Rencontre : Georges Blanc, le pape de la gastronomie française

I was born during the war in Bourg-en-Bresse. I'm the head of the canton of the English department, which is a magnificent department. My parents were very busy with their activities and I didn't spend much time with them. I had a pension for 9 years, can you imagine? I was never there in the summer, I was in the middle of a holiday. So I managed on my own. I dreamed of aviation. Unfortunately, there was a medical visit to the lab which made me homeless because I was from Altenia. So I did another job. I went back to school in Altenia during the 20s. As soon as I arrived in the kitchen here and we were able to climb the ladders, I really enjoyed it a lot. And my life, of course, took on a new dimension. At 81, Georges Blanc is simply one of the greatest chefs of all time. Among the 145 triple-starred chefs in the world, Georges Blanc is the only one to have kept his three stars for 44 years. A feat recognized by the whole profession. Georges Blanc reminds me of the poultry of Brest. It reminds me of the generous cuisine, the cream cuisine. It's a very classic cuisine, very well done. There is a lot of work and tradition in it. He is the pope of gastronomy in France. So yes, he is one of the most beautiful references to this day. I think he is someone who is serious in his commitment. I cultivate a certain discretion. I think it's a great opportunity to be able to do a job that fascinates you. To discover over time, over the seasons, with the greatest products. It's a bit of the basis of the great cuisine today. Above all, I take great pleasure in it, because doing your job is a pleasure, it's being able to embellish your future. And the future smiles on the bold. In 50 years, Georges Blanc has built a real empire, an ideal city, rhythmed by the seasons. From an establishment with 10 employees, Georges Blanc has developed a village of 6 hectares and now reigns over a group of 8 restaurants, 5 hotels, a vineyard, and he employs 350 employees. We created our own village within the existing village, simply to protect our environment and bring together on a harmonious site all those who are there, waiting for an exceptional moment, which is a bit of the art of living. And it is here, in the family fiefdom of Vaunasse, in Lens, that this incredible story began. In 1872, his great-grandfather set up a lemonade shop on the village square. In 1902, his grandmother, Elisa Blanc, transformed the establishment into a restaurant and became the first woman in the world to pick up a star in 1929, then a second, two years later. That's me on my grandmother's knees, Elisa, who lived in the little house here. That's my parents, my mother in the oven. In 1934, Georges Blanc's parents inherited the family business and passed it on to their son, who won a third star in 1981. My father decided before the arrival of the third star. He trusted me from the beginning, I took over the rest, ensuring all loans. I would have been happy to see the result, the change and everything we've done since. It's incredible, it touches me. The chef then buys every house and shop in the village. But the beating heart of Georges Blanc's success is this famous three-star restaurant which houses a prestigious wine cellar. There are about 130,000 bottles here, with 10,000 different labels. There are wines that are over 150 years old. And three kitchens, in which dozens of employees sorted on the fly work to maintain the excellence of French gastronomy. Between May and May, Mr Alatruf opens a show of elegant and refined dishes designed by Mr Blanc. To be honest, I'm no longer an instrumentalist, I'm actually the conductor and composer of the music. Ladies and gentlemen, hello. I'm here all the time to monitor what's going on, to keep a little time, to make sure that the quality is up to what people expect when they come to me. How are you? And the chef comes to do a surprise inspection. Do you have something to present? Yes, of course. But you take me by surprise. To test the last three-star dessert of Gabrielle Le Courang's summer menu, best French pastry worker in 2023. Do you have little chocolate arabesques? Yes, please. The lemon confit? Yes, lemon confit. It's precision. As usual, I risk more. You always have to go back and try again. Adjust. Especially the taste. Is it intransigent? Well, of course. It's his house, it's his baby. So, chef, we're on a chocolate dessert in which we added a croustillon with amaranth, white chocolate cream, and a toasted vanilla ice cream and the milo chocolate sauce, seasoned with smoked whiskey, with archaic algae. Bonne dégustation. Suspended at the chef's first bite, the pressure rises for Gabrielle. I think it's beautiful and good at the same time. Well done. It's very tasty. Thank you. Honestly. Yes, I'm happy. This one, I'm happy. It's rare. Gabrielle, seriously. Thank you. You didn't choose it for nothing. Thank you, Gabrielle. See you later. With pleasure. Have a good day. I think that today, the level we've reached, has never been reached before. Hello, gentlemen, how are you? It's an investment. To have a large team, to be able to produce. There is a team that plays completely. There is no team without a team. And the team may not exist without me. Although the team has been renewed over the years, the centennial know-how of the Blanc family, turned to excellence and respect for the seasons, has always attracted celebrities from all over the world. All these characters came through here. I have a story about each one of them. Tom Cruise made his journey here, with Nicole Kidman, who stayed for a week. It was very simple. I made him discover Beaujolais, with a pastry in Beaujolais. And Michel Deha, who had come, who had given me the recipe for his mother's chocolate cake, who was Austrian. There are a lot of celebrities, but there are also modest people, that no one knows, with whom I have incredible memories. The menu of the gastronomic restaurant remains inaccessible, but in his other establishments, they are much more accessible. But beyond sharing an emotion with his customers, Georges Blanc will also have to pass on the reigns of his empire to one of his three children. And yet the oldest star of France does not seem to be willing to organize his succession. I did not think of stopping. I think I would naturally stop when I would no longer have the strength. The time has not come yet. I still have projects for several years. I try to be the best worker on site when people come to me here, in this wonderful village that has been transformed. And that's it, it's great. I am a happy man, frankly.