Chef Alan Taudon and his journey into "green cuisine"

In the warm and elegant culinary setting of Passion Week 2022, it wasn't uncommon to see French chef Alan Taudon chatting with diners after they had enjoyed the unique culinary journey he presented. In an exclusive interview with Travellive, Alan Taudon shared with us his journey of creating flavors and his distinctive culinary personality as a true culinary artist.

Beginning his career in Paris, Alan Taudon has consistently made his mark on the world culinary map. In the capital of French gastronomy, he has held key positions at prestigious three-star restaurants such as Le Meurice, Pavillon Ledoyen, and Le Cinq. And in 2018, at just 39 years old, Alan Taudon joined L'Orangerie at the renowned Four Seasons George V hotel as Executive Chef.

If a gourmet dish is likened to a symphony, then the head chef is the composer and conductor, responsible for creating the concept, selecting ingredients, and overseeing the entire cooking process from start to finish. Executive chef, or Chef de cuisine, is the highest position a chef can reach. To become an executive chef, one must have at least 10 years of training and progress through two levels: professional chef and sous chef or supervisor. After 3 years of professional training and 7 years working as a sous chef or supervisor, the chef can then be recognized as an executive chef.

Love begins at family meals.

With his experience and unique perspective, Alan Taudon has created a healthy cooking method. He selects dishes with rich flavors and distinctive aromas to offer diners a balanced and unique culinary journey. With his distinctive culinary vision, within just one year, Alan Taudon received a 2019 Gault & Millau nomination in the “Great of Tomorrow” category for chefs leading the way in future trends.

When recounting the beginning of his journey, Alan Taudon said that his love for food came very naturally. Alan wasn't from a culinary family; his first memories of flavors came from the dishes his mother and grandmother made with ingredients from the farm in Limoges, France, where Alan Taudon grew up.

"I was born into a family that loved good food. When I was little, we often held large family meals at my grandmother's house in Chaptelat, France. I was happy to enjoy the food my mother cooked; when my mother and grandmother cooked so well, I almost didn't want to touch the food. But when I felt the joy in cooking and sharing, I also wanted those who ate the food I cooked to be happy," Alan happily recalled.

Dreaming of a kitchen that can travel.

Alan's endless source of inspiration always comes from his travels, he says: "I'm quite open-minded and inspired by all kinds of cuisines around the world. On each trip, I take the time to explore new flavors in street food and try to create an interesting combination with my own French culinary culture."

Going beyond the confines of classic cooking methods, Alan Taudon dreams of a kitchen that "travels." With a philosophy of not tying his cuisine to any particular country or region, he always strives to combine the distinctive flavors of each place he has visited. In his kitchen, flavors from Asia, Central America, Latin America, and the Scandinavian peninsula of Northern Europe are all researched by Alan and his team to create unique culinary experiences.

On top of those deep plates, you might find Norwegian red prawns paired with rice water and the sourness of Japanese mandarins, or the famous German gnocchi pasta served with red snapper and tomatoes; or wagyu beef prepared with red apples and seaweed, a wonderful discovery in both cooking method and flavor.

Upon arriving in Vietnam, Alan immediately fell in love with the flavors of beef noodle soup and grilled pork noodle soup, due to the similarities between Vietnamese cuisine and his own culinary philosophy. Alan found a light, low-fat experience where vegetables became the soul of the broth. However, for a tropical country, maintaining the freshness of the ingredients and preserving the full flavor of each dish was a challenge for him.

But challenges also present opportunities. With years of experience leading Research and Development at the three-star restaurant Le Cinq, Alan Taudon constantly challenged himself by shifting from traditional cuisine with butter and meat to a new, lighter, and more elegant style with seafood and vegetables as the main ingredients. He focused on the often-overlooked sauces on the table. The skillful blending of flavors and textures transformed ingredients that were once merely supporting or decorative elements into the main characters of the dish.

From decorative ingredients to the star of fine cuisine

With Alan Taudon's meticulous attention to detail and passion for food, he has discovered bold cooking methods that create sharp and vibrant clashes, contrasting sharply with the nature of vegetables in each dish. But at the end of the journey, diners will discover a delicate, feminine touch hidden within incredibly modern, flirtatious, and undeniably crazy flavors that, once tasted, will be hard to resist a second time.

When it comes to vegetables and fruits, Alan Taudon has opened up a new perspective on the journey of "green cuisine." He doesn't just view plants as secondary ingredients; the way Alan treats their life cycle is also a way he shows respect for nature.

"We can use everything from plants. The husks of beans or fruits will be used to make juice, soups, stews, or braised dishes. As for coffee grounds, they are collected by an organic farming company to grow oyster mushrooms, and then we buy those mushrooms back from them."

Alan saw within their closed lifecycles a nurturing and sharing spirit, much like the early culinary concepts his family had taught him. Beyond preserving the artistic aspects of sophisticated French dining culture, Alan Taudon aimed for a complete blend of material and spiritual. With such a simple idea, he breathed new life into the trend of sustainable culinary experiences.

*We sincerely thank Park Hyatt Saigon for their support.

L'Orangerie restaurant is located in the Four Seasons George V hotel.

Address: 31 George V Avenue, Paris, France

Yen Nhi