We had the pleasure of meeting Chef Alexandre Gauthier of the Michelin-Starred Relais & Châteaux restaurant Le Grenouillere at the 2020 City Meals on Wheels annual fundraising gala at Restaurant Daniel hosted by Chef Daniel Boulud. Gauthier was a guest chef serving up rouge ravioli with fresh haddock and a faisselle de vache amongst other delicacies. 

Today, we sit down with Chef Alexandre and discuss the inspiration behind his beautiful restaurant and hotel in La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil in the Pas-de-Calais region of France, and what is next for him.

You took over your father’s restaurant. Did you always want to become a Chef? It was in your blood so to speak! On pourrait dire que je suis né cuisinier. Je suis fils de cuisinier et je devais avoir 13 ans quand j’ai décidé́ que j'irais à l’école hôtelière. Vers 15 ans, quand à travers les stages, c'est devenu concret, j’ai eu quelques doutes... J’ai beaucoup appris en cuisine, mais j’ai surtout su ce que je ne voulais pas devenir. 

Le gout d’être cuisinier est une chose, devenir chef en est une autre….

Yes, you could say that I was born to cook. I am the son of a cook and I must have been 13 when I decided I would go to hospitality school. Around 15 years old, through internships, it became concrete, but I still had some doubts. I learned a lot in cooking, but above all I knew what I did not want to become.

Becoming a cook is one thing, becoming a chef is quite another….

Where did you study?  A l’école hôtelière du Touquet, dans les Hauts-de-France, à 15 minutes de La Grenouillère pendant 4 ans puis 2 ans à La Rochelle, ville portuaire du Sud-Ouest.

At the hospitality school in Le Touquet, in Hauts-de-France, about 15 minutes from La Grenouillère for 4 years and then 2 years in La Rochelle, a port city in the South-West.

Who were your mentors? Je n’ai pas véritablement de mentor, plutôt des modèles, pour ne pas se perdre à vouloir ressembler à quelqu’un. 

Pierre Gagnaire, Michel Bras sont des exemples, tout comme Daniel Boulud qui a eu cette audace incroyable de quitter la France pour le rêve américain, et le réussir sans perdre son âme en chemin. 

I didn't really have mentors, but more role models, so as not to get lost in wanting to be like someone. Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Bras are examples, as is Daniel Boulud, who had the incredible audacity to leave France for the American dream, and to succeed without losing his soul along the way.

Who or what inspires you?  Les artistes contemporains, les précurseurs, ceux qui défrichent, inventent des pistes, des visions nouvelles.

Contemporary artists, pioneers, those who clean the land and recycle, and those who invent new avenues and visions.

What is your favorite country or city to dine in?  Tokyo, NYC. Je pense également que Paris a repris une place à juste titre dans la cuisine actuelle mondiale et de qualité.

Tokyo and New York City. I also think that Paris has rightly regained its place in today's world.

Where do you dream of traveling next? Retourner au Japon, à Naoshima. Mais l’idée même de remonter dans un avion est un rêve…

To return to Japan and Naoshima, but the very idea of ​​getting back on a plane is a dream ...

What do you cook for yourself? Tellement de choses, simples et saines. Des pâtes aux coquillages avec mon fils. Des tomates farcies et autres produits locaux du moment.

So many things, simple and healthy. Shellfish pasta with my son. Stuffed tomatoes and other local seasonal produce.

La Grenouillère translates to Frog Pond. Do you serve them on the menu at the restaurant?  La Grenouillère est un lieu-dit en plein cœur des marais du village de la Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, où croissent une multitude de grenouilles… Quand mon père était aux fourneaux de la Grenouillère, on cuisinait les cuisses de grenouilles de manière classique : à l’ail, au persil et légèrement farinées. Elles sont toujours à la carte du restaurant, cela fait partie des plats « signature », pour ne pas dire incontournables, même si je n’aime pas bien ces mots. On les prépare de plusieurs façons : grillées au beurre, à l’ail ou meunière.

La Grenouillère is located in the heart of the marshes in the village of Madelaine-sous-Montreuil, where a multitude of frogs grow. My father would cook frog legs the classic way: with garlic, parsley, and lightly floured. They are always offered a la carte in the restaurant, they are part of our "signature" dishes, even essential, although I do not like those words. They are prepared in several ways: grilled in butter, garlic, or meunière style.

You enlisted architect Patrick Bouchain to renovate and modernize the restaurant. It almost resembles a modern art gallery. Who are some of your favorite artists and architects?  Je me nourris de la richesse de ces rencontres. J’ai eu la chance d’en avoir rencontré certains et de collaborer avec d’autres.  Les plasticiens Annette Messager, Georges Rousse, Cy Twombly, Alicja Kwade, Chiharu Shiota.  Les compositeur Gustav Mahler, Bruno Montovani. Le sculpteur-chocolatier Patrick Roger.  Les architectes Tadao Ando, Peter Zumthor et bien sûr Patrick Bouchain.  Le circassien Johann Le Guillerm et la compagnie Baro d’Evel. 

I am nourished by the richness of these meetings. I have been fortunate enough to have met and collaborated with some as well. Visual Artists: Annette Messager, Georges Rousse, Cy Twombly, Alicja Kwade, Chiharu Shiota. Composers: Gustav Mahler, Bruno Montovani. Chocolatier and Sculptor: Patrick Roger. Architects: Tadao Ando, ​​Peter Zumthor, and of course, Patrick Bouchain. Circus Artist: Johann Le Guillerm and the Baro d'Evel company.

You have 2 Michelin Stars, you are a member of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France, and you are a member of Relais & Châteaux, amongst other accolades. What has been your personal best achievement? Être un bon père.

To be a good father.

What is next for you?  Tenir, poursuivre, rêver.

To continue, to pursue, and to dream.

Text: Veronica H. Speck Photos: © Le Grenouillère