Food & beverage
Right: The Royal Residence Terrace.
Below: Anne-Sophie Pic’s two-Michelin- starred La Dame de Pic in London
12
The number of Michelin stars held by Anne-Sophie Pic.
ladamedepiclondon.co.uk
Pic’s reinvention of her heritage is presented daily on plates to diners across the world, but is perhaps showcased best in her trademarked dish (and one of the standouts on La Dame’s summer menu), Les Berlingots ASP; delicate green triangle-shaped pasta parcels, named after the pyramid-shaped French candies, are filled with fudgy Blackmount goat’s cheese, surrounding a jewel-green heritage tomato. Navigating these external pressures seems to come as second nature for Pic, but that’s not to say she is numb to feeling it. Yet when I ask if there’s a pressure that comes from her title as the most decorated female chef, her immediate response is to reaffirm her gratitude: “Of course, it’s a pressure, but it’s also something very positive,” she rebuts, flashing a contagious grin. “I feel a responsibility to share my experience because when I was younger, I didn’t get so much advice, and it [would have] given me security if I had some
advice from a woman. I had [the Italian chef] Nadia Santini, a wonderful woman chef, but there were not so many of us.
“I think if you are a woman and you have a lot of rewards in this industry, you have to show the values you are carrying with these rewards. And also to be very sincere with the woman [who are] asking for some help.”
Eternally grateful It’s that sincerity that shines brightest when speaking with Pic; whether it’s when she’s speaking of her respect towards her father and grandparents, or her grace when speaking about her accolades. And in an industry that has been dominated by loud, braggadocious male egos and alpha male energy, to see Pic’s humility rebut – and be rewarded – is refreshing, not to mention awe-inspiring. That being said, don’t think that Pic’s humility dulls her ambition; if anything it is enhanced by it. “This is a reward, so we have to ask, do we deserve or do we not deserve it?” she acknowledges, “But for sure to manage a team, if you say to them, ‘It’s enough, you did your job, don’t push’, I think it can be difficult if we want to improve ourselves.” This mindset is what drives Pic’s next ambition, turning her attention to pushing to gain her second third-Michelin-star establishment in Lausanne, Switzerland, when it reopens later this year. “We don’t want to seem to be too, too ambitious,” remaining characteristically down to Earth, “but it’s very important for the team to have some goals.” Going from Pic’s track record of achieving her goals, I would know where to hedge my bet. ●
A version if this article originally appeared on
elitetraveler.com. 34 Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Four Seasons
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