Salty Magazine Volume 3

conversations with the world’s top culinary artists

salty raw. unfiltered. candid.

eric ripert:

the core of a chef Guy Savoy:

50 Years on the Job Rosio Sanchez:

Made from scratch

vol. 3

salty 8 Eric Ripert: The Core of a Chef 32 To Be or Not to Be

by Andrea Petrini 46 Guy Savoy: 50 Years on the Job 62 House of Cacao

by Anna Payet 68 Rosio Sanchez: Made from Scratch 84 Helene Pietrini: The Future of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Brand 96 The Precious Scars of Kintsugi

by Joseph Weaver 106 Gwendal Poullennec: A Michelin Star is Not a Decoration 114 Karime Lopez: A Kitchen of My Own 126 New Openings 130 Frank Rene - Champorado 132 Happenings

Eric Ripert

live. Then your life is done and you have not been in the present once.

It seems that chefs are cooking with 50 Best or Michelin in mind. Has this level become about cooking for everyone except the guest?

I think before you cook for the guest, you have to cook for yourself and only after you cook for yourself, can you cook for the guest. Exactly like in Buddhism you say, “Before you start to love others, you have to start to love yourself.”

If you don’t love yourself, how can you know what love is. It’s not being selfish. First of all, it’s healthy and it’s not about selfishness.

It’s a natural process that allows you to love other people. If not, if you don’t. If I do food and I don’t do food for myself or it’s not food that I like, how can I make food for those people. Then it’s not my food.

I started in 1991 at Le Bernardin. Right?

Almost yeah. I mean 1991. June 10 at 7:40 am, I looked at my watch. I never, never got

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distracted from what I was supposed to do from that day. I was 24 years old. Before that I was sous chef in other places, but I never got distracted. I don’t care.

But you didn’t have all these things to deal with in those days. In the past ten years hasn’t it all changed?

Right now I’m thinking about what you’re saying and I’m in the present with you and I’m thinking. But the minute we are going to stop talking I’m going to go back to the kitchen.

I’m going to do exactly what I feel that I’m supposed to do in my kitchen without any influence, neither from Michelin, 50 Best, or anyone. I’m going to do what I feel that is right for me to do.

I have always been like that and I always did what I thought was the right thing for me to do. What the right thing for me to do obviously is different for other chefs. I’m doing it in my own vision, my own style.

But I need to express it and my platform is Le Bernardin. Right? Then I need to find

Salty Magazine solution to make sure that from here, it ends up here being fabricated. That’s my day. My days are filled with that focus. So to me, if we get rewarded or don’t get rewarded doesn’t matter. I think on the beginning of the 50 Best, we were not in it, or I’m not sure. Maybe we were, I don’t know. I am not sure, but it didn’t matter to me.

Do chefs follow trends these days?

I don’t. For instance, I sure I am influenced by the trends unconsciously. It’s my subconscious. But I don’t look at the trend.

I don’t care that next year, the next popular vegetable is going to be lentils. If I feel like I want to cook lentils, I will cook lentils, but I am not going to be influenced by anyone because it’s the number one vegetable of the year. I couldn’t care less. I think those influences from the outside world don’t have an effect on me.

Sometimes avocado or k ale appears on menus every where around the world. The price of trends?

Isn’t it hard to go against the flow like be the 1% against 99%?

Sometimes I’m the 1%. Sometimes I’m the 0%. I’m going to give you an example. Last night it was a very rare dinner with wine connoisseurs. Probably some of the biggest wine connoisseurs in America. It was a very specific dinner with some incredible bottles and so on. I decided to break the rules completely and go against everything they believe and everything they do. I didn’t decide that because of ego. I decided because I felt that what they do is not right. Wine dinners always start with the youngest wine and end up with the oldest wine. As a chef, as you can imagine, I never start a menu with the strongest flavor and end up with the most refined flavor. We build up. Right? While in the wine, they do the contrary. I said, “We’re going to do this wine dinner with the old wines first. From 1924 and 1930s, 45, and so on. We’re going to end up with the ‘90s.”

Because to me it makes sense. I said, “On

Yeah. I mean, kale is something that never made it to Le Bernardin because it’s. something that doesn’t attract me. Now, I’m not saying it’s not good. But again, maybe Le Bernardin missed the train on the kales (laughing). Maybe in two years from now, I’m going to have a good idea about kales and we’re going to end up with kales. I’m going to be like, “I don’t care.”

