{"id":7592,"date":"2022-11-10T07:58:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T07:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/recipes-for-success-french-celebrity-chef-yann-bernard-lejard-talks-edible-art-lessons-learned\/"},"modified":"2022-11-10T07:58:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T07:58:50","slug":"recipes-for-success-french-celebrity-chef-yann-bernard-lejard-talks-edible-art-lessons-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=7592","title":{"rendered":"Recipes for Success: French celebrity chef Yann Bernard Lejard\u00a0talks edible art, lessons learned"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nMANAMA: It\u2019s hard to believe that someone can be equally talented as a chef and as an artist. But French celebrity chef Yann Bernard Lejard proves it\u2019s possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nLejard, the director of culinary, food and beverage at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain not only creates eye-catching presentations for his meals, but he also decorates his plates with edible artworks. Yes, edible paintings.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
A dish created by chef Yann Bernard Lejard. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
\nLejard\u2019s abstract art is often compared to the that of Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, among others. His cooking career first took off in his homeland has so far taken him to more than 20 countries,\u202fincluding Singapore, China, Mexico, the Netherlands, India, the US, Ireland, and Spain. He has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants and a slew of luxury hotels. He was also a finalist for the prestigious Swiss Taittinger Culinary Grand Prix in 2003.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI started from the worst restaurant you can imagine in the south of France, where they put the fish straight in the deep fryer for the tourists, and went on to the best restaurants in Europe,\u201d he tells Arab News.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Despite his success as a chef, however, Lejard became frustrated that he had had to sideline his love of art for the sake of his cooking career.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
A dish created by chef Yann Bernard Lejard. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI was not happy,\u201d he says. \u201cEven though I love food \u2014 it\u2019s my passion to understand the ingredients, the sauce, the authenticity \u2014 I understood that, for me, cooking was not enough. My life was not this. My life was more. I was looking for an answer, because it was very boring.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nThat boredom was alleviated by his move to the Middle East. His first stop was Saudi Arabia, as the executive chef for the award-winning Glow restaurant where he became the first chef in the Kingdom to be ranked by the UK food publication FOUR Magazine.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen I first arrived in Saudi Arabia, I changed my way of thinking,\u201d he says. \u201cI found some kind of peace in the Middle East. I felt that I had to try to erase all I had learned.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Chef Yann Bernard Lejard. (Supplied)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
\nHe continues: \u201cI was guided by a way of work, so I decided to remove everything. It was a long process, but I started to find joy in working. I found a purpose. The Middle East opened me to different cultures.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nHe moved to Bahrain in 2014. \u201cI found the place I was really looking for. Ritz-Carlton is a brand that I really associate with. I feel very committed and very loyal,\u201d he explains.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nHere, Lejard offers some culinary advice and discusses the importance of resilience.<\/p>\n
\nQ: When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: Not listening. And I was in some very good places where I should have listened, because I was in front of very important professionals.\u202fIn many restaurants, I would work one, two or three days and then move to another one, because I was not happy with the way they worked. But, it was in my head. It took so many years for me to find my conception of cooking. I need to have very strong, professional people around me to be able to work. I\u2019m always thinking about different ways to do things. I want to do what other people are not doing.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: What\u2019s your top tip for amateur chefs?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: Be resilient.\u202fNever give up.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: What\u2019s the secret to a successful restaurant?\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: The most important thing is that you have to touch the emotion. You need guests to feel good \u2014 to feel comfortable. They need to feel genuine care.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: What\u2019s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly?\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: I have a very strict diet. I am nearly vegetarian. So I\u2019d say tomato with olive oil, soy sauce and coriander.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: What\u2019s the most difficult dish for\u202fyou to\u202fget right?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: Simplicity is difficult. In every dish there is a trick. In every dish there is a specific way to do it and there are the love and emotions that you put into it. Everyone can have the same recipe, but not everyone will have the same end result. I can\u2019t make\u202fratatouille like my grandmother. It\u2019s the food that brings warmth to your heart and reminds you of your childhood.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: As a boss, are you a disciplinarian? Or are you quite laid back?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: I understood, after many years, that alone you are nothing. You need people around you. I try as much as I can not to play with the emotions of the people around me. Even if I do it sometimes, I see that I made a mistake. I like to have a quiet working atmosphere where everybody has respect for each other.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nA: Absolutely not. I\u2019m very cool when I\u2019m not working. (Obviously), I don\u2019t want to be disappointed. But I don\u2019t like to judge.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nQ: What request or behavior by customers most frustrates you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s all about the emotions. Something I don’t like is if someone hurts my emotions.\u202fI am very sensitive, but I\u2019m working on it.\u202fBefore, I used to care a lot about the feedback on the quality and mistakes. In cooking you have to be extremely consistent. When you\u2019re cooking with passion, you put a part of you into it. A mistake can happen, and this can hurt my feelings and my emotions.\u202fNow, I just move forward.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
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