Interview with Chefs from Paul Bocus

Chef Jean Paul Naquin

50 years old - Experiences in many restaurants, above all in Asia

• What do you think of your grandma’s recipes ?

Recipes from our grandmothers are easy, with seasonal, local and fresh products, often inexpensive with a good quality/price ratio. They are really back in the actual tendencies. We are emotionally marked by those recipes as they remind us of our childhood.

• Did you learn how to cook with her ?

It is actually by watching my grandmother cooking that I learned the traditional recipes from my region. She was often cooking for a lot of people. My grandparents were farmers and a lot of generations lived at the farm.

• What were you used to eating as a student ? I began my apprenticeship at 16. I was having lunch and dinner in the companies where I was working so I really did not get the chance to have fast food, but I was enjoying fresh and simple food; inexpensive and made out of what was left to reduce food waste.

• Do you think eating habits have changed over time ?

Today, students are more and more aware and can check whatever information on the Internet. The percentage of allergies has surged a lot too; this is due to a lack of product’s consumption during childhood. Universities’ canteens improved their offer, taking into account recent changes but a lot remains to be done.

• Are Stars-restaurants sensitive to the issue of food waste ? If so, what is implement to change it ?

Yes, in both a profitable and sustainable approach. We have products’ optimization, development of “smart menus” and reduction of inventories.

• Do you think the notion of sharing is important ?

Absolutely. We are coming back to shared plates, where friendliness is at the heart of the experience and the efficiency optimized.

• What do you think of cooking-related TV shows ? (TopChef, MasterChef…)

The audience rates are falling over the years, as there are more and more shows and because the public begins to realize how everything is scripted in order to boost audiences. However, such programs have created a lot of enthusiasm and we witness an increase in the number of reconversions.

• Do you watch any of them ?

No.

• Do you think our project would be back up by famous chefs ?

For sure; it is already adopted by many chefs in France and abroad.

• Do you think it is possible/efficient to teach how to cook through videos and online platforms ?

This will never replace the actual practice, that remains essential to acquire the right gestures. Products selection, the handling of utensils, seasoning … cannot be acquired by watching videos.

Chef Florent Boivin

39 years old - “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” 2011

• What do you think of your grandma’s recipes ?

Grandmother’s recipes are always excellent because they appeal to an affective, emotional side of our childhood. Their taste is inimitable.

• Did you learn how to cook with her ?

My grandmother gave me a taste for cooking, and she herself learned all her recipes from my great-grandmother.

What were you used to eating as a student ? I lived in a boarding school so meals were diversified and healthy.

• Do you think eating habits have changed over time ?

Yes they have, for students but also for adults.

• Are Stars-restaurants sensitive to the issue of food waste ?

A growing number of chefs are becoming aware of the environment, of food waste and of ‘locavore’ (buying and consuming local products).

• If so, what is implement to change it ?

Shorter distribution channels, waste sorting and the handling of peelings are implemented to act upon it.

• Do you think the notion of sharing is important ?

Sharing is the most important aspect of cooking. This applies also to the sharing of our profession.

• What do you think of cooking-related TV shows ? (TopChef, MasterChef…)

Those programs help our profession by adding visibility to it, but we have to be careful not to prejudice it by making people think it’s an accessible and easy profession.

• Do you watch any of them ?

No.

• Do you think our project would be backed up by famous chefs ?

Yes.

• Do you think it is possible/efficient to teach how to cook through videos and online platforms ?

Yes.

Chef Sebastien Charretier

35 years old

• What do you think of your grandma’s recipes ?

What a remembrance… It is and will always be the best cuisine, the one I eat with pleasure and for which I don’t hesitate to have a second helping.

• Did you learn how to cook with her ?

No not really, but it remains smells, tastes, unforgettable textures, a simple cuisine but with excellent local products.

• What were you used to eating as a student ?

During the week at boarding school it wasn’t perfect, but besides then I had a healthy diet, we didn’t do fast food or things like that. They were always moments for sharing with friends over good and special meals.

• Do you think eating habits have changed over time ?

Yes totally, we’re heading towards fast and polycultural food habits. With time being of the essence, we favor feeding ourselves over taking pleasure in eating. Desires become needs.

• Are Stars-restaurants sensitive to the issue of food waste ? If so, what is implement to change it ?

I think they’re getting to it little by little, by optimizing raw products and overproduction. It has to be taken into account in the ratio of materials. Means to change it could be:

-Optimization of overproduction by offering to work those products under new forms.

-An adequate production by using the idea of vacuum food.

-By optimizing raw products in all their forms (for instance a potato can be used to make mash with the pulp, while the peel can be used to make a roasted potatoes consommé).

• Do you think the notion of sharing is important ?

It’s coming back… Warmth, emotions, enthusiasm, memories…

What do you think of cooking-related TV shows ? (TopChef, MasterChef…) It’s sh… They don’t show the real facets of this beautiful profession, and young apprentices are soon faced with disillusionment. It’s however great entertainment for housewifes.

• Do you watch any of them ?

No… Arte is way more instructive on the culinary aspect.

• Do you think our project would be backed up by famous chefs ?

Yes, but not in the form of a competition, or else everyone will have to bluff. We need concrete things with nice recipes and nice demos like “Les Carnets de Julie” (French TV show), we need to go beyond producers.

• Do you think it is possible/efficient to teach how to cook through videos and online platforms ?

If it’s well done and if there is an important name behind it, then YES.

• If yes, how?

By getting close to an important and distinguished name that could help and take a look at the project, in order to promote the project.