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At the helm of the Hermitage
2011-05-03 12:20
Joël Garault’s aunt was a family cook, so it was perhaps no surprise that Joêl chose to become a chef. Today, some 40 years later, he is in charge of the Hermitage Vistamar kitchens and the inspiration for all chefs of tomorrow. The passion and enthusiasm with which he shares his considerable skills have not gone unrecognised: a classroom bearing his name has just been inaugurated – at a celebrity dinner, naturally – at the Paul Valéry high school in Menton.
“The major stages have been marked by a tour de France that led me from Paris to Courcheval, La Baule, Limoges Gien, Montargis, Les Sables d’Olonnes, Fréjus and finally to Cannes, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Monte-Carlo,” says the Vistamar chef, recalling his exceptional career trajectory.
After an apprenticeship at Tours, and still only 18, Joël became Chef at another Hotel Hermitage… in La Baule - a precursor of things to come! In 1998, he was named Chef at the Hermitage Hotel in Monaco, and was ‘starred’ in the Michelin Guide in 2000.
His awards are as numerous as the functions undertaken: Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, Président de L’A.P.C.M. (Association pour la Promotion du Citron du Menton), Surveillant Epreuve Régionale des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France – to name only a few.
With the growth of his reputation, it was natural for Chef Garault to take on board the training of young apprentices, to communicate the realities, requirements and continual questions thrown up by the profession. “It is a duty to train the young, to impart knowledge, know-how and savoir-faire..”
Chef Garault’s signature spells both tradition and creativity. The gastronomy of tomorrow is his focus today: he is concerned that quality has given way to quantity and training hasn’t been adapted to the new reality. “The only glimmer of hope lies in the unbridled creativity of young people who dare to do things that may even seem a little absurd, but at least they try.”
In the Vistamar kitchens, creativity is inspired by the seasons, the dishes enriched with subtle flavours, like the current menu’s offering, 'déclinaison culinaire autour de la langouste' (seasonal variations on a lobster theme):
rock lobster (220g) in rocket salad on a bed of finely-sliced beef tomatoes, mange-touts and passion fruit espuma, or
on a bed of finely-diced mango, with melon vinaigrette, or
grilled over wood charcoal embers, with corail butter lightly dabbed with mustard, or
with finely-sliced courgettes served with a generous portion of summer truffles, or
with white coconut fricassée sprinkled with foie gras and summer girolles, or
with a turban of tagliatelle dressed with lobster puree, or
sautéed in a wok with soya, shiitaké mushrooms and wasabi mousseux, or...
with whatever your pleasure: the Chef is quite happy to adapt the menu to diners' tastes!
Click here for details and directions