite Traveler Summer 2019

elite traveler SUMMER 2019 93

“I'mvery honored. It's beautiful news; it means that we succeed in the restaurant and people are happy to come."

when I come back to France I am full of energy! The different mentality helps to develop your mind, the way you act, the way you create.” She talks about Borough Market and Covent Garden as sources of inspiration, how she discovered Stichelton cheese (an English blue cheese that is produced in small batches at Welbeck Estate in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire) and how she is working on a recipe for a marinated pork dish with the rich, pungent cheese. “It’s a beautiful production, a really beautiful combination. I said to my chef in London, we have to add this to the menu!” Experimenting with flavors and re-evaluating combinations is crucial; Pic ferments ingredients in Valence to create kombucha, which is tasted and evaluated every day. She is also distilling alcohol to use in sauce, and she spent six months creating a pepper and berry combination. Playing the long game is an interesting change of pace in our modern frenetic landscape, and Pic prefers to blend the old with the new: “Everything is possible. When I was younger, we were still closed in our traditions, so I tried to work through that, even though I don’t forget where I came from. I use ingredients that are fashionable but I go my own way. You have to follow your intuition.” By Samantha Coles

woman in France to receive three Michelin stars. “When I was younger, I thought I had to be accepted by the male chefs so I didn’t really focus on the fact that I am a woman. Even though I am convinced that, because I am a woman, I cook differently. I am very sincere with my cuisine, and I think women pay attention to emotions. It doesn’t mean that women are better than men; it means we develop different tools that complement the men. Of course, the best team is mixed. While women might think more emotionally and men in a different way, it can give another twist, and it is interesting to combine everyone’s vision. We all have the same goal, but we come to it differently; we want guests to be happy, to have precise cuisine and pairings, but the way we arrive at that goal can be different.” With four restaurants to oversee (the aforementioned Maison Pic in Valence, France; Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic in Lausanne, Switzerland; La Dame de Pic in Paris; and La Dame de Pic London), Pic takes a little from each location and brings it to the next — different cultures are clearly a big source of inspiration: “When I come to London, I feel a lot of good energy. I love my country, of course I love France, but I think the mentality is different here — everyone has an open mind and people are more daring. It opens my mind, too, and

is passionate about evolving her technique. “It is in my DNA: three generations with three Michelin stars; each time we gain one! It is very important to keep in mind where I come from, but also to continue forward and to challenge myself. I’m open to what’s happening now and to trying new techniques. When I was younger, I was in a hurry — I wanted to know everything right away, but it is very important to build skill little by little so that it lasts. You have to be aware of lasting power.” When Pic took over the kitchen at Maison Pic, she was the only woman there, and now she is the first female chef to win Elite Traveler ’s Chef of the Year award, as well as being the only

From left: Anne-Sophie Pic; Scottish scallops; La Dame de Pic London in Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square

Photos Anne-EmmanuelleThion, Richard Waite