Chef Jean Imbert On St. Barth, Serving Meat, And The Role Of Social Media - Forbes
The 40-year-old who unseated Alain Ducasse at one of the most prestigious restaurants in Paris challenged industry norms. Now, he's making waves in the French Caribbean, too.
It's an interesting time to interview Jean Imbert. Without a Michelin star to his name, the self-described sailor from the shores of Brittany, France, with a rakish smile and boyish charm has managed to convince the upper echelons of hospitality (including Dorchester Collection and LVMH, the largest luxury conglomerate in the world) to make him the face of their flagship restaurants. That now includes Le Plaza Athénée in Paris on Avenue Montaigne, arguably the center of the gastronomic universe.
Wait, what? How does a tv chef — winner of the French edition of "Top Chef" 2012 — beat an A-list roster of three star chefs for the food world's top job in the kitchen of Alain Ducasse, culinary legend with 21 Michelin stars and personal chef to French Presidents?
Well, for one thing, Imbert is more than a TV chef. As a student, he trained at L'institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, which is in itself a trial by fire. At 22 years old, he opened his first restaurant L'Acajou in Paris, which he eventually reinvented as the beloved kitchen Mamie, a personal, intimate homage to his grandmother's home cooking, which closed after she passed away last winter. After winning "Top Chef," he also opened two ventures with musician Pharrell Williams: Swan in Miami, and To Share in Saint-Tropez.
That says a lot. TV is a powerful career catalyst, and 24-hour food programming foments the kind of fame that can be parlayed into brand partnerships. If you can launch a restaurant with Pharell Williams and secure Dior as your next restaurant partner (news Imbert confirms), that's now about as valuable to a hotel conglomerate as any glory Michelin can confer.
Still, Le Plaza didn't just happen out of nowhere. Roughly two years ago, when LVMH owner Bernard Arnault signed Jean Imbert to Cheval Blanc hotel in St. Barthélemy, it marked a key shift in Imbert's career — from star chef to blue-chip brand ambassador.
La Case restaurant at Cheval Blanc St. Barth Isle de France hotel, owned by LVMH.
If you've visited the tiny Caribbean island since its recovery from Hurricane Irma, you know it's a billionaire's playground. Since the onset of Covid, its beautiful beaches and sophisticated outdoor venues made it the 'it' place for the so-called "Masters of the Universe" to take off their masks, throw parties, and race super yachts. In the world of high-end hotels and gastronomy, St. Barth is now officially important. So, we asked Imbert about it. Here, an excerpt from the conversation:
Let's talk about the St. Barth hotel restaurant scene, where the standards are high. It's crazy competitive, no?
Imbert: It is competitive. When I arrived it was already very competitive, but in the past two years a lot of famous chefs from France and other countries have arrived. You know, I love that. I think there is space for a lot of good chefs and I'm happy they are coming to the scene and I love to go see them.
Where do you like to eat?
I'm of course happy to go to Jean-Georges at Eden Rock and take a pizza at lunch, he's my friend. And I'm happy that Arnaud Faye from La Chevre D'or opened Rivyera. I'm way more like an American guy like that. In France, the position of chefs is more complicated. But in New York, chefs like Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges, and Eric Ripert are all in it together, and seem happy if somebody else has success. It's good.
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Is your relationship with St. Barth purely professional? Or is it personal?
It's personal because I know the people who work there, but to be honest I've never been to St. Barth before Cheval Blanc. The hotel GM, she's from Brittany like me. So we have a lot in common. Also the chef I brought with me has been a friend for 20 years. I know sometimes in business it's not the best, but I love that my team are my friends. I feel that when I am in St. Barth.
What is it about people from Brittany? There are so many ambitious Bretons running businesses in St. Barth now.
I don't know if we want to conquer the world. It's more like from the beginning we were sailors, so we want to discover the world. You know, it's like a community. I think we understand each other…. Growing up, I fished almost every day in the summer. If you make me choose only three products, they will come from the sea, except tomatoes which I love, and citrus (laughs). So, it's a good fit for me in St. Barth, where 90 percent of the menus are seafood.
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Describe your menu at La Case
It's about finding the DNA of the Caribbean. Three years ago, when LVMH first asked me to think about it, I said: Okay, what is La Case? It's an island in the Caribbean, so what is the DNA of the place? Let's work on that. I don't want to put the same restaurant in St. Tropez, or Paris, or elsewhere. It has to feel authentic to the place, and that is the beginning of my work. Then, it's about the products. In St. Barth, it's very hard to get products from the island, but we source herbs from a local gardener and of course the local fisheries.
