Yannick Alléno, high art and 6 stars, in Paris and Courchevel

Why are you bringing art inside the Pavillon Ledoyen ?

Art did not enter in my life through the work of Olivier Masmonteil, it accompanies me every day of my life (his wife Laurence Bonnel is an artist sculptor). I wanted to leave an imprint on time and my passage here. It is the present I am giving to Paris by enriching its patrimony with this fresco of 35 m². And the city hall immediately informed me that this artwork no longer belongs to me, it has become the property of all the Parisians.

Cooking a lunch for 180 chefs at the Élysée palace, you must be very proud ?

When the President of the Republic called me, he wanted to put chefs in the spotlight and as I am also an entrepreneur, for him it was quite natural. I decided to dedicate this historical lunch to Paul Bocuse, who, in the past, worked for Ledoyen and created his signature dish « le Traversin de la Belle Basse Cour », a legenday pâté in a puff pastry crust stuffed with different meats.

You were surrounded by your chef friends ?

Yes, there was a sparkling array of 300 culinary stars inside the illustrious reception room of the Élysée. France is the only country capable of producing such a feat, even though there are some people who work very well abroad.

Your second-in-command, Martino Ruggieri, was awarded the Gold Bocuse of Italy, that must be quite motivating ?

Yes, because we are a school for culinary training. The list of star chefs, who all came out of our kitchens, is very long. I have been working with him for 3 years, and I intend to do everything I can in order for him to continue much further.

The famous chef, sitting alongside artist Olivier Masmonteil, was the first spectator of the monumental fresco. © DR

What is your approach within the Culinary College of France ? 

I am one of its founding members with Paul Bocuse, Joël Robuchon and Alain Ducasse. It is not a syndicate, our idea is to federate around the ideal of « France » all those who are good at their trade, even if they don't have any stars yet, without making it an elitist club and advocating for free, as a volonatary action, sharing with them suppliers as well as give them good tips to help them get things done. Quality producers and artisans, high-end houses as well as top notch restaurateurs, such are the master words

How does one recognize a regional product when the origin written inside is labeled « France » ?

Ask your greengrocer, and if he is honest, he will give you the real provenance of his products. I invite you to watch the video of baker Jordan, it's very revealing of consumer behavior at this time.

How will you bring the local products concept of the « terroir parisien » all the way to Hong Kong where you are opening a restaurant ?

On location, we obviously work on « locavorism » that is to say products from the area, but the idea is to bring the Parisian spirit with our own way of cooking. And if we talk about it today, it's that a collective conscience is on its way, and that the work I undertook for the agricultural reversion in the Île-de-France region has been validated.

To sign the collection of refined fish, the service gesture is very precise. © PV

Prepared with great care, the prime rib of beef is a grand moment. © PV

Yannick Alléno, his key dates

The chef was born on the 16th of December 1968, in Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine, inside a family of bistro owners. In 1986, passionate about cooking, he passed a BEP pastry diploma in Saint-Cloud before being hired at the Lutétia Hotel, a palace on the Left Bank. After working for several leading Parisian houses, he joined the brigade of the Meurice in 2003 where he began collecting rewards. Crowned with 3 Michelin, stars in 2008, he founded his own group of restauration and multiplied openings. On the 1st of July 2014, he took the helm of the Pavillon Ledoyen where he has accumulated awards from the Red guide, with 3 additional stars for his restaurant « 1947 », in Courchevel.

Le Pavillon Ledoyen is nestled in the leafy lower part of the Champs Élysées where it attracts all the Paris gourmets as well as international guests. © DR