BEAUTY issue
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ONLINE content
ARBITERS
Questions for Stephen Knoll
A Girl's Best Friend
BON APPÉTIT
Questions for Nobu Matsuhisa
Questions for Tony Esnault
the new Le Cirque interview Iké Udé
BUSINESS OFF THE WALL
Questions for Nicholas Callaway
Questions for John Hunt
FASHION
Chinatown photography Norman Watson
Passions of Rihanna photography Iké Udé
KULTURE & ART CINEMA
Dominique Swain Lolita Has A Tattoo interview Brandon Judell
Jared Leto My Bashed-up Life On Screen interview Brandon Judell
Zoe Saldana No Regrets interview Brandon Judell
KULTURE & ART PHOTOGRAPHY
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders portraits backstage at Olympus Fashion Week interview Valerie Steele
Francesco Clemente Impermanence of The Self interview Johan Falkman
Roger Szmulewicz Looking at Pictures interview Parker Stephenson
aRUDE comment
beauty_issue_tesnault.php
ONLINE content
ARBITERS
Questions for Stephen Knoll
A Girl's Best Friend
BON APPÉTIT
Questions for Nobu Matsuhisa
Questions for Tony Esnault
the new Le Cirque interview Iké Udé
BUSINESS OFF THE WALL
Questions for Nicholas Callaway
Questions for John Hunt
FASHION
Chinatown photography Norman Watson
Passions of Rihanna photography Iké Udé
KULTURE & ART CINEMA
Dominique Swain Lolita Has A Tattoo interview Brandon Judell
Jared Leto My Bashed-up Life On Screen interview Brandon Judell
Zoe Saldana No Regrets interview Brandon Judell
KULTURE & ART PHOTOGRAPHY
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders portraits backstage at Olympus Fashion Week interview Valerie Steele
Francesco Clemente Impermanence of The Self interview Johan Falkman
Roger Szmulewicz Looking at Pictures interview Parker Stephenson
questions for TONY ESNAULT
Tony Esnault photography Mikael Vojinovic click image to enlarge Place of birth
Saumur, France, in the Loire Valley. Saumur is known as one of the most elegant towns in the Loire Valley. Coco Chanel was born in the same city.
Where are your current restaurants or rather, where do you work?
I am the Executive Chef at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House
What is the most exciting, receptive city for today's extraordinary chefs?
New York City, because the clientele is well traveled and extremely well educated when it comes to food - they expect to be on the cutting edge of cuisine. Also, there are so many extraordinary chefs in New York which makes it a competitive environment.
Would you ever steal a special recipe from another chef?
No, because every chef has their own personality and style. I would never take another chef's recipe because there is no creativity in that, however, everything that's old is new again. I often research and reinterpret old cookbooks and recipes which I feel evoke my personality and style.
If you could cook for anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Julia Child or Frank Bruni
Who, in your estimation, is the first veritable modern culinary equivalent of Coco Chanel?
My mentor Alain Ducasse. Alain Ducasse has always been ahead of his time and has influenced a generation of young chefs who have trained with him.
Using fashion as a social index, what is the range of designer labels that one finds in the coat-check on the average night?
We have such diverse customers from all over the world the labels could range from Armani to Chanel to Yves Saint Laurent.
Health and family
What was the single most shocking incident to take place in one of your restaurants?
A few years ago a gentleman had a heart attack during dinner. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and was fine. Since he was not able to enjoy his entire dinner we sent him exactly what he had ordered the next day.
How does eroticism feature in some of your dishes?
By the shape, color, texture, smell, and association of flavors.
What is the food equivalent of, say, a drug high?
Chocolate!!
Increasingly, it's becoming ever clear that national boundaries or identities no longer inform or define a chef's style. What are your thoughts on this?
I agree. We can see this especially in a city like New York where there are so many different cultures and people are really open to experience new cuisines. My French heritage certainly plays a part in my style but it does not define it. Living in America for the last 7 years has had a strong influence on my cooking.
