New ideas are never in short supply.
Like all these restaurateurs regaling you with tidbits from their love story with food, we all usually start off with two in the kitchen and one front of house.
Most importantly, the richly woven fabric of human relations is nurtured from the beginning, day after day, with our suppliers, as we start discovering produce that deserves to be showcased for our diners to enjoy.
When dishes are inspired by a chef’s mood or by the season, there’s no telling what will be on the menu in a month or two. Obviously, it also depends on the land and its capacity to provide. We rely on the seasonality of products, whether sourcing sole or sea bass, lamb or beef, and even cheese and wine. Likewise, the taste of a product can change from one year’s yield to the next.
There would be no chefs without producers! Each partner works with specialists most of the time, always striving for excellence, because the finest cuisine in the world is worth nothing without fine produce.
That’s why we spend a lot of time looking for the best produce; and we refuse to work with those that are too expensive or who fail to make the cut in terms of quality. These days, it’s easier to find fine produce, thanks to the professionals who have chosen to work differently. In fact, some have always worked like this, even before it became fashionable to do so, whether they be winemakers or other producers.
Our professions are hinged around the interaction between two people; the chef and the producer are inextricably bound, each raising the other’s game. By understanding our respective constraints, we make sure that our promise is kept, while accepting the uncertainty of nature’s rhythms. The supplier knows the tastes of the restauranteurs and can be trusted to offer only produce that will meet with their approval. It is also the producer’s role to introduce the restauranteur to new ideas, because a chef is also a researcher, in his culinary laboratory, always chasing new tastes and unusual textures. I am experimenting more today than I was twenty years ago, and that’s a good thing, because new ideas are never in short supply.
Mathieu Viannay
