Squaring the circle
Born in Renaisson in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, Verjus often refers to himself as the "oldest, youngest chef". Verjus, a self-taught chef, spent the early years of his career as a doctor and then a medical entrepreneur, blogger and food critic before the cooking bug took over.
"I was hosting a show on National Cultural radio with my friend Alain Kruger and felt like, 'I need to cook for people'. I then had to go to Singapore to write about a lot of restaurants. I spent 10 days there and when I came back to France, I wrote just one page and that was the concept of my restaurant and the name I wanted to call it," chef Verjus reveals.
"It was then I decided to quit everything and open Table. Everybody told me I was crazy, which was true because I did not get the point for real. I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, it's so cool, to nourish people and to open a restaurant'.
"By the way, it was not very cool, because at the beginning it was very hard, especially the first three years. I had to learn two jobs at the same time -- being a chef and being a restaurant owner, which are two different things completely. In the end, I feel I will never quit Table because I cook as a diner. I do dishes that I want to eat as a diner," says the chef.
"I'm mainly oriented to the products. In my restaurant, Table by Bruno Verjus, I keep the French tradition of doing everything à la minute. We have to remember that 40 years ago, at the time of Alain Chapel and Paul Bocuse, all the big names of French cuisine never prepared anything before. They would cook at the time the order was placed. I believe that's super important for two reasons. The first is to keep the energetic quality of the products alive. The second is that you don't cook for yourself… you don't cook to show your ego, you cook for your diners. So when they tell you what they want to eat, you feel and you cook," says chef Verjus.
"There is an amazing sentence from the French painter from the 19th century, Eugène Delacroix -- 'Painting is done by doing'. I strongly believe that cooking is done by doing; you have to have good reason to cook. 'I want to cook for you'. I want to share the best ingredients I get today and keeping that in mind, I start cooking. I put all my skills, all my love, all my knowledge, all my creation and all my mindset to make you super happy. I want my guests to be more alive after the degustation menu in my restaurant."
Table by Bruno Verjus is more or less like a chef's table, aptly called "Couleur Du Jour" offering 10-14 courses. Dishes may vary on a daily basis depending on what's available, though favourites are always on the menu. You are told upfront while making a reservation that a meal here takes two-and-a-half hours.
"Recently, I had some diners from Zurich who came for lunch. In the middle of the courses, one of them came up to me and said, 'You're doing what I dreamt of all my life'. He was about 70 years old, and I replied, 'Me too'. I've created a restaurant that I would be happy to eat in daily.
"In the beginning, it was difficult to hire staff as nobody in the field knows you. Now, we receive 30 resumes a day from people worldwide, even though I don't have any open positions. My team is very consistent and highly motivated. They've joined because of my philosophy and because they wanted to share this mindset of Table.
"My job now is not only pushing what we do but at the same time making people flourish and express themselves the best. They are the future of fine dining because all these people are going to open their own restaurant one day. So it's pure joy."
Every morning the kitchen discovers what the producers have sent them and conceive the menu.
"It's Christmas every morning because we see everything and I suggest dishes and the team builds on it. We have to listen to the product and decide what the story we want to tell.
"There are two parts to a degustation menu. It has to be enough but at the same time not too much and everything has to be balanced. Three months ago, I wanted to change the menu and we started with a plate and had a name for the menu. It's a bit like writing a novel. We have a name for the plate, 'Couleur Du Jour', which is a vegetable plate with cooked and raw vegetables.
"I mostly use local food I get from Paris and its surroundings, and as salt we always use different types of caviar. The first plate with vegetables opens your appetite for what's to come. When you come to a restaurant like Table, you have a lot of expectations. Most people don't eat much before they come and when they arrive, they are not starving, but are not too far off," laughs the chef.
"I serve two or three plates of what I like to call sea protein, where I use a lot of fish and shellfish. Sometimes I mix the pot and use animal protein, like kidney, brain, sweet breads. As soon as diners are done with their plates, there is another. It's an accumulation of plates and different flavours.