I think it’s a mistake to get influenced too much or to believe too much in the outside world. You have to be aware of course. You have to evolve. I think my mantra is, “Do not harm. Be yourself.” Being yourself is the strongest thing that you can do for yourself.

It’s the strongest ally that you have to succeed because being yourself will allow you to create something that you want to create and be happy with it, without having to stress over all the influences around. It’s also so rewarding in many ways.

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Andrea Petrini

That was love at first sight/first bite. You should ask super Andoni (Andoni Aduriz): “When he came to work with us at Mugaritz, Riccardo really stood apart.” Not to forget Jim Morris, the former director of the Stratford School of Chefs, in Ontario: “The first year Riccardo came to cook with our students for a week. It was such a hit! The following year, he stayed with us – as the foreign chef and teacher in residence – for the whole winter season: almost five months!” Don’t look for these credentials on Camanini’s Wikipedia page. Ricky never even added it on his curriculum vitae.

Instead of all that, he kept working like crazy, focusing on a cuisine as sharp and as light as a feather. Of intense flavours and real textures, locally sourced all around the lake, getting the maximum out of it. The forecasting of an Italian naturalism, of a refined peasant cuisine set in the premises of the ultimate old school luxury hotel. Too poetic, two double faced, too strange – Ricky is stranger than Richard, Bobby Wyatt would sing –, too out of the game. Too loose

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from the tight binding knots of the Catalan Modernism ruling the world in those days.

Once upon a time there was a place, a chef’s choice spot, almost nobody knew of or spoke of. A hotel restaurant, they said – not worth the ride, a one-hourish drive from Milan. In the meantime, the world turned around, in vain, in pain. No usual suspected food congress (no Mejor de la Gastronomia, no Madrid Fusion nor Identità Golose or even the Dansk MAD food-camp) came his way.

15 years – of introspection, of reclusion, of great achievements, of word of mouth – went by. Till the day, Riccardo decided, five years ago, to follow his path. A green slope leading to the shore of the Garda lake and a family run restaurant, whose owner, on the eve of retirement and always great admirer of Ricky’s food, proposed for him to take over her lifelong house for almost a symbolic dime. Or so to speak.

“It’s gonna be a simple place, a bistro-like spot where everybody, young and old, not only the filthy rich can come and dine”

Salty Magazine used to repeat Riccardo like a mantra.

He managed to convince even his bro Giancarlo to quit his job, to cut expenses down and share all the conveniences of his flat. It took Riccardo 19 years to reach the Everest of media attention, the peak where he stands now. But it took us just one visit, four months after the opening, to feel our jaws dropping in surprise. Call it the force of despair, the kick of starting over and anew at 41 with a brand-new state of mind, surprising any occasional pilgrim stopping by with a welcoming smile and a cuisine never seen before or anywhere else.

There’s a lot of thought, plenty of culture and studying at the Camanini’s place.

There’s knowledge at play, spanning from the remotest pages of Italian tradition to the outskirts of the historical avant-garde.

Nature is omnipresent and tenderness is the mood, not only at night.

It took Alain Ducasse to find himself stranded at Lido 84, for the GELINAZ! Shuffle in July 2015, to recognize two kindred souls. “The

Camaninis represent the heritage of the Italian family run restaurant at the crossroad of many other influences” says the Big Guy. Happy to add: “I have rarely seen a cleverer dish than Riccardo’s Spaghettoni, butter and beer yeast. Probably the best pasta dish I have eaten in all my life. It’s so pure, so essential in its quest between intentions and execution, in its bitter and sourish aftertaste with almost a hint of burnt caramel, that it is practically an iconic dish from the instant it hits your table. You can’t modify it; you can’t improve on that. It’s impossible to add anything to its essentiality. It’s also impossible to subtract anything else, it’s the way it is. And that’s how you recognize a real masterpiece.” Crystal clear.

No wonder Alain Ducasse told everyone of his little secret, sharing it also with the former French president François Hollande and it inevitably went viral. No wonder too that Ducasse has asked Romain Meder, his alter ego at the fabulous Plaza Athénée restaurant in Paris, to visit the Bros and

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Guy Savoy

by an artist, it’s by conception, all this artwork that guests experience.

What is a restaur ant about these days?

