Is this your first participation in HORECA? Not at all. I was there long ago. From the very beginning, practically with Jacques Charrette, since 1990-1995 – and I have come every year to represent the cordon bleu. My first participation was 22 years ago.
How did you find this exhibition? And its evolution? Magnificent, because there is a large group, a family behind all that, that organizes this show. And this show rivals all the other salons of the world. One can notice that the Damous family takes into consideration the remarks of the chefs and the jury to improve each year. There is conviviality, professionalism and a rigor in the preparation.
To speak specifically about you, how did you come to practice this profession? I was cradled in the pastry by my grandmother and by my parents, in a family of confectioners, and I found myself in this craft since very small and I immediately liked it. In addition, pastry is a kitchen that evolves a lot and changes very quickly, also it can be worked in different ways, and it is a concept that I like very well because I never feel caught in a routine.
What advice would you give to young people wanting to do this profession? You have to be rigorous and disciplined and you have to work with your heart, you have to know how to choose your products, you have to respect the product in its temperature, its mixture, its fusion and have techniques, a good basis. Have a well-established technicality. That’s why I encourage all young people to study at the Cordon Bleu, and learn the basic techniques of cooking.
How do you see the future of the profession? At one point we scattered in a kitchen a little too evolutionary a little too molecular which led to the confusion. Now we return a little more to the respect of the products to make traditional cooking.
