Jalis Vienne : Hello Mr. Piège. It’s an honor to have you with us for this issue. What inspired you to become the Chef you are today, and what were the beginnings of your career?
Jean-François Piège : Initially, I wanted to be a gardener. I came to the profession of a chef through the garden. Later, I realized that what interested me in the garden was not working the soil but cooking the ingredients, and that’s what led me to the kitchen. My initial dream was not to be a chef but to have a savoir-faire.
J.V : Do you remember your first contact with gastronomy?
J.F.P : I don’t like the word gastronomy. I consider my job not as a gastronome but as a cook. That’s why I prefer to think of it as cooking. I came to gastronomy through the kitchen and to the kitchen through the garden. There wasn’t a specific moment, it was a personal journey.
J.V : Today, you have achieved exceptional success. Have you encountered any particular obstacles or challenges, and how did you overcome them? How do you generally overcome difficulties?
J.F.P : The thing about cooking is that you learn to do it by failing. So, understanding failure is about persistence, saying, «I’ll redo it until I get it right ». Success is also quite particular because everyone has their own definition of it. It’s something singular. Therefore, the ability to put your work back on the table or in the oven is a way of being. I face failures every day, but I try to turn them into something positive. You see what I mean? I try to make the most of it. What didn’t work, and what can I take from it to perhaps create something even better?
J.V : Are there any resources you draw upon to activate this resilience?
J.F.P : It’s mental. It’s a matter of will.
J.V : Do you have a philosophy that defines your approach?
J.F.P : I am a French cook, so my mantra is that « For everything to remain the same, everything must change». That means making the cuisine live in its time. It’s my baseline. Because cooking is a reflection of society, and as a lover of traditions and history, I don’t need to live in the past. My desire is to be authentically French.
J.V : What is your relationship with our country?
J.F.P : It’s total. I believe we must be ambassadors of our country and not leave it to others. Today, it’s not something I see frequently, and I try to be an ambassador. I am an actor in this landscape. That’s how I see it.
J.V : And what is your relationship with French savoir-faire?
J.F.P : It is also total, whether through my books or my menus. At Le Grand Restaurant, the menu is called the Tour de France des Territoires. I prefer to act rather than defend. That’s why I used the word ambassador you mentioned. Being in action and making things live rather than defending them. Because when you make something live, it becomes a living language because you practice it. It’s just a matter of practice.
J.V : As the Olympics near, France will be in the global spotlight. What do you think defines the French exception, and why are you especially attached to it beyond just patriotism?
J.F.P : France has a unique savoir-faire because we started thinking about it a long time ago. What differentiates France from other countries? Here, there is a force of interpretation; gastronomy is the conjunction of a way of eating, a savoir-vivre, a savoir-faire, a total composition, a way of life, and an experience. It’s not necessarily complicated, but gastronomy encompasses all that. To be a gastronome, you need a territory, different wines. Sausage in the East is smoked and spiced in the Southwest, so there is also a diversity and a global culture that follows, making our traditions strong.
J.V : How do you view the relationship between tradition and innovation? How do you make these two elements interact?
J.F.P : A dish that has become traditional is a dish that had the capacity to be modern, succeeded, and was transmitted. That’s tradition and innovation. When said this way, it’s more than marketing. Traditional means to transmit, in Latin.
J.V : That’s an interesting viewpoint. I’d also like to discuss your relationship with clients. What is it like?
J.F.P : We don’t cook for ourselves; we cook for others. So, having this mantra is essential for me. It means you can’t say today, «I cook what I like, and I will do this.» That’s an approach to cooking that isn’t mine. The job of a cook, like all jobs, is practiced for others, and we use it to please others. Whether at a restaurant or at home, it’s the only thing we must keep in mind, the desire to please.
J.V : Do you have a favorite ingredient, something indispensable in your cooking?
J.F.P : Love. I think love is the most important thing.
J.V : Cooking is often compared to a travel.
J.F.P : I love traveling because I love discovering universes that are not mine. That’s why you understand my philosophy of wanting to offer French cuisine. When I travel, I love discovering local expressions. I don’t seek to find what I have; I seek to find what I don’t have.
J.V : Do you have favorite places in the world that inspire you?
J.F.P : Not necessarily. I love discovery; I love returning to places I like, and I love going to places I don’t know. Exploring new destinations excites me because it offers fresh perspectives. Both types of travel enrich my understanding of the world. The balance between the known and the unknown keeps my travers meaningful.
J.V : To conclude this conversation, can you give us your own definition of luxury?