"I usually put my lobster, which is my signature, most famous dish, mid course. I'm not a meat guy, so I usually do birds, like chicken or pigeon, which are always served with something fresh like a vegetable or a salad. Sometimes I pair the pigeon with cabbage. It's not a heavy meat but something where you have the idea of the meat, but you are not killed by it. Then it's time for dessert. We have four different desserts, with a sugarless chocolate tart that is served with caviar."
Having spent 18 years in China and travelled in Asia, chef Verjus is not averse to using foreign spices. For this signature lobster he uses ghee, a subcontinent staple.
"When something is super good and I love the taste, I will use it. I also use a lot of turmeric and ginger, which happened to be the most popular spice during the Middle Ages in France."
Chef Verjus is in the process of adding another title to his six-book collection.
"I'm writing another book and it's going to be fictional novel. It will also have a lot to do with the culinary world and is like a quest. I've signed with a famous publisher in France called Albin Michel. I'm already about 200 pages in," he says.
"It's going to be published in January 2027. It's fun to take stories you get from people and at the same time create stories that don't exist. The same with the characters. It's super interesting. It will be in French but if the book is good there may be 20 translations."
With no plans to retire anytime soon, chef Verjus says he doesn't ever plan to revive his blog as he is now an author.
"I write books now. They are better than blogs and maybe, I will use many stories of my blog for a book. I have a little house on the seafront in a small village in Greece. I am happy with the wildcats there and no one else, just the sea. That is possibly where I will retire.
"In the last nine months, I've let my staff grow the kitchen. I'm deeply focused on creation and continue to push them to be more creative and to think about the things and do things without me. This is the reason why I can travel and spread my philosophy and my knowledge to places around the world. So I will be more focused on travel. In 2027, maybe 2028, I will almost retire and let my guys run Table or have their own restaurant. I'm going to be another writer."
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Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Bangkok Post
From stand-up to soulful art
Udom "Nose" Taephanich is known as the most famous stand-up comedian in Thailand. On stage, Udom tells stories close to home and engages audiences with a humorous style of talking, which is why tickets for his performances always sell out. Although Udom made people laugh, he did not realise he was stressed until he went to consult a psychiatrist. That conversation is revealed in Udom's latest solo art exhibition "Lost In DomLand". In a video, Udom tells host Sarawut "Newklom" Hengsawat that his psychiatrist told him his job was stressful. "My psychiatrist said I had to tell stories inspired by painful experiences and change them into jokes. I was also under pressure when preparing for a performance because I did not know how the audience would react to my skit. Fortunately, art is a way to release my stress. I believe art is a therapy and it is how I survive and keep a balance in my life," said Udom. At the exhibition, viewers will learn that Udom turned to art for therapy because he had victim of bullying for over six years. "I was born in Chon Buri, but after my father was murdered by a domestic worker, my mother decided to move to Surin where nobody knew us. I became a midterm transfer student, so I had no friends. I did not know the local language and had a braid in my hair. It was a folk belief that if a child is unhealthy, a monk must adopt his spirit in order to protect him, and he must keep an uncut braid. Because of these factors, I became a bullying victim. I felt like I was an outsider and started to write and draw to release stress," said Udom. "Lost In DomLand" displays over 1,000 works from the wild imagination of Udom. There are many art pieces because Udom creates every day. He has previously stated if he does not work on art, he will feel like he has not eaten. Located at The Pinnacle Hall, 8th Floor, Iconsiam, visitors are welcomed to "Lost In Domland" by a 6m-high fibreglass sculpture titled Nadom which looks like Udom wearing a student uniform. The sculpture narrates how people tend to forget how to have fun like when they were children. The Sketch Room displays a wealth of Udom's ideas. From floor to ceiling, the room is filled with Udom's sketches, drawings and writings. Two veteran artists, Pradit Tungprasartwong and Vachira Kornthong, who took media representatives on a preview tour, explained that this room showcases Udom's inspirations, drafts and ideas for artwork. "Udom interprets his routine, people whom