To what extent is Escoffier important to the contemporary chef?
Escoffier is the base, the foundation. A contemporary chef will have an appreciation for Escoffier and learn from him and then go on to develop his own style.
Is Spain's Ferran Adria momentarily or finally displacing France's #1 position in culinary supremacy?
It's a media decision. Adria's type of cooking is something quite new and his technique is astounding, but it's more of a trend than anything.
Are you orthodox about natural, as opposed to synthesized, ingredients?
Everything has to be natural. I prefer to work with natural ingredients according to the seasons. I am not a fan of molecular cuisine. I will use a natural ingredient versus that ingredient in a synthesized form. For example, I prefer a tomato over a gene modified tomato.
What would be your last meal?
A traditional Sunday lunch like we have in France which starts with an aperitif and then ends with a digestive three hours later.
Tony Esnault photography Mikael Vojinovic click image to enlarge Place of birth
Saumur, France, in the Loire Valley. Saumur is known as one of the most elegant towns in the Loire Valley. Coco Chanel was born in the same city.
Where are your current restaurants or rather, where do you work?
I am the Executive Chef at Alain Ducasse at the Essex House
What is the most exciting, receptive city for today's extraordinary chefs?
New York City, because the clientele is well traveled and extremely well educated when it comes to food - they expect to be on the cutting edge of cuisine. Also, there are so many extraordinary chefs in New York which makes it a competitive environment.
Would you ever steal a special recipe from another chef?
No, because every chef has their own personality and style. I would never take another chef's recipe because there is no creativity in that, however, everything that's old is new again. I often research and reinterpret old cookbooks and recipes which I feel evoke my personality and style.
If you could cook for anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
Julia Child or Frank Bruni
Who, in your estimation, is the first veritable modern culinary equivalent of Coco Chanel?
My mentor Alain Ducasse. Alain Ducasse has always been ahead of his time and has influenced a generation of young chefs who have trained with him.
Using fashion as a social index, what is the range of designer labels that one finds in the coat-check on the average night?
We have such diverse customers from all over the world the labels could range from Armani to Chanel to Yves Saint Laurent.
A few years ago a gentleman had a heart attack during dinner...
since he was not able to enjoy his entire dinner we sent him exactly
what he had ordered the next day.
What do you prize the most that money cannot buy?
Health and family
What was the single most shocking incident to take place in one of your restaurants?
A few years ago a gentleman had a heart attack during dinner. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and was fine. Since he was not able to enjoy his entire dinner we sent him exactly what he had ordered the next day.
How does eroticism feature in some of your dishes?
By the shape, color, texture, smell, and association of flavors.
What is the food equivalent of, say, a drug high?
Chocolate!!
Increasingly, it's becoming ever clear that national boundaries or identities no longer inform or define a chef's style. What are your thoughts on this?
I agree. We can see this especially in a city like New York where there are so many different cultures and people are really open to experience new cuisines. My French heritage certainly plays a part in my style but it does not define it. Living in America for the last 7 years has had a strong influence on my cooking.
To what extent is Escoffier important to the contemporary chef?
Escoffier is the base, the foundation. A contemporary chef will have an appreciation for Escoffier and learn from him and then go on to develop his own style.
Is Spain's Ferran Adria momentarily or finally displacing France's #1 position in culinary supremacy?
It's a media decision. Adria's type of cooking is something quite new and his technique is astounding, but it's more of a trend than anything.
Are you orthodox about natural, as opposed to synthesized, ingredients?
Everything has to be natural. I prefer to work with natural ingredients according to the seasons. I am not a fan of molecular cuisine. I will use a natural ingredient versus that ingredient in a synthesized form. For example, I prefer a tomato over a gene modified tomato.
What would be your last meal?
A traditional Sunday lunch like we have in France which starts with an aperitif and then ends with a digestive three hours later.
