With impressive roots in gastronomy and an even more impressive career being well celebrated by the Michelin Guide and and also guided by Joël Robuchon, Christophe Cussac certainly knows his stuff. We caught up with the executive chef of Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo in Monaco to hear about his culinary style, why saffron is his favourite ingredient and why preparing food makes him so happy.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, including where you are today, professionally, and what got you here?
It is a family story that began in Burgundy. At the age of eight, I was already immersed in the restaurant business thanks to my grandmother, who was an excellent cook. She took over the 11th century Abbey St Michel in Tonnerre, and transformed it into a restaurant, then one day my father took over. He wanted to create a hotel, so he turned it into a Relais & Châteaux and obtained a Michelin star.
After studying at the Ecole hôtelière in Paris and completing my military service, a combination of circumstances led me to Joël Robuchon. This was a meeting of a lifetime. He was in his thirties and was the head chef at the Concorde Lafayette Hotel in Paris. He already wanted to revolutionise the restaurant business. He took me under his wing as a kitchen secretary, a position focused on administrative tasks. After a year there, I then worked for four years at Nikko, the first hotel restaurant to be awarded with two Michelin stars. The famous red guide has awarded me with two stars in all the restaurants I worked in for more than 30 years.
What or who inspired you to become a chef? Who has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?
Since my meeting with Joël Robuchon I have followed him and he has guided my life and inspired me. He used to call me ‘my little one’. He was my spiritual father. Nothing escaped Joël Robuchon, he had a great attention for detail. To complete my training, he sent me to pastry making and then to cooking, whereas in general chefs in the top kitchens do not do pastry making. He told me that it would be useful for me later on and he was right, of course!
What’s your signature dish?
My signature dish is inspired by Mediterranean cuisine: a raw sardine marinated in olive oil and lemon, with a spicy sardine cream, topped with asparagus, caviar and citron de Menton.
What are the most important considerations when crafting your menu and do your personal preferences influence the menu at all?
I only do dishes that I would love to eat, so of course my personal preferences influence the menu. When crafting a menu, I look for consistency to create a slow rise in flavour within my dishes to offer a unique dining experience.
How would you describe your cooking style? How would you describe the food you create at Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo to someone who’s never experienced your kind of food?
The Mediterranean is there, omnipresent. It deeply permeates my cooking, focusing on the freshness of the products. Creativity, simplicity and authenticity are the keywords, which over the years have shaped my culinary style. My goal is to create a contemporary and tasty cuisine while respecting traditional French culinary art.
Do you have a favourite time of year or set of ingredients that you look forward to working with?
My favourite time of the year is spring, when more vegetables are at our disposal to create new inspiration in the kitchen: it allows me to find different approaches in terms of flavours.
What is your favourite ingredient to create with?
Saffron is such a beautiful ingredient to me. It’s synonymous with paella, bouillabaisse, ratatouille. Mediterranean cuisine is tinted with this unique spice, that brings out a special flavour, colour and aroma to a dish.
What’s your favourite flavour combination?
I like to incorporate a touch of bitterness with other flavours.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a chef?
I would be a musician, music is a dear passion of mine.
What is your favourite dish to cook at home?
I love cooking very simple dishes for my family. I don’t have a particular favourite dish, I have always appreciated the many rituals linked to the preparation of meals which, when done together is a moment of exchange, sharing and love. In everyday life the meal is the most important moment of the day because the members of the family get together.
I have many memories of these lively, warm family gatherings that encouraged exchange and communication in an atmosphere of relaxation and pleasure around a good Sunday’s roast chicken. I also love the pork loin roast that my mother used to make, by mixing all the ingredients in one pot together: tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. The smell of the dish when you take the lid off is amazing.
When are you happiest?
I am the happiest at work especially when I am able to share some beautiful moments with the clients of the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo. I love these moments of conviviality and it is always a joy to see the dishes come out of the ‘pass’ and to be a spectator and watching the pleasure our guests have when they taste one of our dishes. Every day we try to make our guests as happy as possible, to offer them a unique experience and create beautiful memories.
What is your favourite piece of kitchen equipment?
The kitchen tuning fork is a tool I really like. It’s a very important equipment that allows you to know where you are in your cooking process – much like a tuning fork in music.
When you’re not in the kitchen where can you be found?
As my days are extremely busy, I like to rest at home when I’m not at the Métropole. It is a place I feel comfortable in, a peaceful haven to rejuvenate.
What’s your favourite takeaway or comfort food?
The ultimate comfort food for me is the Riz au lait my mother used to make, a rice pudding with orange peels.
Where is your favourite place to dine?
In Nice, one of my favourite places is Lou Pantail, a traditional Niçart and Italian cuisine, in a cosy and warm atmosphere. I am also a big fan of Frederic Anton, chef of the Pré Catelan and of the Jules Verne. I love his cuisine that focuses on mixing flavours, exalting aromas, and that flatters the palate. From the first bite one can appreciate all the generosity of his cuisine.
What do you think is the most over-hyped food trend?
I would say the over usage of flowers in dishes.
What differences do you find working with local produce as opposed to non-local produce in terms of what you can create and flavour?
I mostly work with local products. I am inspired by local products and resources. Our menus are fully inspired by the richness of Mediterranean cuisine. We work daily with local producers who offer us high quality, sun-drenched ingredients. I particularly like working with fish and revisiting local recipes, such as sardines, small stuffed vegetables. That being said, the quality of the product will always be prioritised over local sourcing.
How do you go about menu planning? What’s the process from picking the ingredients to getting them fresh into the kitchen and into dishes?
The starting point is always an inspiration, a product or a cooking method. We then work as a team; my brigade and I, with different phases of tasting sessions, until we reach the excellence we are striving for. While my process varies when creating new dishes, I do have a golden rule to make a dish: the balanced combination of three main flavours.
What do your future plans entail?
Future plans entail the opening of my new gastronomic restaurant next year in Monaco at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo. The ‘connoisseur’ clientele of Monaco is very knowledgeable and appreciates fine dining, and I am eager to welcome back our faithful guests.
What is the USP of your restaurant?
The only thing I can reveal for now about my new gastronomic restaurant is that we’ll aim to offer an immersive experience for our guests. The kitchen has been thought out for clients to discover the ‘behind the scenes’ where you can admire the wine cellar, the pastry station and the chocolate factory. The highlight: you can sit at the counter, but by invitation only. From this spot, you will be able to watch the fabulous show offered by this unique view. It is these precious moments of exchange and conviviality that will make this a one-of-a-kind experience.
Photography courtesy of Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo unless otherwise stated.
