"The future of cooking in part rests on diversity. Each chef has his
emotional territory – this difference makes the wealth of the ensemble"
Alain Ducasse
Let's start
with some numbers. Twenty-four individual restaurants in nine countries across
three continents. Three separate three-Michelin-star restaurants in three
cities. Twenty-five years of the flagship Louis XV restaurant in Monaco,
prompting an anniversary gathering of some 240 chefs from all corners of the
globe. Multiple appearances on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. A career
spanning well over 30 years. All stemming from just one man.
Alain
Ducasse is one of the world's most successful, influential and respected chefs
and restaurateurs. Born in south-western France's Les Landes region 56 years
ago, Ducasse has embarked on an extraordinary culinary journey, which is rooted
in his native land but has seen him travel the globe both seeking and spreading
culinary influence and inspiration.
His
portfolio of restaurants is notable not only for its consistently high quality
and global reach, but also for the range of styles contained within it, from
ornate fine-dining rooms to casual bistros, from bastions of classical French
cuisine to experimental multi-ethnic concepts. Ducasse is an international chef
in every sense.
And the
empire continues to expand: last year saw the team's first foray into the
Middle East with the opening of IDAM in the stunning Museum of Islamic Art in
Doha, Qatar; this spring it débuts a new concept in the Byblos Hotel in St
Tropez, called Rivea.
However,
this is not just a very successful businessman, but also a hugely imaginative
chef and passionate mentor. In the often traditional world of French
gastronomy, he has broken down barriers, championed progression and explored
culinary cultures, while respecting history. “The future of cooking in part
rests on our diversity.
Each chef
has his own specific emotional territory – and it is this difference that makes
the wealth of the ensemble,” he says.
Ducasse and
his team have nurtured and trained a generation of chefs, many of whom are now
also part of the world's culinary élite. What's more, it is on this sphere of
education and knowledge-sharing that the energetic entrepreneur aims primarily
to focus in the future.
“We must
attract talent and guarantee continuity. Mentoring is about the transmission of
knowledge,” he says. Backing such words with action, Ducasse oversees two
cooking schools – one of which, the École Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie
in Yssingeaux, is acknowledged as the world's premier pastry-chef academy.
In direct
reference to the chef's insistence on and championing of making everything from
scratch, the company recently opened its own artisanal chocolate-making
facility in Paris. Called La Manufacture, it creates premium chocolate products
all the way from bean to bar.
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