Spring evokes me the renewal, the freshness and the good products. It is the season of morels and asparagus for example. This season is also synonymous with renewal for the restaurateur. People are coming out of their winter slumber, curious and ready to celebrate this rebirth. It is an opportunity for change, an opportunity to question oneself, in short: to go further in culinary experiences. You can express yourself in new ways with new products and new ideas – without reinventing the craft (I love the classics of cooking and my clientele follows me for that too). Sometimes you just have to keep the best of the past years and enchant it with more colors and festivities!
Thanks to a fertile soil and an ideal geographical situation, Alsace is a region that has always been rich, and that knows how to highlight its good products. Very early on, the Alsatians were able to afford to drink and eat well, so the culture of good food is firmly anchored there.
Like many of us, my passion for cooking comes from my mother and my grandmother, two great cooks! I helped in the pastry shop especially. They gave me a taste for good things. This is why I believe that cooking is synonymous with celebration, conviviality and family sharing. Moreover, I come from a family of wine growers for whom wine and food have always been important and closely linked.
As a chef, you get to know and love the restaurant business by living it. Working with men and women who are passionate about what they do gives you the desire to surpass yourself. In the future, the job could get more complicated. There will always be the “big restaurant”, while some are already suffering from staff shortages, supply difficulties and rising prices. However, the world will always need exchange and conviviality. The kitchen is a good example.
We will certainly have to shake up our habits. People are asking for more and more amazing and spectacular things. In a restaurant in San Francisco, there is a central piano where the cooks prepare dishes as they are ordered while the customers watch. This experience centralizes the human, encouraging consumers to mingle and interact with the cooks. If our work is sometimes like a show, it remains focused on sharing.
When you are a restaurant owner, you have to enjoy giving pleasure and sharing above all. This is what gives meaning to our jobs.
Jean-Michel Eblin
Chef de cuisine Le Maximilien*(French only)
