The Forbes Travel Guide Award of Excellence by Baccarat is a lifetime achievement award that celebrates individuals who have made a significant economic or social impact through their careers. Forbes Travel Guide announces the Award of Excellence annually at The Summit, the premier gathering where travel and luxury meet, to honor visionary leaders in hospitality. Forbes interviewed with Ducasse in Monaco, not far from where he made a name for himself at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo’s Louis XV, before he was honored with the award.
Alain Ducasse, expressed his thoughts about winning the Forbes Travel Guide Award of Excellence by Baccarat, especially in his home of Monaco as follows:
“I feel very honored because I am deeply rooted in excellence, and it all started here in Monaco at Louis XV. So, of course, that’s a great recognition. It all started here, thanks to the principality of Monaco, Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer and the princely family. And it continues to be the center of excellence among all of my restaurants.”
Considering his most significant contribution to gastronomy as transmission of knowledge, the transmission of savoir faire, of know-how, he also touched on how he balances maintaining the traditions of French cuisine with the innovation that is necessary to stay relevant.
Ducasse said that first of all it is necessary to master the basics of French cousin and continued his words as follows: “You have to master it by heart, the DNA of French cuisine. It’s a combination of tradition and evolution. We add our contemporary touch to this base of French cuisine. And that’s how, for example, we’ve been developing recipes and being more sustainable with less fat, less sugar, less salt. That’s who we are. We move on.”
Ducasse, who stated that he finds inspiration for new dishes in continuity, also said the following about his recently published book DNA: “The recipe book called DNA tells the story of three of my chefs who have the same background. They all have been trained in the Ducasse cuisines in Monaco. Those three chefs are Jean-Philippe [Blondet], heading the Alain Ducasse in The Dorchester in London; Emmanuel [Pilon] is heading Louis XV Alain Ducasse here; and Amaury [Bouhours] is heading Le Meurice Alain Ducasse in Paris. Despite the common knowledge, they are delivering three completely different cuisines. The book tells their story, what they are aiming to do and what they are doing in the restaurant.”
Describing the most valuable lesson he has learned in his career as always keeping being curious, Ducasse continued his words as follows: “We need to be more adventurous, bring more innovation and try to think the same way our customers are thinking, to always astonish them and seduce them.”
Having mentored so many great chefs, Ducasse, underlined that he looks for the quality of passion in a promising chef. Finally Ducasse answered the question “What would you want for your final meal?” as follows: “Being on the Mediterranean seaside with some local fruits and a red snapper that would have just been fished by the local fisherman. No seasoning, no oil, nothing. Just grilled with the skin on and I would eat everything. That would be perfect.”
