Let nature dictate the rules
It was an internship at the Crocodile in Strasbourg that made me want to become a chef, and especially Mr and Mrs Jung, who put their trust in me and pushed me in this direction.
At the age of 14, I began my apprenticeship with a CAP in cookery, followed by a CAP in pastry-making and a BAC PRO in catering.
Later, in 2004, I joined the team at Le Jardin Secret in La Wantzenau – my home village – as second-in-command.
In 2019, I’m taking over the business.
I’ve always stayed in Alsace, because it’s a region that’s close to my heart and where I’ve always felt at home.
While French haute gastronomy is a pillar of my career, my family heritage is the foundation of my knowledge of cuisine.
Alsatian specialities, like many others, were part of my daily routine.
The terroir is passed down from generation to generation.
I like to give pride of place to local players, small-scale producers who respect nature and wild produce.
But I also work with French products, exceptional whole-piece products that need to be carefully processed to reveal their full potential.
With each experiment, I affirm my identity as a chef.
It’s through the details that you build your own style.
Customers come to a restaurant to travel and to taste a chef’s cuisine, not for the menu.
My creations are both highly readable and highly technical.
I like to work with single-product dishes, like “L’artichaut classique et moderne” presented at the Bocuse d’Or.
It’s a competition dish that proves, among other things, that vegetables have their place in tomorrow’s cuisine.
While encounters and discoveries are sources of inspiration, it’s really the seasons that dictate the menu.
As the years follow one another and never resemble one another, we are obliged to cook by instinct.
You have to be able to adapt to the products as they ripen in season.
We can’t know our menus in advance.
Climate change is bound to have an impact.
It forces us to adapt even more and to let ourselves be carried along by what nature is capable of offering.
Every restaurant has a duty to be eco-responsible, and can do its bit by avoiding wasteful consumption of food and energy.
In the future, we must also aim to offer more plant-based dishes and less meat, to respect the balance of nature.
As a business owner, I have a duty to set an example.
I’m a positive person, with a desire to make things happen and go as far as possible.
I want to pass on what I’ve been taught, and the competitive spirit that allows us to surpass ourselves.
New generations will have to give themselves the means.
In this difficult and unpredictable business, I’d like to thank our customers who keep us going.
The future may be difficult, but I’m convinced that if we stay true to ourselves and let nature dictate the rules, we’ll succeed in finding our place.