A restaurant now is not only about food. The food is obviously the most important, but the food will not taste the same in the cellar or in the parking garage, it’s impossible! Like wine, for example you have to have a nice glass. It’s impossible to drink and enjoy a great wine, in a plastic glass! It’s impossible.

Today for me it’s very important to have the right location, and along with that we need to have a special atmosphere. My signature atmosphere, which I hope, is warm.

I don’t imagine a restaurant without atmosphere, especially a warm atmosphere.

A restaurant is a place where the guests experience must be perfect, being greeted with a smile in the main entrance, and then attended to by members of the team. We don’t have staff here, we have a team, a

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Salty Magazine very good one with a connection between the kitchen team, the dining-room team, the hostess’ team. They all work together, like a sport team. It’s the inherent spirit of this place and over time many such details make the restaurant special.

Is passion a prerequisite for this work?

Yes! Our job is magic. Why? Because we transform the product into pleasure. It is also magical because it happens all over the world.

There are so many possibilities; you can have a restaurant open only for the lunch and you can have a restaurant only open for dinner.

Maybe you want a dessert only restaurant.

Now in Courchevel you have seasonal restaurants. You can do molecular food, you can do seafood, meat food, vegetable based food, cereal based food and so on.

Everything is possible. And the winner is the guest, because they have many choices

now. It’s magic! The best example is La Liste!

The first year 150 sources, and now 620, maybe in five years, who knows. According to me it’s the best reflection of cuisine in the world. In four years, we can see Asian food, Chinese, Korean represented in the first 1,000 restaurants in the world. It’s very interesting, every year, to correctly depict this evolution around the world.

How do you feel about being the #1 on La Liste again this year along with Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin? You are in Paris, while his restaur ant is in New York and has a different concept, ambience, and cuisine.

Yes, Le Bernadin is unique too like this place is unique, for the atmosphere, the professionalism, and the customers, in fact we often have the same customers. This year’s La Liste is different when compared to the first edition four years ago when they compiled the culinary guide from only 150 sources based on culinary publications,

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AnnA Payet about the author Anna Payet, is a professor of tourism and hospitality in Girona, Spain. She is also an ardent admirer and fan of her husband Chef Joan Roca of the renowned three Michelinstarred El Celler de Can Roca restaurant.

Chef Roca, the eldest of the close-knit Roca clan has the good fortune to be married to his lovely cheerleader and supporter. Anna lives with her husband, daughter Marina, son Marc, and Jack the family dog right above the famed restaurant, which allows her the envious privilege of ordering in from the kitchen downstairs. The rest of the world just waits to land a reservation. Anna and brother-in-law pastry chef Jordi Roca are soon opening the doors to their joint project in the heart of Girona, Spain. Anna is finally fulfilling a lifelong dream of operating a boutique hotel of her own. She shares the story of Casa Cacao while allowing a glimpse into the world of hospitality and the Roca family.

House of Cacao

by Anna Payet

I

hail from l’Estartit, a small village on the Costa Brava where the main industry is tourism. Since my childhood, I have shared my village with tourists of various nationalities that visited us. They were all in some way a part of my daily life as I would meet them on the beaches, in the shops or the streets. They were welcomed by the commitment of our community to tourism, by the various services of the villagers, all of whom watched me grow up. During the peak season, I helped my father, who was a fisherman, to deliver fresh fish to the restaurants on the coast. Meanwhile, in our shop, my mother took care of customers who wanted to go diving. So, the world of tourism and its associated services was always very present at home and around me and I always knew I would work in this industry. Looking

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Salty Magazine with teaching, my dream of working in the tourist sector was still pending but, another was beginning...

back it was not surprising that I ended up choosing this career years later. At first thinking, logically, using my brain, because it was the most coherent career opportunity in my area, but in actuality I also chose it from the heart. I was always very passionate about dealing with the people around me, at home and in the community, many times strangers become friends. Many of my parents’ friends were French, Belgian, German and on Sundays, there was always someone from abroad having lunch with us. That enriched me tremendously and from a very young age. Before even beginning formal language studies, I knew how to say a couple of things in French, English or German.

In 1984 I began a Tourism degree at the nearby Girona University. It was while I was in my third year that I met a young chef and teacher at the Hospitality and Tourism School who would become a significant part of my life: Joan Roca.

