THE BIG INTERVIEW ❘ ALAIN DUCASSE
Among them, Alain Chapel was certainly the one who left the strongest imprint on my vision of cooking. He used to say: “Cooking is much more than recipes.” This is probably the most important advice I ever heard.
What do you look for in an apprentice or chef?
Craving – the unstoppable desire to learn and to express his or her personality.
There are many avenues in the world of Alain Ducasse – chef, restaurateur, teacher, businessman, author and publisher – what is a typical day like for you?
I’m fortunate enough to have no typical day – every one is different. However, I would say that half of my time is spent with food, either tasting recipes or products. And the rest is devoted to new projects.
Your restaurant Sapid has a plant-based menu and has long been an ambition for you. Why is now the right time? Sapid is the most recent step of a very long-term venture. It began in 1987, when I proposed an entirely vegetarian menu at Le Louis XV, in Monaco. This was a bold decision: at that time, no one would have thought that a three-star restaurant was legitimately allowed to propose such a menu. Then, in 2014, and still in a three-star restaurant, I created Naturalité (au Plaza Athénée in Paris), based on vegetables,
Clockwise from left: Alain Ducasse; La Bastide de Moustiers in Provence; a Sapid entrée of Burrata with pan-fried Paris mushrooms from La Caverne (18th arrondissement); Sapid’s ragoût of chickpeas; Sapid opened in September 2021
DUCASSE ON DINING “What counts is to connect with today’s eaters”
The French-born Monégasque chef and businessman, who has always been a pioneer of world-class cuisine, talks to Victoria Gibson about a more sustainable future through food, meaningful collaborations and relaxing
What do you remember most about growing up in Southern France? During my childhood, I learnt something incredibly important: before cooking, there is nature. I grew up on a farm, (in Castel- Sarrazin) in the southwest of France. To prepare the meals, we used to go to the vegetable garden and pick the ripe vegetables. Nature dictated our menus.
66 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Aug/Sep 2022
I always kept this lesson in mind during my career as a chef.
You started working in kitchens from a young age. What is the best piece of advice you received from another chef? My first years were spent with some of the most prominent figures of the time: Michel Guérard, Roger Vergé and Gaston Lenôtre.
IMAGES © PHILIPPE VAURÈS SANTAMARIA, PIERRE MONETTA, ATELIER MAI
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