Crafting excellence: Chef Alain Ducasse on his culinary journey
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Local France
28-07-2025
- Local France
Iconic French chef stakes reputation on vegan menu
Since July 21st, Passard has stopped serving meat, fish, dairy products and eggs at L'Arpege, his restaurant in the French capital's chic seventh district that he has run for nearly 40 years. The only exception is honey that comes from the restaurateur's own beehives. Passard said the switch had been in the pipeline for a year. "There's light in this cuisine," he told AFP. "There are taste sensations that I've never experienced anywhere else." Advertisement L'Arpege used to be known as one of the leading rotisseries in Paris. It earned three Michelin stars in 1996, and has held the distinction ever since. In 2001, Passard caused a stir in the rarefied world of French cuisine by dropping red meat from his menu and saying he would focus more on vegetables grown in his gardens. The shift made him one of the first ambassadors of plant-based cuisine. READ ALSO : 'Call the restaurant': Your tips for being vegetarian or vegan in France✎ While Passard is motivated by environmental concerns in his new quest, it is above all a culinary challenge. The restaurant's updated menu includes mesclun praline with roasted almonds and melon carpaccio. Lunch costs €260. Passard has no plans to become fully vegan himself. "I still eat a little poultry and fish," he said. "But I'm more comfortable with plants. They allow me to learn." French chef Claire Vallee knows from experience that Passard is up for a challenge. "It requires a lot more preparation, knowledge and research," Vallee said of plant-based dishes. "It's quite a colossal task." Advertisement In 2021, her vegan restaurant in southwest France won a Michelin star, the first for an establishment serving only animal-free products in France. Vallee in 2016 launched ONA - Origine Non Animale (Non-Animal Origin) - thanks to crowdfunding from supporters and a loan from a green bank. The establishment closed in 2022, and the 45-year-old chef went on to open several pop-up restaurants. Since then, no other French restaurant serving only animal-free products has been awarded a Michelin star. Internationally, vegan haute cuisine is rare. Eleven Madison Park in New York has kept its three stars after becoming exclusively vegan in 2021. In the Netherlands, De Nieuwe Winkel's plant-based menu has earned it two Michelin stars. Laurent Guez, a food critic for French newspaper Le Parisien and business daily Les Echos, said Passard's announcement was "a major event". But he also warned that not a lot of chefs could excel in the art of high-end plant-based gastronomy. "It's exceptional cuisine that not everyone can allow themselves to launch into," he said. Michelin guide international director Gwendal Poullennec said he was "delighted" with the transition at L'Arpege, describing it as a "positive approach". "We will continue to follow the evolution of L'Arpege, remaining faithful to our criteria," he told AFP. Passard has given himself two years to take his kitchen skills to a new level. Is he worried about losing his three stars? "I've never thought about that," he said. "We're going to have to deliver. If we can maintain this level of quality, then I'm extremely confident.
Euronews
03-07-2025
- Euronews
Mission Michelin: Chef Anne-Sophie Pic prepares meals for outer space
Two Frenchwomen are set to give new meaning to the expression: "The sky's the limit". As announced by the European Space Agency, Sophie Adenot (who, next year, will fly to the International Space Station with her co-graduate from the class of 2022 Raphaël Liégeois) has worked with French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to develop the "bonus" dishes that she will take on board the ISS. No unappetising substitute at the bottom of the tube for this representative of the homeland of haute cuisine: as ESA points out, Sophie will be bringing a piece of French gastronomy into space with a special menu created with Anne-Sophie Pic, the world's most Michelin-starred chef. The dishes selected - "bonuses", not the full menu - are emblematic of French cuisine, but have been completely revisited, such as: Anne-Sophie Pic, notes ESA, is one of the leading figures in haute cuisine, constantly pushing back the boundaries of taste and emotion with her daring creations and intuitive approach. Her three-star restaurant 'Pic', in Valence, France, won Tripadvisor's 'Best Restaurants' award in 2024. She was also named best female chef in the world in 2011 by the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. "It's a great challenge that Sophie Adenot has offered me and it's quite extraordinary", commented Anne-Sophie Pic, the three-Michelin-starred chef from Drôme, on ICI Drôme Ardèche on Thursday. When "last winter" the astronaut asked her to prepare festive dishes for the ISS, the chef "didn't hesitate for a single second to say yes". These bonus dishes account for 10% of astronauts' meals in space. "It's a bit of exceptional cuisine to give them courage", smiles Anne-Sophie Pic. Shellfish bisque, crème de foie gras esprit, onion soup with pink berries, braised beef effiloché, rice pudding and hazelnut and