he meets and his emotions towards experiences, people and objects into artwork. I would like viewers to notice sketches of characters because they later extend into three dimensional sculptures," said Vachira. In the video at the exhibition, Udom said he likes Art Brut -- a French term meaning raw art to describe artworks created by people or outsiders who have not trained at an art academy. "Art Brut can be created by autistic patients, cleaning ladies and vendors. I like their work because they have freedom of expression which makes their work naïve. In my own artwork, I want to reach the point of fearlessness of self-expression," said Udom. Pradit understood Udom and said that since he graduated from the Pohchang Academy of Arts, he learned most art theories and compositions, but he threw away those concepts to be free. "Without art theories and compositions, Udom used his mental and intellectual balance to choose colours and characters and his work is naturally in line with art principles," explained Pradit. Next, there is a compilation of Udom's old artworks including black and white illustrations he created when he was an illustrator for a magazine. These illustrations are rare items that may be of interest to art collectors. Besides illustrations, the Monsters On A Conveyor are slow-moving steel sculptures that emerge from a conveyor belt like in a sushi restaurant. The monster characters are quirky, but attractive. Vachira explained that Udom created lively characters with simple lines and bright colours. It seems like he still has a youthful spirit in contrast to his actual age. "Art expression does not have to be realistic. If an artist creates artwork with vibrant colours, it does not mean they are cute. Sometimes, people want to walk in a flower field and feel happy because there is not a flower field in their real life. Artwork can help people to live in a dream without limits." Another highlight is a room which displays over 80 peculiar, yet endearing fibre sculptures. Some of these sculptures have been showcased at Udom's stand-up comedy show such as Diew 13. These surreal characters were inspired by personalities of real people to reflect that everyone has flaws. Unlike other rooms which feature vibrant and multicolour artwork, the room called Monster Show displays blackened bronze sculptures standing on a slow turning platform inspired by presentations at motor shows. The dark colours of the sculptures reflect that Udom was gloomy on days he created them. Next to Monster Show, there are paintings on ping pong paddle boards displayed on the walls. While the paintings feature traditional gilding with lacquer technique, the shape of ping pong paddles symbolises the interaction of ideas between artists and viewers. Kaleidoscope Room is a triangular mirror room which features Dom Dog, Udom's self-portrait sculpture which represents him as an underdog. Udom intended Dom Dog to be reinterpreted in a new world of mirrored lights and layered projections. Thep Than Jai (Instant Wish Granting Deity) is popular among Thai people who pray for fortune and luck. However, Udom created golden sculptures of Thep Tham Jai (Accept Your Fate Deity) to display in a room decorated with chandeliers and dim lights. A 3m-tall Thep Tham Jai stands in the middle of the room and several small statues line up on one side of the room to give it a sacred experience. Viewers can pray for luck, but they will have to accept their fate when they leave the room. Finally, the experience ends with a breathtaking 4m by 9m canvas painting. Vachira commented that large scale paintings by Udom are rare because they require dedication to finish. Udom commented at the end of the video that it does not matter what people think of his art because he will continually work on it. "I do not care whether my work is considered as art or not or whether my work is accepted or not. No one can stop me. Working on art is like breathing. It does not matter how people feel about me; I still have to breathe." "Lost In Domland" runs at the Pinnacle Hall, 8th Floor of Iconsiam, until Aug 3. Tickets cost 850 baht for adults and 250 baht for children (under 100cm, on-site purchase only). Tickets can be purchased at all 7-Eleven branches or online at
Bangkok Post
6 days ago
- Bangkok Post
World's most expensive Birkin bag fetches $10 million in Paris
