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Chef Thomas Keller: Vegetarianism is not a trend, it's a movement

Chef Thomas Keller: Vegetarianism is not a trend, it's a movement

28 November, 2016“So this is our new kitchen,” Thomas Keller explains, gesturing to The French Laundry’s brand new equipment that’s still covered in plastic sheets and untouched. “We have been operating out of a temporary kitchen for the past 16 months.” A part of Napa Valley’s culinary landscape since the late 70’s, The French Laundry ...
Chef Thomas Keller: Vegetarianism is not a trend, it's a movement
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“So this is our new kitchen,” Thomas Keller explains, gesturing to The French Laundry’s brand new equipment that’s still covered in plastic sheets and untouched. “We have been operating out of a temporary kitchen for the past 16 months.”

A part of Napa Valley’s culinary landscape since the late 70’s, The French Laundry really cemented its status as one of the world’s premier restaurants after it was acquired by Keller in 1994. It, along with its New York counterpart Per Se, gives Thomas Keller the distinction of being the only American chef with multiple three-Michelin star restaurants.

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The French Laundry. Photo by Deborah Jones.

The French Laundry is currently prepping itself for a re-launch in 2017 (though it is still open). On a recent trip to Napa Valley, I had a super long and satisfying meal there, followed by a LOT of dessert, and afterwards, there was a chance to chat with the renowned chef himself.

 

Sumati: How long have you had the vegetable tasting menus at Per Se and the French Laundry?

Chef Keller: 21 years at French Laundry and 12 years at Per Se.

 

Sumati: So both restaurants had vegetarian menus from the time they first opened?

Chef Keller: Yes, that’s right. Though I would say the menu’s not necessarily vegetarian. It’s focused on vegetables, but sometimes we have proteins in there, like eggs; we also use the proteins as a garnish. Sometimes we use chicken stock or bouillon. But it’s always possible to play around with it based on dietary preferences, including vegetarians and vegans.

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The French Laundry's Culinary Garden. Photo by Deborah Jones.

Sumati: How big is your vegetable garden?

Chef Keller: We have about 6 acres that we garden.  There are 3 across the street from here, and we have 2 other 1 acre plots in Yountville, and another in the south of Yountville.  It’s not always consistent, but at least we have our own vegetables. On Sundays, we have a little Farmer’s Market at our store.

We occasionally send some stuff to Per Se but mostly it’s for French Laundry, Bouchon and Ad Hoc.

 

Sumati: Do you think vegetarianism is a trend around the world?

Chef Keller: I don’t really follow trends – a trend has a beginning and an end.  A movement is a better word to describe it.

For us, we rely on our vegetables more than we rely on our proteins.  Vegetables are much more versatile, interesting and complex.  They are certainly ever changing, so every year it’s different.

Our proteins are pretty predictable. With vegetables, you never know. For example, when it rains you might end up with fava beans or peaches that are not very nice. Sometimes, in a drought, you have very intense flavors, and sometimes, it’s perfect and they turn out just beautiful.  It depends on agriculture and the time of year.

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Garden Harvest. Photo by Deborah Jones.

Sumati: As a vegetarian in Napa Valley, where would you recommend I eat?

Chef Keller:

  1. The Meadowood, the other 3 star Michelin restaurant here. This is extraordinary – Chris Kostov has his own garden as well. I am not sure if they have a vegetable tasting menu but he is certainly able to accommodate vegetarians or vegans or anybody who has any type of allergy or requirement, like we are.
  2. Bouchon
  3. Ad Hoc

I don’t go out to dinner very often, we like to stay here.  If I am going out to dinner, I’ll eat in Yountville before I step out anywhere else.

 

Sumati: What are your favorite vegetarian dishes on your menus?

Chef Keller: It depends on the time of the year.  Right now we have a garden full of tomatoes. We also have summer squash, eggplant, peppers, sunchokes, carrots, green beans, fava beans and broad beans.

Beets are my favorite vegetable. I also like broad beans with some frito. We cook tomatoes in peppers and onions, then cook the beans and make a stew out of it. It’s very nice.

 

Sumati: Have you been to Dubai before?

Chef Keller: Yes I have been there 4 times.  My first visit was 10 years ago; one of the large hospitality companies wanted me to open restaurants there.  I suggested that they should open a restaurant/hospitality school and focus on local farming first by building some indoor farms.

Flying in chefs to help open restaurants is fine, but it's important to have local produce and a strong labor base. People who want to work in restaurants have great intent and want to do well, but there’s nowhere for them to get really good training in that part of the world.

I am on the board of trustees of the CIA. We have 4 campuses - one in Singapore that does very well and then 3 in America. If they open a culinary school in the UAE, then they will be able to grow their own chefs instead of counting on chefs from other parts of the world, which will work out better in the long-term.

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Bread Service at Bouchon Bakery. Photo by Deborah Jones.

Sumati: Do you have any Middle Eastern projects in the pipeline now?

Chef Keller: We are opening Bouchon Bakery in Kuwait and the UAE with Al Shaya.  So we are very excited about that.

 

Sumati: What is the biggest challenge in the food industry that needs to be solved?

Chef Keller: Labor. There are two elements to the food industry: the food and the people. It’s easier to source vegetables than it is to find really good labor.

 

Sumati: What inspired you to become a chef?

Chef Keller: It’s hard to pick just one inspiration. My mother was a restaurant manager, who gave me my first job as a dishwasher. That helped build my appreciation for all the work that took place behind the scenes at restaurants.

My introduction to cooking came from my big brother Joseph, who’s also a chef. He taught me how to make a few dishes and got me interested in cooking.

I actually started cooking because I used to travel around and it was easy to get a job cooking.  I was fairly good at it but I wasn’t going to do it professionally until my mentor Chef Roland Henin said, “Do you know why cooks cook?” I said, “No chef, why do cooks cook?”  And he said, they cook to nurture people.  That day in July of 1977, I decided to become a chef to nurture people.  And that’s where my real love for cooking came from.

I don’t have children of my own but I have a thousand children all over.

Featured Image by Deborah Jones.

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