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THE INTERVIEW<br />
CHRISTIAN LE SQUER<br />
‘Good food should be emotional; it should induce<br />
feelings. We must fall in love with our plate and<br />
the dish served on it. ’<br />
Opposite page,<br />
clockwise, left to<br />
right: levure; FS<br />
Paris - Le Cinq<br />
dining;<br />
transparence<br />
banane; FS Paris -<br />
Le Cinq interior;<br />
entree<br />
Both charming & talented in equal measures, chef Christian<br />
Le Squer quickly demonstrated his passion for fine<br />
cuisine, and it is no wonder that as chef of Café de la Paix<br />
Restaurant Opéra, that he earned first one, then two Michelin<br />
stars; recognition and awards that have followed him througout his<br />
august career.<br />
This <strong>com</strong>poser of symphonies for the palate and masterpieces<br />
for the plate is now leading the talented brigade at the kitchens<br />
of Le Cinq retaurant in the Four Seaons Hotel George V in Paris;<br />
and as is only befiting one of the great hotels, the rich Louis XIVth<br />
décor and luxuirous Regency splendour is now home to one of the<br />
finest three Michelin staerred restaurents in Paris – an accoloade<br />
that is more than deserved.<br />
You recently received a third Michelin star for Le Cinq.<br />
But after receiving several of these previously, how<br />
much does a Michelin star still mean to you?<br />
My work at Four Seasons Hotel George V has been quite<br />
intense and we have consistently delivered results and exceeded<br />
expectations. Due to that, I have always seen myself in the threestar<br />
category.<br />
How much do awards such as these, as well as the 5th<br />
toque in the Galt et Millau for Le Cinq impact you and<br />
your work?<br />
Recognitions like these are quite important for my cuisine, which<br />
is rooted in modernity, packed with action and is movement-driven<br />
– and, as a matter of fact, quite rare in Paris.<br />
When you were younger, you wanted to be<strong>com</strong>e a<br />
sailor. Do you ever look back thinking you should have<br />
pursued that instead?<br />
No, since I often spend time boating in Brittany during my spare<br />
time.<br />
What inspires your cooking? Is there a story you aspire<br />
to tell with your food?<br />
I like to think of cooking as perfumery. Like a perfumer<br />
selecting his notes for a particular scent, we pick our raw<br />
materials and transform them into works of culinary arts that<br />
boast elegance and refinement. By that analogy, I am a creator of<br />
flavors.<br />
What does ‘good food’ mean to you?<br />
Good food should be emotional; it should induce feelings.<br />
We must fall in love with our plate and the dish served on it. The<br />
experience should be like a family lunch – where you can let your<br />
hair down without any inhibitions.<br />
As a chef, how do you deal with the pressure of<br />
delivering the best food at all times?<br />
It is important to be a part of the prevailing food movement and<br />
to try to restructure your approach in line with the atmosphere of<br />
the destination and the mood that surrounds it.<br />
Your signature dish has evolved over the years. Can<br />
you share with us details of the process?<br />
For my signature dish, I don’t play around with the basic, original<br />
flavors; however, I do experiment with the ways in which it can be<br />
enjoyed, which has mostly got to go with its visual presentation.<br />
So for instance, I will sometimes change the serving plate, the<br />
form or the texture – just like they do in the fashion industry with<br />
their collections.<br />
How would you define your cuisine? And how has it<br />
evolved since you first began cooking several decades<br />
ago?<br />
It’s a cuisine defined by elegant flavors that linger in your mouth<br />
long after you have tasted the dish – just like that one perfume<br />
whose scent you will not once forget.<br />
Is there anyone you would like to cook for but haven’t<br />
yet got the chance to?<br />
I would cook for any person who gave me love for gastronomy,<br />
someone who helped me grow up in this environment, who<br />
helped me understand elegance and gave me more value.<br />
What do you feel was a life-changing moment for you<br />
in your career?<br />
Receiving my third Michelin star at Pavillon Ledoyen in 2002.<br />
What is your day typical like?<br />
I <strong>com</strong>mute to my workplace on a bike, early in the morning and<br />
upon reaching there, the first thing I do is greet my teams. The<br />
first few hours in the morning are spent on briefing sessions with<br />
sous chefs to plan the day and discuss ways in which we can<br />
be more creative and improvise our offering for our guests. In the<br />
afternoon, I spend some time on guest relations followed by some<br />
leisure, sport or other relaxation activities in the evening hours and<br />
de-briefings with my teams before heading home.<br />
Are there any chefs you particular admire?<br />
I appreciate all the chefs, not any one in particular; in fact, I can<br />
appreciate a chef of Japanese food as much as I can appreciate<br />
a chef who cooks American food. I like a chef whose cuisine<br />
represents some kind of a movement and who demonstrates a<br />
certain sense of style in his approach to food. A chef is like an<br />
artist – the most important thing is to be exhibited in the Louvre<br />
and to have one’s own style.<br />
What does the future hold?<br />
The future does not look like yesterday. The needs of the<br />
culinary consumer are fast evolving. With the advent of social<br />
media and digital networks, guests are now increasingly seeking<br />
a preview of the restaurant and the experiences it can offer on<br />
websites before setting foot in the real, brick-and-mortar space. It<br />
is therefore imperative that chefs revisit their culinary methods and<br />
embrace an innovative approach to cooking in keeping up with this<br />
developing change in the modern world.<br />
70<br />
FOOD & TRAVEL ARABIA