coffee chocolate cream: "The aim is to give them a taste of things they like". But to go into space, "these dishes are necessarily textured in a certain way", explains Anne-Sophie Pic. "It's classic cooking, but at the end, these dishes are restructured, blended and cooked thoroughly to remove any bacterial problems" and to make them "easy to eat". "It has to be fairly compact", but as the chef points out, it "can be extremely good and tasty". The food was packaged in partnership with Servair, a French company specialising in airline catering, using sterilisation in flexible sachets to preserve the taste qualities while guaranteeing very long storage at room temperature. Adenot, 42, a former helicopter test pilot, is due to carry out her first mission aboard the ISS in spring 2026. During a six-month mission called εpsilon, she will perform a variety of tasks, including European-initiated scientific experiments, medical research and station maintenance. Travelling at a speed of 28,800km/h at around 400km above the Earth, the ISS completes around 16 orbits around the planet each day, which can make it difficult to spread out breakfasts, lunches and dinners, notes The Guardian. Astronauts generally eat three meals a day, with a daily calorie intake of 2,500 calories as a rough guide. Because of the special requirements for food preservation and hygiene, feeding an astronaut can cost more than €20,000 a day. The food delivered aboard the International Space Station must be non-friable, light and have a shelf life of at least 24 months, according to the ESA. The bulk of the menus in space consist of canned or freeze-dried meals in plastic packaging that astronauts can select from a predefined list of options provided by the institutions. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a luxury and are only available when a spacecraft arrives with new supplies. Traditional gastronomy in space may not be the preserve of science fiction, continues The Guardian. Last April, ESA announced a project to assess the viability of producing laboratory-grown food in conditions of low gravity and high radiation, in orbit and on other planets. The team involved said the experiment was a first step towards developing a small pilot food production plant on board the ISS within two years, enabling future French astronauts to make 3D-printed bibs and laboratory-grown chips.
Euronews
28-06-2025
- Euronews
The most beautiful restaurants in the world have been unveiled
Prix Versailles, a prestigious global architecture award, has revealed its annual list of the world's most beautiful restaurants - and this year's picks are a feast for the eyes as much as the palate So, who made the cut? Top spot goes to Dubai's Gerbou, a sleek restaurant where traditional Emirati craftsmanship and cuisine meets modern design. With camel leather sofas, ghaf wood chairs, and fish-scale lighting echoing the coast, the space has been described as feeling both intimate and contemporary. Chef Ionel Catau's menu, featuring 70% locally sourced ingredients, reinterprets ancestral flavours with innovative flair - making Gerbou a feast for all the senses. Second place goes to Smoked Room in Dubai - a Michelin-star space with a sophisticated, moody aura. Black bricks have been used alongside mirrors and brass mesh, and its intimate semi-circular layout allows only 14 people at a time to enjoy the restaurant's Omakase experience. The top European entry is Lobster Club in Majorca, Spain - a contemporary sea club embodying the Mediterranean lifestyle. Designed by Sandra Tarruella and created by Juan Picornell of Grupo Cappuccino, the space features fluid dining zones around a central bar and a gorgeous panoramic terrace that blurs indoor and outdoor boundaries. In 6th place is Bouchon Carême in central Helsinki, a Finnish reinterpretation of the traditional Lyonnaise bouchon. Housed in a historic 1900 building, the restaurant preserves original features like exposed brick and cast-iron columns, while Studio Fyra's warm, natural décor creates a cozy atmosphere. Large rounded windows connect diners to the city, complementing Chef Hans Välimäki's menu of simple, timeless local dishes. Two Parisian gems claim the 7th and 8th spots on the list. In 7th place, Ladurée Rue Royale invites guests to step back into 1862 with its recent reopening, boasting a beautifully restored Belle Époque interior by Cordelia de Castellane. Walking through its salons - named Chantilly and Napoléon - is like entering Marie Antoinette's era, where delicate details and timeless elegance create a truly enchanting atmosphere. Right behind it at 8th place, Ducasse Baccarat transforms the former home of art muse Marie-Laure de Noailles. Interior architect Aliénor Béchu masterfully blends raw materials with shimmering crystal accents, while contemporary art and artisan furniture bathe the space in a play of light and shadow. An entry from the UK also makes the top 16 list with Julie's in London's Notting Hill, established in 1969 by interior designer Julie Hodges. The spot quickly became a favourite of actors, fashion icons, and royalty. Once a private gentlemen's club, the space is now open to all, featuring an alfresco terrace that celebrates its deep ties to West London's history and culture.
