In Valentine Guénin's kitchen
The Atma team spent a day in the kitchen with Chef Valentine Guenin. Discovered as an Executive Chef at Fulgurance L'entrepôt, she is now a traveling chef and involved in numerous culinary projects.
Together, we concocted three of her signature recipes, which you'll discover very soon on our blog. Valentine has had cooking in her blood since she was little; everything at her house is original, spontaneous, and very precise. Trained with great chefs, she creates dishes that suit her style, always with the aim of pleasing and delighting our taste buds.
Discover plenty of technical tips in her recipes that you can use to your heart's content!
Hi Valentine, can you introduce yourself?
My name is Valentine Guenin. I studied cooking in Nantes and discovered a love of produce and signature cuisine alongside Dominic Quirke at Pickles.
Can you tell us in a few words where your passion for cooking comes from?
I come from a single-parent family. My mother needed help, and little by little, I slipped into the kitchen to help her, but more importantly, to do us some good. As a child, I loved making cheese soufflés and gougères.
Tell us about your inspirations. What stimulates your creativity in the kitchen / makes you want to get busy behind the stove?
First, the product. I need to visualize the ingredients before thinking about a dish, not the other way around. If I am in a restaurant with a team, it is the desire to create dishes that suit us, that make us proud, to seek to achieve things that we do not necessarily master at the beginning and in the end, through reflection and perseverance, to do them naturally. If I'm hosting a private chef event, I really want to please my guests, to give them an exceptional experience they won't forget.
Your biggest failure in the kitchen, can you tell us about it?
Oh yeah, it was 5 years ago. I was trying out for a restaurant to be a lunch chef, nothing was going right. I was a complete chicken and I made a disgusting blanquette. I was as upset as a louse. Bottom line, I was accepted, but my colleagues from back then still make fun of me today 🥴
Do you Do you have any secret cooking tips to share with our community?
Oh, but I don't have any secrets. I'd simply say that for a pearly white fish fillet, you should add 1% of the weight of the fillet, flesh side down (always keep the skin on). Take the fillet out of the pan at room temperature before browning it in a very hot pan appropriate for its size. If the pan is too large, the oil will smoke, and if it's too small, I'll let you guess. You should also weigh the fish down at the beginning of cooking so that the skin doesn't shrink and is nicely browned and crispy. When you're two-thirds done cooking, turn off the heat and wait until it starts to turn pearly without touching the meat.
Can you tell us about the importance of choosing the right utensils in the kitchen?
It makes life so much sweeter to be well-equipped. Take the knife, for example. What a joy it is to chop shallots or herbs with a sharp knife. Conversely, when you work with the equivalent of a butter knife, everything becomes painful and dangerous; your body gets tired, and so does your mind.
What is your fondest or most moving dining memory?
At a fine dining establishment: La Grenouillère at Mr. Alexandre Gauthier's. At the top of the table, by the guy's heart and madness: L'antre in Bidart, which unfortunately closed, but I love you, Luke Dolphin!
It makes life so much sweeter to be well-equipped. Take the knife, for example. What a joy to chop shallots or herbs with a sharp knife.
Do you have any favorite places to share with us (restaurants, grocery stores, shops, etc.)?
Current favorite restaurant: Soces! There are many grocery stores, and I'm not very loyal. I'll only mention Satio in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Otherwise, my favorite wineries: Ici Même in the 11th arrondissement / Substrats in the 19th arrondissement / Crus et découvertes in the 11th arrondissement.
Can you tell us about your upcoming projects or future plans?
I can only talk about one of them: the opening of a friend's restaurant in St Gervais-sur-Mar in the Hérault department. I'll be there in the spring! Come one, come all!
Is this Are there any products you particularly love working with? A favorite season?
I love fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. I think a lot about becoming a vegetarian, and that's why I'm faltering... Otherwise, I have a pretty clear passion for vegetables. I don't have a favorite season for produce; I invite you to read Nagori by Ryoko Sekiguchi.
As a professional chef, do you enjoy cooking as much when you're at home with your family?
It's obvious, even though I love dining out to discover the Parisian gems that are popping up everywhere. Cooking with family or friends is also a way to get together, disconnect, and share memories. Evenings generally begin in the kitchen, and often end there. That's what I like about it: it's a place of life and rich experiences.
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