EP Business in Hospitality Issue 53 - April 2015

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French cuisine | International WHERE IS FRENCH COOKING GOING NOW? NOWHERE! Christian Delteil, the former Michelin star chef and managing director of Bank Group of Restaurants, talks to EP about how French cuisine has responded to others challenging the country’s status as international leader in gastronomy. Christian, now based in France, says that French cuisine will always be the benchmark for others to measure themselves against 26 | EP Magazine | April 2015
French cuisine | International Thinkstockphotos.com Food in France has always been a central part of the culture. In France, one eats and when you have finished, your only thought is of what your next meal will be. Food is more important to the French than to nearly any other nation – everyone thinks they are a Michelin inspector. This is a major problem when you run your own business and try to please people. People don’t tip, it’s all included in the price, and that could be the cause of some problems in the customer service. Having said all this, let me now explain my statement that French cooking is going ‘nowhere’. I left France in 1975 and returned in 2011 having spent 36 years of my professional life in the UK. I had forgotten that, in France, the real roots of French gastronomy lie in regional and local cooking. It has never been a trend or fashion; it’s real, genuine and authentic and each county is proud of their regional cooking and wine. It lies within the soul of each province. One of the new trends is the re-birth of the ‘fait maison’. The French government has even issued a new logo for restaurants: ‘Fait maison’, or ‘home-made’, promotes and controls or ensures that a restaurant that says it cooks everything on site does use fresh produce to do so. There is no compromise. Traditionally, brasserie food is society’s central focus – good food and great value. French gastronomy will always be the benchmark for others to measure themselves against, as in France it is not about clever ideas and innovation but about real food that has exceptional taste. All we need to improve in France is the concept of service with a smile. There seems to be a lot of focus on service across different sectors in France. At last, we are seeing a step towards progressing in an area where we do need to improve. On saying all of the above, I am not blind to the changes taking place. Like many countries, French eating habits have been shaken. With more people travelling the world and discovering new cultures, eating habits are changing and people are far more demanding. French restaurateurs in major cities have had to embrace and follow this trend. The situation is not the same in the countryside where the majority of customers are still very attached to their regional and local food, and where tourists still want to eat French local specialities and local wine – they want France! The restaurant industry’s new word is ‘bistronomie’ – bistro food with an emphasis on high quality products, texture and flavours. The burger seems to be making a big comeback – Burger King has announced great development plans in France – and vegetarian, organic and sushi restaurants are popular as well. The food truck concept is just beginning to make its debut but, in my opinion, it will very soon come to saturation point in the major cities. Another interesting and growing concept is Class’Croute. Started 25 years ago, Class’Croute addresses the restaurant market in major business parks and offices. The restaurants provide breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack from Monday to Friday and are closed in the evening. One of their mottos is ‘Good food is not a luxury’. To summarise, I think in 2015 in France, these trends will continue. Through food, customers will look for different experiences, new flavours and new textures. While eating, customers want to travel and want to experience going back in time to see old traditions. In the current market, restaurants offering exotic, authentic and quality cuisine with good value for money will be the winners. It was Mark Twain who, when he read of his ‘death’, remarked, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” It is the same with French gastronomy. It will never die, as it means so much in everyday life. It will have its challenges but it will stay true to its roots, its beliefs, the tastes that have made French food stand apart for many decades and evolve. French cooking does not need to change. “ It is not about clever ideas and innovation but about real food that has exceptional taste. All we need to improve in France is the concept of service with a smile ” epmagazine.co.uk | 27
Page 1 and 2: April 2015 | £5.00 epmagazine.co.u
Page 3 and 4: Chris Sheppardson | Welcome BUSINES
Page 5 and 6: 16 30 Inside this issue | Contents
Page 7 and 8: Traditional values | Feature BREAKI
Page 9 and 10: Catherine Roe | Business A QUIET TR
Page 11 and 12: Andrew Williamson | Opinion Employe
Page 13 and 14: Danny Pecorelli | People Nick Dawe
Page 16 and 17: Dominic Lake | Entrepreneurs CHAMPI
Page 18 and 19: David Simms | Business A HANDS-ON A
Page 20 and 21: British hospitality | Feature THE R
Page 22 and 23: British hospitality | Feature MORE
Page 24 and 25: Events sector | Business COVERING A
Page 28 and 29: Colin Bailey | Business WHEN CULTUR
Page 30 and 31: Double Dutch | Entrepreneurs MIXING
Page 32 and 33: CHECK IN THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO TH
Page 34 and 35: Thomas Franks | Business MORE TO TH
Page 36 and 37: Leadership | Management LEADING FRO
Page 38 and 39: Exclusive supplier of Moravian wine
Page 40 and 41: Czech wine | International MORAVIA,
Page 42 and 43: Networking | Management THE CRAFT O
Page 44 and 45: Food waste | Campaign WASTE NOT, WA
Page 46 and 47: Peer advisory groups | Management N
Page 48 and 49: Le Cordon Bleu | Feature CELEBRATIN
Page 50: Hamish Cook | Opinion The right stu

EP Business in Hospitality Issue 53 - April 2015

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