When the time came to begin planning our future together, I was working in l’Estartit in one of the most important agencies in the hotel and travel sector in the area. The idea was to live together in the city of Girona, but I wasn’t completely convinced about leaving my tourism job. Joan encouraged me to put my name down to work as a teacher at the Hospitality and Tourism School in Girona and a vacancy soon arose. I accepted it, in 1992, and began to experience tourism from a teaching perspective.

Even though I ended up falling in love

El Celler de Can Roca story was just starting and was only 3 years old at that point. Joan combined his job as a cooking teacher at the Hospitality School with the restaurant project he shared with his brother Josep. At that time, it was a small restaurant, with a couple of tables and very few customers. The menu was very simple, but already had a French influence and there was a great desire to do new, different things, although we never thought about Michelin stars or international awards. I went to help them on the weekends and during the process I learnt a lot from them both.

Gradually I immersed myself in Joan’s job as a chef which seemed an exciting world to me. They lived it so effusively and with so much dedication that they transmitted their commitment to others and it was impossible not to throw yourself into it 100%. They shared a kitchen and values with the flagship restaurant next door, Can Roca, where aunt Maria was at the helm; she taught me how to assemble the desserts, deal with the customers, take orders, do silver service, and carry three plates on one arm or the other.

From Can Roca to the first Celler, and from El Celler to the banquet business, I covered a lot of ground before taking charge of the Cap Roig Festival project.

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Rosio sanchez So most people don’t realize that you are making things from scr atch?

Yes, not like just opening a bag of tortillas.

If I had a Mexican restaurant in Chicago, I wouldn’t have to make my own nixtamal.

There’s so many torillerias that can make great nixtamal. So it’s all these things that we do but I’ve had a lot of fun with it. In the end I guess the only thing that matters is that it tastes good. So I am more focused on that because you’ve just got to win with flavor no matter what.

Do you think a person who doesn’t have that history with Mexican cuisine or isn’t Mexican in can cook it the same way?

So that’s a challenge for you?

I think so, because I feel Mexican food can’t just be made by foreigners. Just like a lot of other things, unless you have the experience. So for me, it’s very important to have managers and people overseeing the places that are from Mexico. That is super important because it shows that, there’s that little extra pride, extra care at our end.

It’s very difficult to sustain that in a place like Copenhagen, because it’s not like there’s a huge community of Mexican immigrants here. I think if you were in the United States and you had to open a Mexican restaurant, no problem. You can make the whole kitchen Mexican. It’s not so easy in a different place, we are doing it, but it just takes a little more effort. For example, I would love to have a lady from Mexico making freshly pressed tortillas, but nobody here in Copenhagen is going to do that.

Besides that, having the comparison of what things cost here to what things cost in Mexico and how difficult it is to bring something down to a level that’s considered street food. I mean, we’re getting there and I’m pretty happy with what we’re doing. I think our prices are actually very comparable to New York City.

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You mean like all over America. So there’s that cultural appropriation scenario. Yeah, and I believe that that term has turned around for certain people because I think that, would you ever say Thomas Keller’s doing that with French food. I think they throw that around when it’s regarding those of ethnic backgrounds. You never see like oh, Jean Georges’ cultural appropriation, Mario Batali’s cultural appropriation of Italian food, or the chef from Saison. But no one ever brings this up of, for example, the French Laundry is supposed to be French.

All these things, no one ever says it to these guys and I don’t think they should. I think that they’re doing a good job. But there’s certain cuisines that people feel extra touchy about, I think. And I’m not sure if that’s because of the way that they’ve been perceived by society, and maybe they feel guilty. I don’t know and I don’t understand why one thing is and another thing is not.

I think ethnic chefs need to speak out about this. Because unless you bring things out in the open, you won’t start those conversations.

What’s an example of cultural appropriation that is talked about now? Because maybe I’m out of the loop. Because I also think maybe it’s more of a focus in the States. I

Salty Magazine think it depends on the person and I guess how transparently honest the person is and what they’re trying to do. Well I also think I bring up Thomas Keller because of that review that was written that said that it was cultural appropriation done right.

What do you think of reviews like that? In the food world these days everybody’s out there on their Instagr am and their Instastories putting a word in. So is there a need for food critics?

Well I think the critics need to be better.

Reviews are fine, but they should be headlined as an opinion more than a review.

More of a guideline?

Yeah, exactly! Besides the experience is very different for everybody. I mean, I liked the fact that Jonathan Gold would just not review a restaurant if he did not like it.

