Awarded ten Michelin stars to date, including three for her flagship restaurant in Valence (France), Anne-Sophie Pic symbolizes style, precision and finesse, just like her “Imprégnation” menu, which seems to suspend the march of time in order to crystallize its flavors in our palate’s subconscious.
Chef, thank you for hosting us in your 2* Anne-Sophie Pic restaurant at the superb Beau-Rivage Palace Lausanne. What does a typical day look like for the world's most decorated female chef?
I’m flattered by your visit and happy to report no two days are alike. I have just spent a day with my Chef from Singapore who came to Valence so that we could work together on the next dishes for the Dame de Pic restaurant. From 9 am onwards we share ideas, because above and beyond the importance of produce, local suppliers, execution, precision and style, I see the human side of this profession as one of the most important parameters. We build things together, like a development division driven by an ability to adapt to terroirs, tastes and flavors, while preserving my DNA. The hours rush past and by around 11 am, the creations are born one by one. It is all about exchanges and coherence, while also trying to tame time, the rarest ingredient in our profession. The choices are made with sincerity, honesty and trust. This is also the secret of my success. I naturally also take time to visit all the restaurants that bear my name and am in almost daily contact with all my teams, in addition to visits from my Chefs. Here, the splendid Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne is my home set between lake and mountains. It is a source of both pride pleasure. I have to admit that I try to take time to exercise twice a week despite my busy schedule – the aim being as the saying goes to cultivate "a healthy mind in a healthy body.”
Do you remember your first watch?
Yes, it represents a moving memory as it was a gift from my dad for my 20th birthday: a Cartier Tank watch that has a special place in my heart. Elegant, classic, easy, timeless. Aren’t watches the silent witnesses of important memories in our lives? This one definitely is!
Are you an ambassador for Hublot? How did partnership come about?
When driving along the highway to the Beau-Rivage Palace, I had regularly seen the Manufacture for more than a decade and that aroused my curiosity. I had a chance to visit it and was immediately won over by the precision, innovation and research that are also part of my daily life. I have two Hublot watches: a white rubber strap model that accompanies me in my daily work and is unostentatious, practical, light, modern and feminine. The second, with its black strap, is my evening dress watch – again, an elegant and discreet aesthetic marvel. With Hublot, there are strong ties of creativity, values and technicality, an obvious symbiosis of our respective worlds.
As a WorldTempus reader, we are delighted to offer you the latest digital version of this GMT magazine that you can download here.
