A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

CARLOS FRUNZE

Executive Chef at Teible

5am

My day begins with early morning meditation to clear my mind and prepare for a busy day ahead. I meditate for about an hour before getting ready for work.

7-9am

Once I arrive at Teible, I officially start my work day with a cup of coffee and a chat with the bakery team. I use this time to inspect bakery items and check on the team’s mise en place and prep stations. For example, the size of each croissant should be uniform and consistent. I like making sure that my team is ready for the upcoming breakfast service. This includes ensuring that all glassware and cutlery is ready for a buzzing morning at Teible.

9am

I check in with the kitchen team and see if they need any assistance with the morning service. I try to be available for all members of my team should they need assistance or guidance in tasks, such as preparing their mise en place or plating. If there is any moment I can aid or teach my team, I make sure to step in and do so.

10am

Around this time, I meet with my Head Chef, Danuka Punchihewa and we work together to brainstorm the menu for the next season for at least two hours. This is a time consuming process in which we work to envision unique food experiences with the upcoming season’s produce. It is key for each item served at Teible to have a corresponding story that explains its conception.

Noon

After the brainstorming session, I take my time working on my favourite preserving elements: fermentation & pickling. I tend to use the items I ferment now in the next seasons’ menus. I enjoy the creative freedom in the kitchen and look forward to experimenting with the pickling method. This is undoubtedly my favourite part of the job and I try to dedicate atleast three to four hours on most days.

4pm

Time for the family meal. I cook a filling lunch for the entire team, from back of house to operations, marketing, and front of house, everyone dines together. We take this time to catch up and exchange stories, from interesting customer interactions to friendly feedback.

5pm

We take the time to regroup for a briefing. The team goes over learnings and adjustments required with the front of house service. This is also quite a motivational briefing where we do our best to uplift the teams spirits and open the floor for any enquiries. I have a separate meeting with my culinary team. We take this time to taste test and sample each item before we move forward. My team is very creative when it comes to presentation so I am always curious to see what ideas they have. I spend this time supervising, tasting, giving feedback and approval. My days are filled with tastings of different menu items which tends to keep me from having full meals.

6pm

Evening service has begun so my team and I take note of how many bookings we have and how much food preparation is needed. Each dish created is taste tested by Executive Pastry Chef Sheerin Ghaffar, Head Chef Danuka Punchihewa and myself. We take the time to look over the finished items and add final touches.

9pm

I like to speak with guests one-on-one. A large part of the Teible experience is to explain the journey and art of food to our customers. I share my thought process behind each dish and tell customers about our sustainable approach in the kitchen.

10pm

I head over to complete inventory in our walk-in chiller for the day. It is good to keep track of what items were used most, and what needs to be ordered for the next day, or the coming weeks service. I leave the restaurant around 11:45 to head home and catch up with my lovely wife and cat.

12-12:30am

Finally, time for bed. Before I sleep I try to read 10-20 pages of a book each night. I am currently reading Feast: Food of the Islamic World by Anissa Helou. I am always searching for ways to expand my culinary horizons. It is imperative to stay curious about cultures and cuisines that surround us. You never know what information will ignite a spark of creativity that can lead to a new dish.

CLAIRE’S flair

French award-winning pastry chef Claire Heitzler is known for her subtle yet sophisticated desserts that draw inspiration from the past but fit perfectly into the present. She tells us more about her background and of course, French ingredients and her coveted creations.

When did you first fall in love with French pastry? Ever since I was a young child. I come from a very small village in Alsace, France and right in front of our family home is La Maison Ferber, run by a famous pastry chef and chocolatier, Christine Ferber. I grew up eating her pastries (the vanilla eclairs were my favourite, and still are – I love them) and I was fortunate to watch how everything was made by hand. I had a lot of admiration for her and always found the process interesting. Also, her pastries set the standard for me – they became my reference for good quality pastry, which meant I’ve had high expectations ever since I was young.

Did you go straight into studying French pastry after school? No, I actually started culinary school when I was 16 years old. And after three years of focusing on general cuisine, I specialised in pastry for another two years.

You’ve worked with worldrenowned chefs at famous restaurants during the tenure of your career – take us on a brief journey of what you’ve accomplished… I began at Troisgros in Roanne and following this I worked with Georges Blanc in Vonnas and Jean-Paul Abadie in Lorient before moving to London where I worked as the pastry chef at L’Oranger Restaurant. A year later, Alain Ducasse offered me the opportunity to become the pastry chef at his new restaurant Beige Alain Ducasse in Tokyo. I stayed in Japan for three years, then moved to Dubai to be the executive pastry chef at the Park Hyatt hotel. After this, I went back to Paris to join the Ritz and in 2010 I joined Lasserre Restaurant. I became the creative director at Ladurée in 2016 and then left to open up my own consultancy two years ago.

You’ve really travelled around! Did you enjoy living in so many different countries? Absolutely, I love to travel, meet new people and discover new cultures – it opens my mind and inspires me.

Is there one country which has had the biggest impact on you as a chef? It would have to be Japan. I love the country’s food and culture; everything is beautiful – actually so much deeper than beautiful. Everything makes sense in the way it is done and there is always a story behind it. And these stories always draw inspiration from nature and the seasons.

I love nature and I respect seasonality in my work. I simply cannot use fruits and vegetables that are not in season.

The Japanese tend to limit the amount of sugar, salt and fat in their food – this has also influenced my approach.

As a highly acclaimed chef you must have many highlights from your career – but are there one or two of which you are immensely proud? I’d say working for Alain Ducasse is definitely a highlight. He is demanding, but that makes one grow, quickly. I learnt a lot from him and liked him very much. We had a great relationship.

The five years that I spent at Lasserre was also a good experience. I was completely free to make any dessert I wanted to. I created a special

The content of this media represents the author’s point of view only and is the sole responsibility of the author. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made from the information contained herein. menu – the “Séquence Sucrée” – where everything was sweet, from the appetizers right through to the petits fours. It was amazing. We made things like a buckwheat brioche instead of regular bread and our butter was made from hazelnut and chocolate. We also used a lot of fruits and vegetables such as carrots, artichokes, tomatoes and peas for their natural sugars. Our challenge was to keep things light – it’s the only way if one is going to eat a series of plated desserts.

As a French Pastry chef, you obviously use ingredients like butter and cream in your creations – how do you keep these light? It all comes down to finding a good balance between your ingredients. I also like to play with salt and citrus – with just a dash of lime juice for example, you can instantly cut through the richness of a creamy dessert.

Why are French dairy products such key ingredients in the pastry industry and what makes them special? French cream, butter and milk are the base of everything we do. And in France, we are very fortunate to have excellent quality dairy products because of our unique terroir and farming methods.