People tend to really follow those reviews based on that personal experience. For example, I had a review once that said that the pace of the serving was too fast, and I actually like it fast because I eat fast. It’s a point that I make to the staff. Like, “If a course is clear, let’s put the next one.”

The review was that it was too fast. Then we talked about it with the staff and like, “Maybe people to need to go a little slow but we still want it to be a fast-paced service.”

Do critics sometimes write something like this intentionally?

Exactly, for example, our pace is intentional but then because it was written negatively in the review people are reading it negatively like, “Oh they go too fast, they go too fast,” but for whom? For the guy maybe. Not for me, not for the people who come here, I mean I want people to get their food fast.

The l ast time we spoke we were talking about whether you’re going to stay permanently in Copenhagen so is this home now?

Yeah things have changed a lot now. Yeah I think for now, I do think that I will stay.

I think that right now, things are moving along in a nice way. I have a boyfriend and we have a dog, things like that.

Is there something you wish you hadn’t done a certain way or going back, if you had to do it again you would not have done?

No. I think it’s been a lot of fun to just go with my gut.

Two girls came in and ordered snacks and tacos. They ate the snacks, and they were cleared and I brought the tacos down. She said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. This is so fast.

The review was right.”

I said, “Okay. That’s fine. You don’t want it now I can bring it later.” She’s like, “Yeah.”

It’s like what the hell? How much are you actually supposed to wait for tacos because if I were to go eat in a restaurant and my tacos are not there as soon as my appetizers are cleared I’d be like, “Well what are they doing back there?”

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Helene Pietrini

next year we’ll have someone completely different with years of experience.

It is nothing to do with her as a person, it’s just when you refer to an expert, experience counts. So it means you’re not coming up with a Junior Chef Award next year?

Yeah. Well, I don’t see her as a junior but as quite well experienced. Enrique Olvera was smart enough to make her grow quite fast, and now he can be proud that she’s been so successful. I just would encourage more male chefs like Enrique to do the same. I think she’s blooming and really maturing, and becoming a very strong leader. Nobody is perfect, and people always criticize.

The list has so much influence in the world, and the Best Female Chef award is not a local award of some kind. It’s more singular , don’t you agree?

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No, no, no, I mean, I agree. I spent hours explaining the results, going back to the voting system. I’m ready to do hours and hours of explanation to as many people as possible. But that’s okay. I’ll explain, always.

I’ll tell you something interesting, because as you know I live in Paris, between Paris and London. You know, a few years ago, France was complaining because there were no French restaurants on the list. So they thought the 50 Best team was just against the French. Now there is a French restaurant at the top of the list and they think it’s because I’m French, and they’re still complaining. So you know, people keep complaining all the time.

They think that I’m manipulating... Before they thought we were manipulating the vote not to have any French. Now they say that we have been manipulating votes to put the French at the top.

There are some things you can never fight and the female chef award is

Salty Magazine something that’s always going to bring you more negative attention than positive, no matter how many of the women who win this go out and say something positive. It’s not going to change for a while, especially right now, in this climate.

Well, I think there is more positive impact than negative impact. You think more it’s negative, I think?

ambassadors for us. The list of official Taste Hunters is on our website. It’s clearly stated that they do not vote, because they have to choose. Either you vote and you’re anonymous, or you’re a taste hunter, you work with us, but you don’t vote. There was some confusion. There were very few people who used the taste hunter thing to get freebies, etc. They’re not taste hunters anymore. I mean, believe me. We’re very careful.

As a woman in the industry, I feel like it should not exist, period. it should be about talent first, over gender the color of your skin, or your ethnicity.

Last year , William Drew said in a conversation with me that you may decide one day to do away with them. Is that something you would consider?

I mean, I don’t disagree with you. I agree. But because female chefs are not represented enough, are not supported enough, I want to give them this opportunity. For the moment, it’s a great opportunity for them to speak, to encourage women, for them to change how the restaurant world is at the moment. I’m being criticized a lot for this award. and I have to explain. But there is no black and white answer on this award.

I know. But can you imagine, because of the scrutiny, because of the influence, we are not allowed to have social media ambassadors? I mean, those ambassadors should not be allowed, or should never claim for freebies. I mean, we have a charter with them, and every year, you know, we reexplain, we go through all of the clauses, just to make sure they really understand what they can do and what they cannot do.

