Hélène Darroze is one of the most successful and famous Chefs in France, and very interestingly she learnt the ropes by herself when most chefs of her calibre go through a long and difficult apprenticeship. But even more engagingly, her cookery is a mixture of her background in the South West of France where she grew up but also her different trips, the people she met and of course her emotions. As she likes to say “It is what I am which is in the plate”. Her restaurant in Paris got 2 michelin Stars in 2003 and recently she came to London, seduced by the Connaught Hotel to oversee all kitchens. We met with her at the Connaught Hotel in a busy schedule between Paris and London. Picture below - Hélène Darroze at the Connaught Hotel                 Olivier Bourseau: You were born in Mont de Marsant in the Landes area in France and your family has been very much involved in food since your great grand father opened L'Auberge Le Relais and that your father was then running it when you were young. Even though you were intending to manage hotels more than becoming a Chef, a training with Alain Ducasse revealed your skills. Was it this training which made you decide to become a Chef, or have you always thought you would become a chef since when you were young? Hélène Darroze: I am the fourth generation since my great-grandfather opened the Auberge le Relais. And I have always enjoyed cooking since I was a kid. It was my passion. On the other hand it was a time when you had to study and not become cook if you were decent at school. So this is why I studied business management first. And when I joined Alain Ducasse’s team for a training, I got the true revelation of what I loved. I stayed 3 years with Alain Ducasse and it is true that it was him who cheered me on becoming a cook. Then it is a combination of things which made me decide to take the leap, but it is him who gave me the necessary “kick in the butt” so to speak and gave me confidence and told me that I needed to do it because I could succeed. O. B: You then sold the Auberge to open your restaurant in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris where you got 1 Michelin Star in 2001 and 2 in 2003. How would you describe your style of cooking? Hélène Darroze: It is a cookery which line of conduct is all about ingredients and the quality of the ingredients. I always seek the best, it is my quest. It is to look for the best of ingredients and make the best of them with my emotions. I say that in a plate, there is always a big part of myself. It is what I am which is in the plate. And I am who I am from my education, where I grew up in the Landes (South West of France) with its wealth of gastronomic culture. Gastronomy is a true culture over there! This is what made me who I am. Then there are my experiences obviously, for instance with Alain Ducasse, then my travelling, and the rest of it which made me who I am with the people I met too. And at one point, all of my emotions, all of my life experience is gathered in a dish about a very high quality ingredient. I think my cookery is about generosity, it is quite simple too, but it is an open and honest cookery. O. B: You were pretty much a self made cook since you trained with Alain Ducasse only when other chefs spend a lot of time doing a number of different trainings. What has been your greatest inspiration in your cookery? Hélène Darroze: Yes I believe I was very much self-taught. It is because I never learnt in a kitchen but all by myself, I learned the ropes, and so I am quite a lot self-educated. At the same time, I got this respect and taste for the best ingredients from Alain Ducasse because it is very important for him. But it is also something which I have always seen since I was very young. We come from the same place with Alain Ducasse. He is from the Landes too, and was born a few kilometres away from home. So it is probably very much part of the culture in the South West of France. And I was born with this respect and choice of the best ingredient. O. B: You have just opened a new restaurant at the Connaught Hotel under your own name. Why this new adventure and why London? Hélène Darroze: It is because it was love at first sight! I hadn’t expected it in my career. I had always said to the contrary that I would always be the wife of one restaurant only. But when the Connaught Hotel approached me, I decided to come to London and have a look out of curiosity. And I had a crush on the place! I believe the Connaught shares the same values as I do which are: authenticity, sincerity, generosity, and also they are pushing for the highest quality of service. This is something I share with the hotel. And I can apply all of this here thanks to competent people too. Then London because the Connaught is in London, but the City really caught my interest and I enjoy living in London a lot. O. B: How important is wine in your restaurants and how do you work with your sommeliers? Hélène Darroze: Wine is important for me. Especially since my brother is oenologist. And I grew up in this oenologist environment. My dad’s best friend, Jean-Claude Berrouet was the oenologist and winemaker at Petrus. (one of the most famous right-bank Bordeaux wine estate in Pomerol). And I was born with people who liked to drink too! As far as I am concerned, I drink when there is a great bottle only. I would rather eat a nice dish otherwise, but when there is a great wine I am involved. It is true that food and wine combination is something which is essential if one wants the party to be a success. Then with regards to the work with my sommeliers, I trust them whether it is Paris or London. They know what I value, and they know that wines from the South-West of France including Bordeaux are very important because it is my culture. So they have some work to do, some research to do on this. Then they say that their work is not always easy, that is it always challenging to find wines matching my dishes, but it is interesting for them this way. O. B: What is your favourite wine or what are the favourite regions you prefer? Hélène Darroze: I really like wines from Bordeaux and the great ones! I also have the chance to have a friend with an exceptional cellar who always makes me taste fabulous bottles every time he invites me. I remember tasting a fantastic La Tâche (one of the rarest Burgundy wine made from a single vineyard called La Tâche and produced by Domaine de La Romanée Conti). I have had the chance to taste great wines thanks to him like Château Latour (Bordeaux First Growth), and Pétrus too. Apart from these, there is another wine which I love: a friend of mine had organised a mythical party for my 40th birthday at Château de Saran (this estate is part of Moët et Chandon in the Champagne region) where we did a vertical tasting of Dom Pérignon Oenothèque (the Top wine from Dom Pérignon) and I can remember this outstanding time where we had a food combination which was fabulous too. I can remember in particular a mythical Dom Pérignon 1973… I like good things in life! O. B: Thank you very much Hélène!