Anne-Sophie Pic became, in 2017, the most starred chef in the world with her 4 restaurants in Valence, Lausanne, Paris and London. Since this consecration, her cuisine has never ceased to shine throughout the world… Meet this great lady of French gastronomy.
The origins of your passion?
I lived a childhood open to discovery and taste because I saw my parents doing a fulfilling job, even if very demanding. They worked a lot and I lived next to them, I had to taste and discover a lot of flavors... My father always taught me that “experience is not transmitted, it is acquired”. However, he was able to inspire me with a passion that still lives in me today and nourishes my way of looking at my cuisine every day.
Your cult recipe?
The cartons! I use them in each of my establishments, each time drawing inspiration from local terroirs. They are very symbolic of my cuisine and constitute the quintessence of it, I would say.
Your sources of inspiration?
My sources of inspiration remain the product and the craftsmen who work with it. I really need to be in direct contact with the people who make them, their stories to be able to appropriate them and introduce them into my cooking. During my travels, I always go to discover the markets and I bring back real nuggets that feed my inspiration... I also ask my market gardeners and suppliers to let me know their new products in order to enrich my product repertoire a little more each day. .
Your Proust madeleine?
I would say the asparagus dish that my dad served me, accompanied by a hollandaise... For me, it is the comfort dish par excellence and I like to rework it to offer it on the menu of my restaurants, with flavor pairings. unpublished.
A little unmentionable (culinary) pleasure?
Chocolate !
Your best memory in the kitchen?
The few weeks that I was able to spend with my father this summer of 1992 when I decided to join him in the kitchen. One of my best memories also remains meeting Monsieur Paul and the delicate sentence he addressed to me in one of his letters which still deeply moves me today: “Anne-Sophie, the Brazier mother of the XNUMXst century” ...
What does Paris represent in your gastronomic journey?
A crucial step! With my restaurant La Dame de Pic (opened in Paris in 2012), we wanted to introduce my universe and my creations to a wider audience than those who had the opportunity to go to Valence. More recently, I opened the Daily Pic at Beaupassage, with the same thought pattern. After the opening of the first brand in Valence, I wanted to make healthy and gourmet cuisine accessible to as many people as possible, served in verrines, and 100% simmered in the Drôme... Paris then imposed itself as an opening on the gastronomic sphere, an enlargement of our culinary vision on a large scale.
What do you think of the Parisian gastronomic scene?
Everything moves very quickly in Paris! Every day, we discover a new address with an innovative concept, an original approach... You have to know how to take this into account, so as to never stop questioning yourself, whether it's about our proposal or our vision of things, which must evolve according to the offer of the Parisian gastronomic scene.
Your favorite restaurants for dinner in the capital?
- Shirvan Metis coffee, from Akrame, for an exotic taste journey in the heart of the capital.
- Caffe Stern, for the unique setting of this former engraving workshop, and the excellent cuisine of my friends, the Alajmo family.
– The restaurants of Peter Blood, for the unexpected discovery and experience they offer.
– Kitchen ter(re) by William Ledeuil, for his work around Roland Feuillas pasta.
A current project?
The opening of our next Dame de Pic in Singapore at Raffles! It's a project that excites me a lot, because it will be my first establishment in Asia, a region of the world that I particularly like for its culture and its products. I'm really looking forward to going there to discover new things that will allow me to anchor the menu that I will offer in the Singaporean terroir.
The Lady of Pic, 20 Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris & Daily Pic Beaupassage, 55 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris.