I would prefer to have a 50/50 restaurant world with more parity, more inclusivity, and obviously, this award should not exist.

When we have criticisms, or when we have people coming to us and say, “Oh, you should be careful with this one, because he did this, or she did that.” I mean, then we watch closely, and if there is any problem, then...

It’s like... It’s the same for voters. When we hear someone claiming, “I’m a voter, I’m a voter,” well, then, he’s not a voter for a long time. We change it. We rotate. It’s a constant control that we try to do as much as we can.

Regarding the question of lobbying and the involvement of PR and if the voter s are at all anonymous.

That links in with the observation, “Oh, now they have a 28-year-old woman who is a World’s Best Female Chef, and also have these young Taste Hunters?” Some of your taste hunters are involved in commercial enterprises and represent themselves as being a part of the 50 Best.

Well, okay, so as for this question I always explain, because we’re being asked many, many times.

First of all, the Taste Hunters or Taste Makers are not voters. They are social media

Should the length of tenure of these social media dominant taste m aker s , and ac ademy chair s be limited? Some Academy chairs hold gr andfathered positions which cannot be conducive to change?

Yeah. We rotate chairs a little bit more for...

California, we’ve got a new one. We’ve had three new ones this year. We are changing three at the moment.

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Joseph Weaver Maybe there are two kinds of artist.

There are creators and then there are interpreters. Think about the monks who spent their lives illuminating manuscripts.

The words they were working with existed before them. They took those words from a holy text and they made them beautiful.

They added their own interpretation of how that book should look, how it should be read. The creator was whoever penned those lines, the interpreter made them visually attractive. To me, both roles are important for contributing to what we consider beautiful.

The other art that I’ve pursued is called kintsugi. Very basically, it’s the art of fixing broken ceramics with lacquers and precious metals. It’s more of an interpretive role.

The ceramicist is the original creator of a piece, and I only get involved if it breaks.

The ceramicist is the writer of a beautiful text, the creator of something new in the world. I am an interpreter. I am taking the subject – a piece that exists, that was created out of nothing – and reimagining it. The broken pieces are brought together with glue and gold into something new, my interpretation of the original piece, which existed before I ever touched it.

It’s not a perfect parallel. I haven’t found the perfect parallel for kintsugi. It’s a complex art form with a long history. As far as my research has led me, it originated in Japan in the 15th century. There was a shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who sent a broken teacup to China, where it had been made, to be rebuilt. It came back to him mended in the style of the time, using thick metal staples to keep the pieces of ceramics held together. This lacked a certain grace in his eyes, and he tasked his artisans with coming up with a new method.

Kintsugi means “to join with gold.” That’s what they started doing with broken pottery, often ceramics used in the tea ceremony. The method that they developed piggybacked off of Japan’s history for lacquerware which involved using resin

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from the Lacquer Tree, Toxicodendron vernicifluum. That resin, called urushi, acts as an incredibly strong binding agent if it is cured and oxidized correctly. When the urushi is dry, a layer of colorful powder, usually gold, is sprinkled on. This becomes the illumination of the fracture.

Urushi-based kintsugi became a celebrated art form in Japan, most associated with the tea ceremony. It’s a way to transform broken pottery into something imperfectly beautiful. Urushi though is a concentrated source of urushiol, a toxic compound also found in poison ivy and poison oak. Working with urushi can be hazardous to the skin and lungs if it isn’t cured properly. Plates that aren’t perfectly cured are unsafe to use. The poison can remain on the surface.

Because of the danger, most kintsugi is art, and rarely used in kitchens.

I started to learn about the art of kintsugi almost a decade ago. I was working as a Captain at Quince in San Francisco.

Now it has three Michelin stars, at the time it had one. Chef Michael Tusk was running an incredibly tight restaurant, aiming to be one of the best in the city.

Salty Magazine He brought in beautiful ceramics for his dishes. As at all restaurants, breakage was a problem. It’s a really negative thing at restaurants, especially when they’re using really expensive plateware. We, like many restaurants, had a place to record breakages. There are very good reasons for doing this, but regardless the staff always starts looking at these as a “Log of Shame.” It creates this sort of culture of fear – no one wanted to be ostracized by their coworkers or written up for breaking a handmade bowl. It becomes a reputation thing.

