Culinary Trend Setters
Chef Pierre Schaedelin
Chef Pierre Schaedelin
Though others lavish praise on Pierre Schaedelin’s culinary talent, he is graciously modest himself. France’s Alain Ducasse, the first chef ever to win six Michelin stars, speaks warmly of his former protégé, saying that Schaedelin is now considered “one of the most exciting, talented and innovative chefs on the international scene today.”
Indeed, Schaedelin has worked at some of the finest restaurants in Europe, England and the United States, including Le Louis XV in Monaco; Le Grill, Auberge de l’Ill and Fer Rouge in France; Monte’s in London and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
Yet he had landed an assignment at Le Cirque 2000 – perhaps the most prestigious culinary venue in the United States - - Schaedelin speaks unpretentiously about his role in Executive Chef Sottha Khunn’s kitchen: “He is the brain and I am the hand.”
Since joining the staff in February 1999 - 2005, Schaedelin began his day around 11 each morning with a round of phone calls to suppliers to see what fresh produce and meat, poultry and fish have come to market. Based on these seasonal availabilities, he composes a menu of daily specials and proposes his ideas to Chef Khunn.
Schaedelin’s approach is to create dishes that are light on seasoning and sauces, but are densely flavored. “Taste is the highest compliment people can pay,” he says. Technique is part of the secret behind the rich concentration of flavors he achieves. “If you boil vegetables with a little salt, some of their flavor goes away. One of the best ways to concentrate the flavor of the vegetables is to roast them in a little fresh olive oil, adding a touch of water or chicken stock to help them cook. If you reduce the same stock and use it in the dish, you concentrate the flavor.”
Precise attention to technique allows him to develop pleasing balances of taste. “it’s important to respect your ingredients, to cook the vegetables, meat or fish in a way that maximizes the flavor of every item. We stress the purity of their natural taste. We don’t season them highly. We don’t use cream. We use mostly olive oil – an once in a while, a little bit of butter, for the flavor it adds.”
His dishes reflect an exquisite balance of textures – soft and crunchy, light and dense, as well as an artful presentation on the plate. “To be very good, a dish must please the eyes and the nose, and must have interesting textures,” he says.
Schaedelin grew up in a family of three children in Alsace, near the French-German border. Young Pierre showed an early interest in cooking, and like to make cakes. As a child, he asked his grandmother to buy him a chef’s hat. His mother still keeps that tiny toque as a keepsake of her son’s ascent into the top echelon of the culinary world.
Alsace’s social life revolved around food, he explains. Inviting others for lunch or dinner and creating a wonderful meal was the way people connected to each other. Most people had a garden for ready supplies of salad greens, tomatoes, radishes, leeks and other vegetables. All the women of Alsace cooked. “There was no bakery in town. My mother, my grandmother and all my aunts cooked for their families. When I was growing up, the mothers were always at home. I learned from my mother the basic cooking skills, like organization – having things ready at the right time.”
His first mentor was Chef Paul Haeberlin of Auberge de l’Ill, who holds three Michelin Stars. Working under Haeberlin, Schaedelin refined his technique and learned to trust his own instincts about creating new dishes. HE also drew inspiration from Haeberlin, for whom cooking was one of life’s greatest callings.
Later, Schaedelin worked under Chef Alain Ducasse, first at the Michelin three-star restaurant in Monte Carlo, Le Louis XV, and later under Ducasse at Monte’s, a private club in London. Ducasse not only taught him more about technique, but also the business skills involved in operating a successful, premier restaurant.
Schaedelin finds working in the United States a great pleasure. In France, there can be a lot of competition in the kitchen. Here, people work together more. Also, I’ve gotten to try foods I had not worked with before, like fiddlehead ferns and pompano.”
For Schaedelin, the perfect dining experience is a blend of great food, atmosphere and comfort. “I don’t like stuffy places. I like to feel comfortable, at home. When I go out, I like to enjoy the décor – to see something different, eat something different and be treated well.”
Brief Info:
Question Time
Q = What advice would you give to someone who would love to
entertain at home but is too anxious in case something goes wrong
with the food.
A= Relax; take the phone and make a reservation in a
restaurant, preferably Le Cirque. Seriously, ask your friends for
advice. Do something simple and practice the weekend
before. Take the whole day off from work if you need to.
Q = what kind of behavior/ attitudes should a wanna be chef
expect when entering a professional kitchen for the first time?
A= don’t go in a professional kitchen with the idea that you
already know everything. Learn as much as possible. Make
sure you learn in every restaurant, good or bad. There is always
something that can be helpful for the rest of your career. Ask
your chef not to let you stay too long in each section. Move
around the kitchen; garde manger to hot appetizers, to fish, etc.
Show your interest. Don’t hesitate to ask advice to the chef or
sous chefs. Be on time and clean. Never be idle, always go
and ask lots of questions.
Q = In Europe and parts of U.S.A we have the ranking as set out:
E.g. kitchen assistant, commis chef, demi chef, chef de partie, sous
chef How long should a person expect to stay at each
station who would determine this & why?
A= I think you should start as a line cook. Then
go to chef to partie, then sous chef, and from there chef de
cuisine. It is crucial to go through these stages, because once
you are a chef you will know what you are talking about, and understand
the point of view at each level. Being a sous chef is extremely
important and will help you greatly during your career. As to how
long you should be in each level, it depends on the individual, you
will know yourself.
Q = is there really a significant difference between working in
a kitchen in Europe & U.S.A? In "your" opinion if someone is
serious in entering this profession which country would you recommend
they start from, for that "proverbial" kick up the back side to head
them in the right direction for the authentic taste for the “life of
how to become a “great” executive head chef .
A= There is automatically a difference from one country
to another, as well as one restaurant to another. Working in a
different country, preferably in Europe, can be extremely
eye-opening. The most important thing is working in a kitchen
where you feel comfortable, small or big, and a kitchen where you feel
that you can bring something to it, and mature. Working in a
kitchen is extremely stressful and demanding. Make sure you feel
comfortable with the chef as well, because this will be the person that
you work closely with and it’s better to have a good relationship with
them. This will allow you to flourish much easier.
Summary “Chef’s Life”
Being a chef is going to bring you tremendous pain and suffering, but the rewards that come out of it are tremendous as well. Please enjoy. Take care.
For the recipe of Baecka Offa by Chef Schaedelin please go to the Recipes section.