Chef Jean Imbert's salt crusted fish, served oceanside at La Case, the open-air restaurant at Cheval ... [+]
Which dishes best reflect that?
The dish I like the most is the sea bass in a salt crust. We have avocado you cut on the table, with fresh herbs inside. What is fun also, we have a sous chef called Leo who loves to make homemade pasta with red pepper from the island, and we grill this with fresh lobster and some other herbs, all together on a bread crust. I'm very happy with this dish.
Lobster grilled directly on the table at La Case, Cheval Blanc St. Barth
At Plaza Athénée, every move is under a magnifying glass and it's very formal. When you go to St. Barth, is La Case an escape for you?
Yes and no. I love the movement and change. But, mostly, I need to see my team. They love to feel that you are concerned, and I love to be with them. But normally, when I go to St. Barth, I don't get a minute out of the hotel. I'm running breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But in Paris, when I come outside I have Avenue Montaigne next to the Eiffel Tower, so it's cool also.
Pas mal (laugh). Okay, hotels vs. standalone restaurants: How does your approach change?
It's different because you have expectations from the boss of the hotel. But a restaurant is a restaurant, whether it's inside a hotel or not. I think too many hotels were just thinking of guests with rooms. But they need to be open minded, and aware that they are just a restaurant. Even at Plaza Athénee and Cheval Blanc, that is how we treat my places.
Le Monde calls your position at Le Plaza a "revolution" in the culinary scene. Is that right?
I don't know. You know LVMH chose me for St. Barths without a star, even though competitors against me had three stars. So, I don't know if it's a revolution. But when you choose a designer; you don't choose them for a star. You choose them because you feel they are good for the job. Should I have a star? This is a question I never ask myself. It's the wrong mentality. I prefer to follow my heart. I feel more in line with myself like that.
Your menu at Le Plaza is a return to the grand classic French dishes of the past.
Yes, and it's perfect for Plaza Athénée. There are only one or two places in the world where you can do that. For me, it's Paris. It's Avenue Montaigne. To do an old style French restaurant is very important for me. In every city in the world, you find tradition. When you go to Japan, and you want the best sushi place, it's the same style for 100 years. The same rice, the same sauce, the same style. And it's going to be the same in 100 years… French cuisine is the most famous in the world. It's been there for so long that I'm inspired to serve that history.
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The meat controversy. You're bringing meat back to Plaza Athénée. How do you feel about that?
There are two ways to think about it. One way, you do good things, one way, you do bad things. It's not because meat is bad and vegetables are good. If, right now in the winter in Paris I serve raspberries and tomatoes coming from the worst ground in Europe, and fly it here, [the dish] is vegan, sure, but it's bad for the earth. Or, if I'm taking the best chickens in Brest from a farmer with only 50 chickens in a huge ground, it's not bad for us. I think it's more marketing to say that [meat is bad]. I think the question is: do good, or do bad. It's not meat versus vegetables for me.
Are restaurants the new clubs?
It's always been that way. Now Instagram exists, but [the club aspect] has existed since the beginning of restaurants. In Le Plaza, Marlene Dietrich, actor Jean Gabin, Christian Dior, Yves St. Laurent, I have a seating plan showing each table where they sat 50 years before me. For me, the social club has more of an impact now because of social media. You can share it.
The restaurant Le Sereno Al Mare in St. Barth is run by Executive Chef Raffaele Lenzi.
I think your restaurant Mamie struck a personal chord with people. It was so intimate and comforting. Is that a theme for you?
It has to be personal. Food is very sensitive. It's a part of you. It's close to love. I feel more comfortable when I put a part of myself in each project, and I'm very involved in authenticity.
Are you at your limit? Or are there ambitions for a restaurant empire?
I don't have any goal. My goal is to continue to have fun and be happy. I never ask myself, What is my next goal? Because if you do this, it's organized. I don't want to be organized about it. I want to see what life brings to me. You know, one year ago, Plaza Athénée didn't even exist for me. But I follow my dreams, and Plaza was a dream, to be honest. I feel confident that if you are nice with people, things you really want can happen... So, I don't have any goal, but I want to do my best and continue what I started.
Are you opening your next restaurant in Paris with Dior?
We are going to work together, yes. But I can't offer details...
The Dior pop-up shop at Cheval Blanc hotel, St. Barth.
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