One day, Mike brought a bag of broken ceramics to a staff meeting and laid them out on a table. He has a background as a visual artist, so he suggested the only thing to do with these once-valuable

objects was an art installation. I started imagining what could be done to resurrect these beautiful pieces with nowhere to go.

I had seen pieces in museums as well as DIY attempts on social media. I decided to start working on it myself.

Kintsugi is a method that people can take their entire lives to master. I thought about apprenticing with someone in Japan, which is the best way to deeply understand the traditional approach. But I also thought, maybe there’s a different way to do it – while still adhering to the traditional philosophy behind it. I knew the end result of what I wanted. I just needed to figure out how to get there. I took it on as a complete neophyte. For a long time it was like feeling around in the dark. I tested out hundreds of different materials, adhesives, epoxies,

“There are deep fault lines in each of us. They come from our childhood or from old relationships or the world around us.”

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Gwendal Poullennec behalf of the customer. Besides, we are always looking out for the best places to eat and just to share with the global community of foodies. This frankly has remained consistent and yes, we are expanding worldwide, but I won’t say it’s related to any kind of competition, it’s much more because the culinary landscape is evolving a lot. Is that the case here also?

Yes, very much so.

the same time, we also have people with more than 30 years of experience and we always manage to balance the profile.

So when making a new selection we can maintain the offered consistency, in our own methodology.

There are restaur ants that seem to cater to or change their cuisine to conform with those guidelines.

You know there are consultants out there who claim to help restaur ants, or change their

And for that reason we decided to expand the guide from Northern California to the whole state of California. Because the market is very vibrant, very interesting.

It’s a very trend-setting market.

But it’s eventually the Michelin Guide’s editorial decision, and if we step outside the US, or anywhere worldwide. There are more and more destinations that would be worth having a Michelin Guide selection.

It’s because the quality of the offerings did improve a lot in the past five years in many places.

Have the guidelines for the inspectors changed? Have they been more relaxed? Maybe back in the day you wouldn’t have considered or thought of having street vendors emerge on a Michelin list.

Has it changed in that respect?

Frankly the methodology and the main criteria have remained absolutely the same. We take one star, a very good place in its category, of course we cannot compare a street food 1-star experience to you know a 1-star experience in a luxury setting. But, as far as the taste, quality of the products, our concern is the balance and consistency. We didn’t change in our approach at all. And you know the team of inspectors, some of the them are quite young, just entering the company, but only after a significant professional experience and significant professional training and background. At

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concept to help them get a third or a second star?

Obviously we know that the Michelin guides and stars have a huge impact, not just on restaurants, and that impact is increasing because it has a worldwide audience right now. So, no surprise that some of the restaurants do their best to achieve the one, two, or three-star level.

But I won’t say anything about changing the concept according to any kind of

Salty Magazine guidelines. Indeed we don’t have any guidelines.

Chefs also speak out about the stress of having to maintain their level, for example the third star.

It’s expensive, it’s very difficult to maintain, and then there are have been some chefs who have wanted to return it or not have it anymore. So how does Michelin deal with that, and why do you think that happens?

of course from the other side, or our side.

It is something they have to remember every day, while working, but at the end of the day, the inspectors are just normal customers entering the restaurant, and they have to work to satisfy the customer and not work for themselves.

Taking the example of chefs Sebastian Br as and Dani Garcia, who soon after receiving a third star announced his decision to close after a year. Is having to maintain a certain level or quality becoming a bit of an issue, especially with the economy the way it is?

I will look at it very differently, not being too specific, I think maybe with what you just said in mind, you know I think one, two, or three stars is a tremendous opportunity. When sometimes they change their business its thanks to the star. You know without the three stars, Dani Garcia could not achieve what he is doing today.

Therefore it was his own target, as if to say and to show to the world, “Ok, I do have that ability.” And then he wanted to do something else, but It was a long-term project for him.

You know first of all they cannot redeem a star because, the star has been granted by the Michelin, and the star you know it’s not a kind of decoration; it’s a recommendation to the client. For us, we consider the star like the press will do, it’s a rating, it’s a release, we are just informing the customers. Then maybe for some chefs, they would like to be all the way at the very best, but I think at the end of the day it is something stimulating for the industry. I know this

But it does create a different problem in the industry, so does Michelin want to address it or just leave as it, because maybe it would be a good idea to state your position on that subject? I hear that refr ain on my tr avels around the world from many chefs.

