FRENCH culinary students and professional chefs from the Center For Culinary Arts, Manila and the Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier (CCA-ICDE) recently had a chance to learn the gastronomic side of France through French cooking classes conducted by esteemed master and two-star Michelin Chef Thierry Drapeau.
Held at the CCA-ICDE campus in Makati City, Drapeau was assisted by French Master Chef Marc Toutain during the successful full-house event.
Following a short historical overview of France’s famous regions, Drapeau proceeded with his much-awaited cooking demo of two French dishes: pumpkin cream and parmesan emulsion and king prawns cooked in minestrone.
From patiently sharing cooking techniques to making aesthetically pleasing presentations, Drapeau’s artistic moves and consummate skills have succeeded in satisfying the class participants’ hungry minds.
Afterward, in true CCA-ICDE mode of learning, the participants then tried their hands in recreating the king prawns cooked in minestrone under the watchful eye of Drapeau. The session culminated in the awarding of certificates to the participants, who did a marvelous job of putting into work their newly gained culinary insights.
Feast of French flavors
DURING the Chef’s Table dinner event, the Michelin-starred chef gave select guests an elevated French dining experience as he presented to them a stunning four-course meal: prawns carpaccio bergamotte sorbet vinaigrette; seasonal vegetables and herbs; red onion with rose; tomato fondue rack of lamb with garlic confit, kumquat and tomatoes, as well as pineapple, mango, lime pavlova for dessert. These were perfectly paired with the finest wines: Mica Vinho Verde 2016, Grand Arc Reserve 2015 and Clos des Verdots Moellux 2015, which were sponsored by Sommelier Selection.
Drapeau drew admiration for his lifelong passion as he spoke about his work and celebrated career. Known for cooking what he calls the “cuisine of the soil” cooking, the renowned Michelin chef has made a name and a career through dishes inspired by seasonal produce of The Vendee region of France where he grew up.
This deep love for his native roots clearly seeps into his artistic style and philosophy in cooking. The bounties of the soil are prevalent in his creations.
Drapeau describes this as a dedication to bring to plate the fragrances he discovers in his own garden and the natural tastes of local produce.
Influence and philosophy
“MY first influence was the produce itself: the ability to touch, taste it and transform it to make it better. What I believe [is the differentiator] is the quality of the produce and the fact that I show respect to [it],” Drapeau said.
“The philosophy in my cooking is to work on it like a wine: to look for a balance when combining herbaceous and floral notes, to work on the acidity, the bitterness and the sweetness. I compose my dishes as if they are paintings,” he further explained.
To date, there are only 82 two-star Michelin restaurants in the whole of France, thus, receiving it is a pinnacle of one’s culinary career.
“Getting my second Michelin star in 2011 was very emotional after a 20-year career in the culinary world, and I very much wanted to share this moment with my former employers and mentors, to tell them thank you,” the French chef declared. It is indeed satisfying to enjoy an incredible French dish in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, but learning how to recreate one like the way a master chef does it is an even better prospect.