Chef Pierre Gagnaire, 20 years with 3 Guide Michelin stars

Do you have the Michelin spirit ?

Yes, because it's the exacting requirements of the Michelin that made us. It then allowed us to be recognized by other gastronomic guides and during my entire career, I never made any concessions in terms of my culinary ethics, even when my restaurant went bankrupt, in 1981. It's somewhat the heritage left to us by Paul Bocuse in front of which I was mesmerized, like a child.

Not too « jetlagged » by your constant travelling ?

No time to think about it ! It's quite true that I cumulate an impressive number of miles, but I recover very quickly. Jetlag and fatigue can be handled. I actually have a rather ascetic life that includes giving up many things, but I am totally supported by a family that I love and that loves me.

It is said that you wrote your last book on a plane…

Totally true ! My book, « La cuisine des 5 Saisons », published by Editions Solar, talks about the fifth bastard season of the year, when high-end products have not yet appeared. We have placed unpretentious recipes, recentered on French gastronomy.

Under the magic wand of the chef, occasionally incompatible savors become very harmonious. © DR

Composed like an English garden, this recipe is as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to taste. © DR

What is the spirit of your new restaurant, Le Pierrot ?

It is in Courchevel, inside the Hotel des Airelles. To stay simple, there I created a light and joyful restaurant, because in the mountains, the season is too short to aim at high level plates. After a day on the slopes, clients are tired, so things must move quickly.

What has changed in your cuisine since you started out ?

Everything and nothing, my bottom line is my DNA. Today, this trade gives more sense to my daily life, without it being a commerce, and I am more successful at putting my cuisine into words. My array of tastes has evolved, the universe of products and the equipment also, because the graphic and aesthetic sides have taken over the power in terms of cooking. I dream up my dishes, then I draw them before actually creating them.

You cook all over the world, do you still have whimsies ?

Whimsies are part of life. Mine evolve with time, the teams surrounding me play the game and transmission is our claim to fame. When I no longer feel the urge, I will stop. I still have a project in Vietnam, at the Intercontinental Hotel. I am already working with the same chain in Tokyo and in Dubaï. We are also present in Gordes, Bordeaux, London, Las Vegas and Seoul, while respecting local savors and the available produce. I live these adventures like a recess, because there is no star pressure, just wonderful stories to tell…

Don't miss out on dessert, you will finish on a sweet note with a baba au rhum placed on stewed fennel and Granny Smith apples. © DR

Pierre Gagnaire, a unique culinary style

Originally from Saint-Étienne, where his first restaurant went under, this chef with strong pastry training bounces back in Paris, and continues with a world tour where his tables flourish. He is the first chef with 3 Michelin stars to give an intellectual side to his cuisine, he works on his dishes in a streamlined style that is a total success.