You know that more and more we are opening a real dialogue with the chefs and we understand their concerns. We are here also to boost and promote the industry, so we do it in a fair way, we try to be very kind to them, always very respectful, as we are working for the client. I often refer to Paul Bocuse who used to say “We are sitting on the same

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Karime Lopez You have tr aveled e x tensively while you have been working in other restaur ants. Now you are tr aveling on your own, going to coll abor ations like Gelinaz l ast year in Austria. Do you enjoy being a part of those events?

are working on with Gucci. We are part of a big brand so beyond the kitchen and dining room it’s also learning about working with this big company. So I am learning a lot these days and happy about that.

Is the fact that Massimo chose a female chef to head the kitchen something new for Italy?

I think so, and I think that initially Italians were not actually happy about that. Not everybody of course, there are a lot of people who are very happy, but I hear a lot of people saying, “Oh she’s a girl and she’s not even Italian.” But now with my work I can show everybody that I am prepared to do this. It’s the only way I can show that.

You were recently recognized as the “Best Female Chef Under 40” by Identita Golose in Italy. Does that stamp of approval mean that the Italian culinary communit y has accepted you?

It does definitely, and actually it was a total surprise for me. I would never ever have imagined to win that in a country that is not my own country because they are very focused on their nationality. So it was a very nice thing not just for me but also for all the foreigners that are working in Italian kitchens. Italy has a lot of people from all over the world working here like Matias Perdomo, the chef at Contraste in Milan, who is a good friend, and is a great example because he’s not Italian and now he has two Michelin stars here. It is super nice to see that Latin people can be successful in other parts of the world.

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That was a fun event because I was working with different chefs and besides it was well-balanced because it was half women and half men which doesn’t happen a lot.

Usually it’s 90% men and 10% women but in this case it was half and half and it was nice.

Do you think that to some extent the #metoo or women-forward movement is going too far? Should people be considered for work based on talent r ather than gender?

I think it’s not like a “Me Too” for women or just one thing, it must have inclusion for everything like gender, race, everything else. Some things maybe go too far but I think it’s important to speak out, but we have to focus on not just one thing, I think there are many things that we have to speak out about. It’s all a matter of time.

You have been a part of other kitchens and seen how they incorpor ate and build their teams. What is different in your kitchen from other places you have worked?

Yes I think every kitchen, not just here or in Italy or not just with Massimo, all the kitchens all over the world, are like a

Salty Magazine different house. There are different rules, different ways to work, different people, so I think like each kitchen is a different family and a different house and they each developed differently. So of course every place I have been has been different and you have to adapt to the situation and the timing and the people, the project, the concept that you want to work with. I think there are like a lot of things that you have to count that makes a difference for each kitchen and every restaurant.

In some countries , kitchens are more regimented and stricter , and others are more open. For example, you said in Japan you couldn’ t speak in the kitchen, and in some restaur ants in Spain and Fr ance you still can’t speak in the kitchen. From what you have experienced, where do you think kitchen culture is the friendliest?

I think Latin kitchens are super friendly, it’s like they are more relaxed in a certain way. But actually here in Florence we have a super nice team and we work in a different manner since we have people from all over the world so that makes it like a lighter mood for everyone. I don’t want to lead a kitchen where they are afraid of me, where I have to shout at everybody, so I think we are building a kind of team where everybody can participate. From all the kitchens that I have been in, I chose what I like and keep out what I don’t like.

How many people do you have on the team, and how many are women?

We are 12 in all, and we have 5 women in the kitchen.

That’s a good balance, compared to many other restaur ants. Do you choose the people for your team?

Yes I usually choose the people but based off of their CV, it’s not like a gender thing.

We have them work a bit and if they can work well and adapt then we hire them.

So it’s based on talent?

Yeah it’s based on talent, definitely. It’s a coincidence that it’s so balanced because women keep coming to apply which is good but we are based on talent, not gender.

At one time you were studying art history, and now you live in artfilled Florence. Is that exciting for you?

It’s great because Florence full of art and in every corner you see a little piece of art either decorating a door or window, it’s incredible. It’s a great place to be because I love that part of my life. I’m super happy to be here.

When you and Taka decided to get married you moved to Italy, could it have been the other way around?

It seems like it’s always the woman changing her life. Would he have come wherever you were?

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