L 'AMBROISIE Place des Vosges : a 3 STARS LIFE
L'Ambroisie restaurant 9, Place des Vosges |
Parisian mainstay
of French haute cuisine, L'Ambroisie
restaurant - three stars in Guide Michelin - lies in the heart of the Marais,
Paris historical district, at 9 Place
des Vosges. The cuisine of Bernard Pacaud is a must : classical, sophisticated
and seasonal, composing "an ode to
exceptional products".
Tell us the origin of the project? The training
of Chef Bernard Pacaud and the beginning together: how did it take place?
Bernard
Pacaud, trained by Eugénie Brazier in LYON, famous three stars restaurant :
"la mère Brazier" (when only 7
three stars restaurants could be found in France at that time), evolved very
quickly through two other restaurants, then as Chef of the Vivarois (also
Michelin starred) where we met while I was a manager intern. I wanted to support him in his project to
create his own restaurant and this is how the first l’Ambroisie (I found the name) was created.
How was it that you thought of opening the restaurant
l’Ambroisie PLACE DES VOSGES as it already
existed for five years (from 1981 to 1986) at another address: quai des
Tournelles ?
Michelin
starred after 10 months , ( 2 stars a
year after) we had to find a larger place. We had a friend who was a decorator and who told us about this address
Place des Vosges. We hesitated for a
short while but we went for a visit and fell in love at first sight ! A real Coup
de Coeur !we knew we had found the place !
What did the Place des Vosges look like at that
time ?
The
mansions around the Square had not been completely restored yet and it was a real challenge! Besides the rooms of the restaurant have also been
completely renovated
Was the decoration of the restaurant entirely
created?
The decorator
Graf worked on these rooms of exceptional proportions. He tore everything down and
worked on the codes of the 17th century : at the beginning there were only the
first room and a winter garden
Twenty
years ago, we were lucky enough to be able to expand: the work lasted 6 months,
we highlighted the original floor; Laid out wooden moldings of Mansart, with
the help of the architect GRAF and showed the harmonious proportions of the
former property of Duke de CHAULNES
(1676-1744), dating from the 17th century
What are your emblematic dishes ?
Customers come for
classic dishes that are light and a la carte all year round, such as bass with
caviar, light chocolate pie, scampi puff pastry, or truffle puff pastry, the menu
evolving with the seasons!
Are you tasting the chef creations ?
Of course !
This is a must! I like to feel the seasons going by according to the products arriving
in the kitchen: white truffle, asparagus, morels, black truffles ... Suppliers
come to us with exclusive selections for l’ Ambroisie
First of all it is a real team, composed of twelve people. Their best quality, in fact is to be kind with
customers : this is what we ask them. As a matter of fact two of them have been here for thirty years,
One for fifteen years: loyalty is fundamental for a team!
Are the recipes written, referenced?
No, but we
have listed some of them through two recipe books that will be re-edited: one L'AMBROISIE and the other about health
and gastronomy (the impact of our
consumption on our arteries), written with the help of Professor FABIANI to limit
cholesterol: recipes based on olive oil and grape seed oil
L'AMBROISIE RESTAURANT 9 PLACE DES VOSGES 3 STARS ADDRESS |
What underlies the motivation, the passion of
Bernard Pacaud?
Sincerity,
honesty, good craftsmanship: being intransigent about sourcing ,products,
quality, regularity, there is also some
pleasure in this daily requirement!
He is said to be an extraordinary team leader:
how do you relax when you have to deal with this level of excellence ?
One must
work about his character , but yes he rarely gets angry! He is rather of equal
temper! It is perhaps his passion for the martial arts (black belt of karate)
that gives him that inner strength! Or the joys of pétanque to escape the
stress!
How is his perfectionism expressed?
Bernard
Pacaud takes care of every detail such as the floral arrangements, perfectionism is
pushed to the extreme: through the products he chooses himself (each supplier
comes to propose his products to the Chef) through the decor that has undergone
a recent renovation: LED lights designed for l’Ambrosie in exclusivity, through
the menu that allows him to orchestrate subtle, sincere and innovative dishes
What makes you most proud?
To live
together our common passion, in order: the path chosen by our children, the
success of my husband, the restaurant!
Our son
Mathieu is also Michelin starred : two at "History" and one at "Hexagon",
and finally crowned Chef at the "Divellec" * at 35 years old (where
he co-signs the menu with his father)! And
also Alexia, our daughter who has joined the team
Tell us about your experience in Corsica last
summer, you who are native of the Island of beauty?
Mathieu has
achieved an incredible first experience in an amazing resort : he has created
an innovative menu melting local products with his contemporary vision at the
Domaine of Murtoli in Sartène, which has been so successful that it will be remade
each summer !
The American Presidents having dinner at l’
Ambroisie, a new diplomatic tradition?
During the
visit of President CLINTON, it was the first time that a president was invited
to dine outside the ELYSEE, by President CHIRAC in 1997, a real derogation to the
rule
The
neighborhood had been looped with maximum protection, the CIA had even invested
the kitchens by posting tasters!
The tags of
PLACE DES VOSGES had been removed! The dinner had been orchestrated in extreme
confidentiality
For
president OBAMA and president HOLLAND: we were used to it ! We also had helicopters that rotated
over the area and the entire perimeter secured with a taster also in the
kitchen
It was
during these two exceptional occasions an extraordinary spotlight, highlighted
by all the media in the whole world
Tell us about the MACAO opening?
It is
Mathieu’s idea, the opening is planned next July, with the same menu, which
represents a real challenge in terms of sourcing and organization
How is your clientele evolving ?
At
the beginning we had 95% of French! Then more and more foreigners who have
become regular customers who go down to the palaces or who live in Paris, then
VIPs like the actor James Spader (Black List) who quotes the Ambrosia in a film
replica: lunch in L 'Ambroisie, the best restaurant in the world, or LOUIS
MALLE who demands to be invited to the Ambroisie as a reward for his participation in a jury!
Excellence is also in the detail in terms of volume control which allows
to keep high quality standards demanded by customers
Yes we receive a maximum of 38/40 persons, and have one service at lunch and one service in
the evening
When you are off how do you relax?
I love
cinema and reading!
Do you live in the Marais?
Yes I am
lucky enough to live in the most
beautiful district of Paris!
I like to
cross the Hotel de Sully it is extraordinary to feel the weight of past
centuries and realize this framework is an exceptional luxury, which allows us
to reconcile the Parisian lifestyle and
the desire to innovate incessantly
In the
notion of heritage of monuments or gastronomy I like the idea of continuity
and transmission!
Do you feel your entrepreneurial experience as
a French success story like a luxury brand : GABRIELLE CHANEL for example?
Yes,
exactly as Chanel was wearing her
creations, it is the perspective of sincerity and the quest for perfection,
through our couple history, then the history of our family, it is really
"lived" in our genes!
Do you have an address to recommend to our
readers?
A walk
PLACE DES VOSGES, passing by the HOTEL DE SULLY and its bookshop, then the
Picasso Museum within the Hotel Salé and the Carnavalet Museum of course! And
for shopping : the beautiful addresses like Guerlain or Chanel that have
settled in the Marais recently! Le Marais attracts always and again!
L’Ambroisie
www.ambroisie-paris.com
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For any real estate request contact 06 60 69 77 67
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