Shoot and Interview with Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr. is a master chef who sits quite comfortably at the helm of a 60 year old legacy. Since opening its doors in 1967, his Michelin starred restaurant Le Gavroche has championed proud tradition and devoted its cuisine to the principles of haute cuisine. In the face of the frenetic cycles of modern dining, the chef-restauranteur offers his opinion on celebrity, fast food and the invigorating influence of competition. Creative Direction and Interview by Lavinia Tan Photography by Jasper Clarke
Q: This phenomenon of novel plating is a fairly recent trend. You wouldn’t see it in restaurants in the sixties before the fine dining revolution.
MRJ: Back in the 60’s and 70’s, food wasn’t great in Britain. If you were to walk down a supermarket aisle you’d be astonished at the poor ingredients that were there- just the lack of ingredients. You wouldn’t be able to find olive oil. That’s just basic now isn’t it? Even with butter, there was only a couple of kinds. Now look at the dairy produce. You look at an aisle now with dairy and it just goes on forever.
Q: Did your upbringing have a hand in opening your eyes to the possibility that existed beyond the aisles of British supermarkets?
MRJ: I was very fortunate as a young child, we were surrounded by great ingredients. It wasn’t lavish food. It wasn’t expensive by any stretch of the imagination, but it was handmade and homemade. At my school, a lot of kids took packed lunches. Whilst most of them had sandwiches with marmite, a packet of crisps and a Mars bar, mine would have stinky camembert, some garlic sausages, and fresh fruit.
Read the full interview here
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