PARIS - The first-ever Birkin bag designed by French luxury brand Hermes for celebrity Jane Birkin sold for €8.58 million (US$10 million) at a Sotheby's auction in Paris on Thursday, smashing previous price records for a handbag. The modern design classic, owned by a well-known Paris-based handbag collector, sparked a telephone bidding war up to €7 million, with the final sale price set at 8.58 million with commission and fees, the Sotheby's website showed. The previous record sale price for a handbag at auction was set by a diamond- and white gold-encrusted crocodile skin Hermes Kelly 28 which fetched nearly $513,000 in 2021 at Christie's in Hong Kong. "After weeks of anticipation, the bidding opened at 1 million euros — prompting a gasp from the room," Sotheby's said in a statement. Sotheby's had advised that the Birkin prototype was expected to set records. But the staggering price tag is in keeping with the fashion world's recent flashy aesthetics. After years of so-called "quiet luxury" dominating catwalks, designers have embraced more ostentatious looks in recent seasons that have been dubbed "boom boom" by some trend forecasters. The identity of the buyer has not been revealed so far. Fashion legend The original Birkin has changed hands twice since being put up for sale by Birkin at an auction in 1994 where the proceeds went to an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (Aids) charity, according to Sotheby's. Thursday's seller, Catherine Benier, who has a boutique in the upmarket 6th district in Left Bank Paris, told The New York Times before the sale that the bag was the "jewel in my collection". The birth of the bag has become a modern fashion legend. During a Paris–London flight, the singer and actress -- who died in 2023 -- complained to a fellow traveller about not being able to find a bag suited to her needs as a young mother. That fellow passenger happened to be Jean-Louis Dumas, then head of Hermes. The result of their conversation was a spacious tote with room for baby bottles, created in 1984 and named the Birkin. It is engraved with the initials J.B. and has several unique features, including closed metal rings, a non-detachable shoulder strap and a built-in nail clipper. Its condition "reflects the many years of use by the actress and singer," Sotheby's said beforehand. A slightly differently sized version of the original has become the flagship product of the immensely profitable family-owned luxury French leather goods maker ever since. Produced in very limited numbers, the bag has maintained an aura of exclusivity and is beloved by celebrities from Khloe Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez to Victoria Beckham. Frustrated fashionistas in America even sued Hermes in a class-action suit in California last year after they were refused access to the bags.
Bangkok Post
04-07-2025
- Bangkok Post
Squaring the circle
Nothing will prepare you for the moment you first lay eyes on chef Bruno Verjus at his Paris restaurant. His eclectic personality is immediately noticeable in his fashion choice, which is much like the cuisine he offers. Born in Renaisson in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, Verjus often refers to himself as the "oldest, youngest chef". Verjus, a self-taught chef, spent the early years of his career as a doctor and then a medical entrepreneur, blogger and food critic before the cooking bug took over. "I was hosting a show on National Cultural radio with my friend Alain Kruger and felt like, 'I need to cook for people'. I then had to go to Singapore to write about a lot of restaurants. I spent 10 days there and when I came back to France, I wrote just one page and that was the concept of my restaurant and the name I wanted to call it," chef Verjus reveals. "It was then I decided to quit everything and open Table. Everybody told me I was crazy, which was true because I did not get the point for real. I was thinking, 'Oh, my God, it's so cool, to nourish people and to open a restaurant'. "By the way, it was not very cool, because at the beginning it was very hard, especially the first three years. I had to learn two jobs at the same time -- being a chef and being a restaurant owner, which are two different things completely. In the end, I feel I will never quit Table because I cook as a diner. I do dishes that I want to eat as a diner," says the chef. "I'm mainly oriented to the products. In my restaurant, Table by Bruno Verjus, I keep the French tradition of doing everything à la minute. We have to remember that 40 years ago, at the time of Alain Chapel and Paul Bocuse, all the big names of French cuisine never prepared anything before. They would cook at the time the order was placed. I believe that's super important for two reasons. The first is to keep the energetic quality of the products alive. The second is that you don't cook for yourself… you don't cook to show your ego, you cook for your diners. So when they tell you what they want to eat, you feel and you cook," says chef Verjus. "There is an amazing sentence from the French painter from the 19th century, Eugène Delacroix -- 'Painting is done by doing'. I strongly believe that cooking is done by doing; you have to have good reason to cook. 