CH E FS / FACE TO FACE
was raised or the way a peach was harvested. As chefs, all we can do is to carefully select our suppliers and then work with them to ensure we get the best possible ingredients. Developing relationships is a fundamental part of any great chef’s work. At our restaurants, all we have accomplished through the years has been made possible through partnerships with extraordinary purveyors. Our responsibility as chefs, then, is to support these individuals by executing dishes for our guests’ enjoyment that highlight and elevate the fruits of their labours.
Talking on trends, we hear you’re not one to jump on the bandwagon. Why is this? I’m only against trends because the true definition of a trend is something that has an end. So why would you want to be trendy? It doesn’t make sense to me. The other thing about trends: what
Get to know chef Keller… Your favourite ingredient? I always have salt, vinegar and olive oil on hand.
“We've seen a move toward chefs owning restaurants and that has changed America's culinary reputation and legacy.” How would you define your food style, and what has influenced you the most over the years to continually grow in your role? I turn to a grounding, guiding principle that a great meal is an emotional experience. We try to make it an extraordinary one by welcoming guests into a beautiful place, one filled with a staff that cares about it as they do about their home, and making new memories for our visitors. Our chefs are dedicated to culinary details, fundamental
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The Pro Chef Middle East / Autumn 2017
techniques and delivering the very best products to the table.
Many chefs I talk to speak of their admiration of your respect for food. Over the years, how did you and how do you continue to communicate to chefs all over the world the importance of respecting an ingredient? When ingredients arrive at the restaurants they are, in one sense, already finished. At the stove, we have no control over how an animal
Favourite country to eat? California has the best produce available in our country (United States) and in Napa Valley we are fortunate to have extraordinary restaurants. Which brand of knifes do you use? I have been using MAC Knives in my restaurants and at home since 2000; their superior quality lends itself to precision and control, both of which are fundamental for tasks in the kitchen. Who is most influential person for you, in the kitchen? The person who most influenced me was my mother; the things I learned from her at home have influenced me in the kitchen: work ethics, paying attention, details, efficiency and keeping things clean and organised. Best moment of your career so far? Being the first American chef to win three Michelin stars; being honored with the French Legion d’Honeur and winning the Bocuse d’Or this year. I have been so blessed beyond belief in my career.