“I make sure to pass this taste of good on to my four children”

Maturity and loyalty

“My restaurant Yam'Tcha is 15 years old, so I have devoted a third of my life to it… That's a lot! During this period, my personal life changed, but not my cooking: I remain faithful to Franco-Cantonese flavors. Over time, I have nevertheless gained in maturity, I have freed myself from many complexes. If I have an idea, today I ask myself fewer questions to implement it, and building the menu takes less time. And I have easier access to excellent suppliers. Finally, the team around me is also more precise and more diligent in their work. And above all we must not forget our customers, who follow us and to whom we are very attached. This makes us very happy.”

Passion and quality

“I wasn’t destined for cooking even though, ever since I was little, I loved cooking. I didn't think about it, it wasn't one of the options. After my baccalaureate, I naturally went to college. I chose to specialize in German, and it was in Germany, while I was preparing my DEUG (old diploma equivalent to a bac + 2, Editor's note), that it clicked. I worked in a restaurant to earn some money and I developed a passion for this profession. I was there every night, we did simple things, but it pushed me over the edge. When I returned to Dijon to finish my studies, boredom invaded me. So, I stopped everything to enter the Ferrandi school in Paris, and my parents were very supportive. Then, I had the chance to work with Pascal Barbot: alongside him, my palette of flavors expanded and my demands, particularly on the quality of the products, increased.”

Bao and bouillabaisse

“At Yam'Tcha, the menu changes all the time because it is the products we receive that dictate the dishes. However, I play and maneuver with a range of techniques (like Cantonese cooking) and with products that are linked to the identity of our cuisine: these are benchmarks for our customers. Of course, there are a few dishes we get asked for, like the stilton bao. We serve it at Yam'Tcha, but it is prepared in our neighboring shop (we also have a third address, the Lai'Tcha bistro) because that's where we make it best! This summer, with the Olympics, the store was closed and we did not offer this bao. THE dumpling (a ravioli) which replaced it was appreciated, but people were still a little disappointed! The Yam'Tcha version of the bouillabaisse, revisited in a Chinese spirit with octopus, potatoes and okra, is also a classic. And the sorrel-orgeat sorbet soup regularly returns to the dessert menu, because it is enchanting.”

Eating well and family

“What I am, I owe to my parents. They always made sure that we ate quality products from our village, Barges, in Burgundy, where they have a garden to grow vegetables. When my sister and I go to see them, we look forward to eating. For us, my mother cooks, for example, onion soup with onions from my father's vegetable garden – it wouldn't occur to them to add curry to it like I can! –, a coq au vin jaune because my father is from Jura… My culture of eating well also comes from my great-grandmother with whom we had lunch on Sundays and who prepared everything we liked: ham with cream, of the hunter rabbit… This taste for good things, I make sure to pass it on to my four children. On Sundays, for example, when we get together, I concoct simple but creative dishes, like the recipes I imagined for Madame Figaro. And always from exceptional ingredients. This requirement is also valid for my team: I consider that the meal is unifying and that it deserves to be of quality. For a long time, I was the one who prepared it. This represents nine meals per week for 15 to 20 people. I have less time today, so I delegate a few, but I continue to happily do them two or three times a week.”

Osmanthus flower and soy sauce

“I go to China much less often than before. Covid slowed down my travels. Chi-Wah Chan, my former partner and father of three of my children with whom I started the Yam'Tcha adventure, still goes there regularly. Obviously, he comes back with luggage full of products, such as dried seafood that is difficult to find in France, mushrooms, Osmanthus flowers… It's great! That said, I see that things are no longer the same as they were fifteen years ago. I find here, for example, much better soy sauces or wonderful spices, notably at Saveurs du Cachemire.”

The past and the future

“When the documentary about my work was broadcast in 2016 on Netflix, I was extremely in demand for all kinds of collaborations. I closed the door to these proposals, and told the team that everything would continue as before. Today, however, I have new desires. I would like to have a small hotel in the countryside with a bistro, a courtyard for drying linen sheets so that they smell fresh and a beautiful plot of land for growing vegetables, raising chickens… Adjoining, there would also be, undoubtedly, a sort of speakeasy confidential, to continue taking on gastronomic challenges! »

Yam'Tcha, 121, rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris. yamtcha.com