I could not find other words than “Rising Star” to describe Chef Frédéric Simonin. He is about 32 years old and has already earned Michelin Stars in different restaurants in France (his first Michelin Star at Restaurant Guislaine Arabian before getting 2 Michelin stars when he ran the kitchens at “La Table de Joël Robuchon” in Paris in 2006). He more recently moved to London to run “L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon” which was recently awarded one Michelin Star and is about a year old only! Below Frédéric Simonin right, with Olivier Limousin left I found Frédéric very approachable, and very humble with a team spirit attitude as he welcomed me at “L’Atelier” with his assistant Chef Olivier Limousin for this interview. Watch this space! Olivier Bourseau: Good morning Frederic and Thank you very much for having us at “L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon”. You originate from Paris and have started your career as a chef apprentice or “commis” in some of the greatest French restaurant in Paris like “Ledoyen”, “Meurice” and “Taillevent”. Who has been your biggest influence in your career? Frédéric Simonin: There hasn’t been one major influence. I would like to mention the first restaurant where I trained as a commis: “Le Pavillon Ledoyen”. I was just out of the the apprenticeship school in Brittany and this was a positive shock to me because “Ledoyen” was in Paris and it was the capital of French gastronomy without being pretentious about it and where everything was far more fastidious from what I had learned so far. They had 2 Michelin Stars and they were at their peak in the 90’s when I worked there and it was very difficult. All the chefs, or commis working at Ledoyen needed to be passionate to stay there. But as I said I do not have a specific influence. I have wanted to work at big names restaurants and hotels because my view is that it was the best for training. Below "L'Atelier" Olivier Bourseau: Where/when has this passion for food started and what do you think is the most important thing required to make a good chef? Frédéric Simonin: This passion for food really happened by chance. I could also say, as many chefs usually say that our grandmother or mother used to cook great things for us, but which mother or grandmother didn’t cook for her children? So yes I have always eaten very well when I was a kid. But I wasn’t especially enthusiastic about food actually and it all happened by chance really! I think to make a good chef you have to have passion about food. That’s it. This is the most important thing. Below Chefs Olivier Limousin (left) and Frédéric Simonin (right) at "L'Atelier"   Olivier Bourseau: In terms of your style of cooking, are you someone cooking with traditions or are you looking for modernism in your cooking? Frédéric Simonin: My cooking style is really a consequence of the training I had in France (Ledoyen, Meurice, Taillevent) and my experience from the more recent times. I believe you have to work properly and domesticate the ingredients without going overboard. I wouldn’t say I have a traditional style because it would sound very old and ancestral, but I do not have a fusion or very modern cooking style either. I cook with the current times and adapt myself. "Below another picture at L'Atelier" Olivier Bourseau: What do you think about the nearly scientific approach some chefs like Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal, Marc Veyrat or Arzac use? Frédéric Simonin: I think it is very good and they have their own style of cooking and their technique. I would not be able to master what they do because I am not very interested in this style of cooking, but we need these great chefs to make cooking evolve. I know Ferran Adrià a little bit. We had the opportunity to meet him in his restaurant (El Bulli in Catalunya, Spain) once I went to have dinner there and another time when he came as a client in our restaurant in the 16th Arrondissement of Paris (Table de Joël Robuchon). I respect this style of cooking and don’t have much more to say about it! Olivier Bourseau: You run the kitchens at “l’Atelier de Joël Robuchon” in London, what is the food like here and how is it different to the other French restaurants in London? Frédéric Simonin: This restaurant includes three different places in one building for our clients. We have the “Atelier”, with kitchen run by Olivier Limousin who was my assistant chef at La Table de Joel Robuchon in the 16th Arondissement of Paris where we got 2 Michelin Stars. Then you have the “Cuisine” upstairs which is run by myself and is different from the “Atelier” where people sit at tables and you have the feeling to be in the kitchen of a restaurant with the chefs. The format is more like a normal restaurant and the meals usually takes longer than at the Atelier. The Atelier concept is found in some of the greatest capitals of the world (Paris, New York, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Hong Kong) and people eat around a bar or counter. The idea is that they can eat rather quickly and very well with small and exquisite dishes at different prices. So there is definitely a sense of freedom where it is not like in a traditional restaurant where you seat down with a group of people, and you get a normal menu with a starter, a main and a dessert. At “L’Atelier” you can eat a very good dish with a glass of wine in 20 minutes at all prices, and then leave. It is a new concept which works very well and our clients are delighted with it. And then we have the bar upstairs which is cosy and attractive where clients usually have a drink before dinner. Below "La Cuisine" Olivier Bourseau: How wine impacts your cooking at “L’Atelier”? Frédéric Simonin: There is a dialogue between the sommelier and the chef, where it is very important to have a tight relationship and to listen to each other and exchange information. We then take into consideration the ideas of pairings from the sommelier (what he thinks would work the best with one wine), and the chef ideas as well. It is important not to look at it from one side only and try and find the right wine for the food or the other way round. It has to come from both sides. It is a difficult thing to work on, a kind of philosophy of thinking which best dishes or ingredients would work with the best wines and the other way round as well and to combine both. Olivier Bourseau: Working for one of the greatest French chefs is probably very exciting, but are you thinking about opening your own restaurant one day? Frédéric Simonin: I don’t know, for the time being it is not really my goal. I would like to continue working with Joël Robuchon for now. I am very happy to work for him. He is a living myth to me! We also work as a team here and Olivier Limousin is a colleague but also one of my best friends. Below another picture of "La Cuisine" Olivier Bourseau: Finally which are the ingredients you prefer to cook if any/ any special dishes and what would be the favourite wine to pair this dish with? Frédéric Simonin: There are many great wines but when it comes to matching them with fine food it is another story. A very good wine to me would be Forts de Latour 1975, which is the year I was born or Château d’Yquem. There are also smaller producers which make less famous but very exquisite wines and we should not forget them. There are many young vineyards producing excellent wines and not expensive at all and it is important to promote these wines along with the bigger names. In terms of ingredients and any special dishes, I like everything, I have always liked any ingredient and so there is not one ingredient which I prefer cooking against others. If it was the case, it would mean that I neglect the other ingredients which are not my favourites and this is not what I do. Olivier Bourseau: Thank you very much Frédéric!