" Alain Ducasse is a truly modern Chef – he fulfils the roles of chef, company director, team leader, school principal, head of PR and chief spokesman, head of personnel, talent spotter, teacher and coach. "

Jean-François Revel, " L'Atelier de Alain Ducasse "
He involves himself in every aspect of the business, from choosing interior designers, to recruiting staff, to launching his new restaurants in Monaco, Paris, New York, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and even La Celle en Provence.

There is also the “Ducasse” label, seen at prestigious events in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, at Margaux in the Bordeaux region, always in collaboration with the very best exponents in their field, to create products of the highest
quality.



ALAIN DUCASSE, CONDUCTOR AND TEACHER

In a period of some 15 years, Alain Ducasse has already employed over 500 people.

He takes a close interest in recruiting teams for his restaurants. He selects, welcomes and trains his new colleagues before encouraging them to stand on their own two feet, while keeping a watchful eye on their progress.

Franck Cerutti, Alain Soulard, Benoît Witz… are all former pupils of Alain Ducasse, as are dozens and dozens of apprentices, commis-chefs and chefs de partie who have worked in his kitchens.

There they all learned the importance of using the best ingredients and are proud to belong to the “Ducasse generation” – an extraordinary network of chefs, working from New York to Singapore, all well versed in his mantra “60% ingredients and 40% technique”.

HIS COOKING : INNOVATION AND TRADITION

" The gastronomic legacy of a region is maintained by recipes prepared by generations of cordon-bleu cooks lovingly preparing dishes whose origins have been lost in the mists of time. "

Tradition and innovation go hand in hand for a chef. He owes much to traditional cooking practices handed down from generation to generation, but equally he owes it to himself and his teachers to create original dishes of his own.

Authentic dishes must be based on fresh produce of the highest quality.

HIS KITCHEN – EXPERTISE AND EQUIPMENT

As for utensils … Ducasse has had copper saucepans made for him, with bottoms and sides 35 millimetres thick, compared to the more usual 23-24 millimetres. He has created a rotisserie with a special " Alain Ducasse " spit; redesigned knives to improve their performance at cutting, slicing and sawing; had made for him a mortar in Breton granite, solid oak and brushed stainless steel. This age-old implement, rarely seen in kitchens today, is indispensable for kneading, grinding, crushing, mixing and beating, while retaining and enhancing flavours and smells.

" Any revolution in cooking is partly a result of improvements in equipment. "

Extract from “L’Atelier de Alain Ducasse" by Jean-François Revel.


PHILOSOPHY AND TECHNIQUE

" Tasting a dish should be memorable… If nothing remains in the memory of a single guest, then I have made a mistake. "

Sharing his knowledge and his vision of ‘Haute Cuisine’ with all food-lovers, be they professional or amateur, is one of the Chef’s great concerns. His books are full of his own discoveries, his techniques, his favourite recipes and flavours.

Latest publication : The ‘Grand Livre des desserts’.

Following on from the ‘Grand Livre de Cuisine’, Alain Ducasse and Frédéric Robert turn their attention to desserts. Cakes and pastries, Viennese pastries, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream and sorbets, fruits and flavours – it covers everything. There are basic cooking techniques, classic recipes and bold, innovative creations of great style.

‘Sweet cookery’ follows on perfectly from that of savoury dishes, as a good meal is a delightful blend of tastes and the serving of dessert is part of this whole. This book is not just a cookery book but a veritable encyclopaedia of sweet dishes from all over the world (Italy, the English speaking world, etc).