The image of French food and French chefs the world over has become a bit of a stifled cliché: the pot-bellied, rotund male chef who loves his foie gras and duck fat, waxing lyrical about his latest delivery of wild mushrooms and whose idea of ecstasy is a drool-worthy Brie. And although this image is certainly reinforced by many classically trained, mostly male French chefs, there exists a whole new generation of young chef entrepreneurs who are looking ‘beyond’ tradition to satisfy ‘the new French palate’. So, what is this new palate and who are these chefs? French food for many years was just that, French – both in terms of techniques and ingredients. The new chefs are not seeking to radically depose the old order neither are they trying to ‘marginalise’ new ingredients like the now fashionable quinoa, a cereal from South America and miso from Japan. Instead, they are trying to integrate these new kids on the block with classic, if not lighter techniques of cooking like steaming, giving as much respect to their dishes and the origin of their produce as the old guard did. They call themselves ‘Génération C’. They even have a blog. They describe themselves as ‘chefs, restaurant owners, dissidents of the sacred French line, progressive cooks who are not rigid and stuck in jelly, people who think out of the box and beyond their boundaries with a patriotic heart…. Free, young, open and committed, the Generations Cuisine and Culture was born. At the other end of the spectrum sticking well within the confines of the great French tradition of fine dining are some modern chefs who without budging much from the expectations created by Michelin stars, are quietly making history with their refined dishes and clean, elegant presentations.

I was very fortunate to have met two extraordinary women over this past year who represent the quintessential of both types. Laurence Salomon is a 40-year-old naturopath who looks as if she has stepped out of a Modigliani painting. Tall, slim and elegant, she is a perfect example of what she professes – a clear glowing skin and a soft demeanour does not distract from her very precise views about the marriage between food and health. She draws inspiration from all over the world, using French techniques and style and has opened her own restaurant, Nature & Saveur, in the small town of Annecy at the foothills of the French Alps, eight years ago. Her ‘mantra’ is simple. She is part of the ‘Génération C’ group of chefs and therefore uses organic ingredients wherever possible with an emphasis on health and a high respect for nature. She supports local farmers and although a lot of her dishes contain vegetables and cereals, she is not ‘cranky’ about cooking seafood, so long as it is wild and not farmed. The same goes for poultry, rabbit and lamb. Dishes we had over a relaxed lunch at her intimate-sized restaurant included raw oysters on the half shell with a clementine and olive oil emulsion (very refreshing), broccoli and tofu with a prune and almond sauce, wild organic salmon stuffed with seaweed and served with quinoa and an organic chocolate log. The organic wines served were ‘different’ to say the least; quite a world apart from ‘real’ wines. They apparently require a palate education of a different kind. Named as one of the 20 most influential people in the region, she has been featured in just about every regional magazine and newspaper from the conservative Le Figaro to the more left wing Libération. The magazine Madame Figaro called her Le star de bio et bon, the star of organic and well-being.

Ann Sophie Pic, who reigns supreme not a million miles away, is slim and petite with a vulnerability that is rare in the world of French gastronomy. She is the only woman in France to have gained the coveted three Michelin stars and is at the helm of a much sought after restaurant, La Maison Pic, in Valence in the middle of the French countryside in the South East of France. Of Le Figaro’s recent guide to the richest chefs in France, Ann Sophie was the only women in the top 20. The French media are fascinated by women who take on what one critic termed as ‘the perpetually moustached world of male dominated kitchens’. Although she comes from a long line of famous chefs (both her father and grandfather), she is self trained and has never been through a catering school. Her cuisine which she took some time to evolve, has pronounced tastes giving importance to lightness by using emulsions, juices reduced naturally, steaming and the use of healthy foreign ingredients like wakame (Japanese sea kelp) and Granny Smith apples. She mixes both regional products like puy lentils, black truffles, Grenoble nuts and locally caught sea bass with these unusual foreign ingredients to achieve an exceptional range of flavours which is distinctively her own. Although she is undoubtedly a strong and somewhat mysterious woman with a very clear purpose and style, she still serves (unaltered) her father’s anthological dish which he created in 1971– sea bass with caviar– in his homage.

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