'I want to cook for you'. I want to share the best ingredients I get today and keeping that in mind, I start cooking. I put all my skills, all my love, all my knowledge, all my creation and all my mindset to make you super happy. I want my guests to be more alive after the degustation menu in my restaurant." Table by Bruno Verjus is more or less like a chef's table, aptly called "Couleur Du Jour" offering 10-14 courses. Dishes may vary on a daily basis depending on what's available, though favourites are always on the menu. You are told upfront while making a reservation that a meal here takes two-and-a-half hours. "Recently, I had some diners from Zurich who came for lunch. In the middle of the courses, one of them came up to me and said, 'You're doing what I dreamt of all my life'. He was about 70 years old, and I replied, 'Me too'. I've created a restaurant that I would be happy to eat in daily. "In the beginning, it was difficult to hire staff as nobody in the field knows you. Now, we receive 30 resumes a day from people worldwide, even though I don't have any open positions. My team is very consistent and highly motivated. They've joined because of my philosophy and because they wanted to share this mindset of Table. "My job now is not only pushing what we do but at the same time making people flourish and express themselves the best. They are the future of fine dining because all these people are going to open their own restaurant one day. So it's pure joy." Every morning the kitchen discovers what the producers have sent them and conceive the menu. "It's Christmas every morning because we see everything and I suggest dishes and the team builds on it. We have to listen to the product and decide what the story we want to tell. "There are two parts to a degustation menu. It has to be enough but at the same time not too much and everything has to be balanced. Three months ago, I wanted to change the menu and we started with a plate and had a name for the menu. It's a bit like writing a novel. We have a name for the plate, 'Couleur Du Jour', which is a vegetable plate with cooked and raw vegetables. "I mostly use local food I get from Paris and its surroundings, and as salt we always use different types of caviar. The first plate with vegetables opens your appetite for what's to come. When you come to a restaurant like Table, you have a lot of expectations. Most people don't eat much before they come and when they arrive, they are not starving, but are not too far off," laughs the chef. "I serve two or three plates of what I like to call sea protein, where I use a lot of fish and shellfish. Sometimes I mix the pot and use animal protein, like kidney, brain, sweet breads. As soon as diners are done with their plates, there is another. It's an accumulation of plates and different flavours. "I usually put my lobster, which is my signature, most famous dish, mid course. I'm not a meat guy, so I usually do birds, like chicken or pigeon, which are always served with something fresh like a vegetable or a salad. Sometimes I pair the pigeon with cabbage. It's not a heavy meat but something where you have the idea of the meat, but you are not killed by it. Then it's time for dessert. We have four different desserts, with a sugarless chocolate tart that is served with caviar." Having spent 18 years in China and travelled in Asia, chef Verjus is not averse to using foreign spices. For this signature lobster he uses ghee, a subcontinent staple. "When something is super good and I love the taste, I will use it. I also use a lot of turmeric and ginger, which happened to be the most popular spice during the Middle Ages in France." Chef Verjus is in the process of adding another title to his six-book collection. "I'm writing another book and it's going to be fictional novel. It will also have a lot to do with the culinary world and is like a quest. I've signed with a famous publisher in France called Albin Michel. I'm already about 200 pages in," he says. "It's going to be published in January 2027. It's fun to take stories you get from people and at the same time create stories that don't exist. The same with the characters. It's super interesting. It will be in French but if the book is good there may be 20 translations." With no plans to retire anytime soon, chef Verjus says he doesn't ever plan to revive his blog as he is now an author. "I write books now. They are better than blogs and maybe, I will use many stories of my blog for a book. I have a little house on the seafront in a small village in Greece. I am happy with the wildcats there and no one else, just the sea. That is possibly where I will retire. "In the last nine months, I've let my staff grow the kitchen. I'm deeply focused on creation and continue to push them to be more creative and to think about the things and do things without me. This is the reason why I can travel and spread my philosophy and my knowledge to places around the world. So I will be more focused on travel. In 2027, maybe 2028, I will almost retire and let my guys run Table or have their own restaurant. I'm going to be another writer."
