I’m the son of farmers from Haute-Saône. I first became interested in cooking at the age of 10, with my uncle who’d worked at Le Négresco and who went on to become a cookery teacher in Luxeuil-les-Bains. He was the one who taught me high standards and the love of good things.Reopening the Pyramide in 1989, which had been made famous by Fernand Point, was a challenge I took up at the age of 29, somewhat rashly but with great enthusiasm and energy. The real success of the property has been down to my family and a loyal team from the very start.Today, my cuisine is modern but still keeps faith with traditional produce, in particular vegetables from the Rhone valley.
I grew up on a farm, and all through my childhood I was accustomed to the idea of living on what we grew ourselves. Starting as a little boy, I hoed and tilled the soil, and harvested the vegetables from our garden. My chef friends call me “the gardener.” My vegetables come from a very small area within a 25-kilometer radius around Vienne. Today I have more than 100 listed suppliers, each of which grows different ingredients for different seasons.
My favorites are the summer vegetables that develop the best possible gustatory qualities. Color, aroma and flavor are my three main criteria. I like to cook vegetables in all their forms, even in the middle of the desert. With a knife, a chopping board and a peeler, I can bring out the magic in these ingredients. I like to combine them to obtain different textures – crispy, crunchy, tender – and always with the finest possible flavor and aroma.
