Meeting with chef Alice Arnoux

Every month, we meet someone we like whose life or work revolves around food, to share their tips for a fine art of living.

Welcome to Journal de Table!

Today, we introduce you to Alice Arnoux. A ‘flying’ chef, as she likes to say, Alice draws inspiration for her cooking from her travels. After working in the kitchens of Alexandre Couillon in Noirmoutier and Noma in Copenhagen, she has a special relationship with seafood and vegetables. She will soon be opening her own restaurant in Paris, and today she reveals her taste for the art of the table.

Tableware according to Alice

What inspired you to take up cooking?

My grandmother, the best cook I know. My family loves to eat. We love going to the market and eating together. I didn't feel like I was ‘starting out’ in the kitchen - I've always cooked. It was very natural to make it my profession and I've never doubted that vocation.

How do you see your cooking evolving? I feel that my cooking is becoming simpler. I used to love all these innovative techniques. I was passionate about great gastronomic cuisine. The little dots and the little flowers. Now I feel like I'm getting back to basics. I'm simplifying everything: cooking, dressing, seasoning.

How important is colour in your cooking and on your tables?

It's essential. I often think about my dishes in terms of the colour of the ingredients. I love making a plate that's all green or all yellow. It's fun for me. It sets limits to my creativity, which I find interesting. My mother was a painter and she taught us a lot about the importance of colour. I never dress all in black, I'm always in colour. It's a joy for me.

When you set the table, what object makes all the difference?

I attach a lot of importance to napkins, menu paper and tablecloths. That's what my customers' hands will be touching. It's a sense that I often emphasise on a table. It's important to me. The quality of the paper on the menu, the texture of the tablecloth. It can put people at ease, or not. What's your best travel find? A flat mortar, found in Indonesia. A utensil for grinding and mixing at the same time. I found it in a local market on the island of Sumba. It's made of moonstone. So much more practical than a traditional mortar and so much more beautiful.

What is your favourite Table piece?

I love the Flavigny Tablecloth. I really like the different materials combined throughout the table linen range. That's what I do in my kitchen. I combine different elements to try and create a harmonious whole.

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