They kept rabbits, among other animals. The fur would be sold. The rest was chopped and braised with white wine and mustard to make a sumptuous “lapin à la moutarde”.
“Nothing would be left,” Raymond says. “The first thing my maman taught me was, ‘Raymond, you shall waste not’.” During strawberry season, their house was filled with the comforting aromas of intense, syrupy, well-drained strawberries. Making jam became a cottage industry, with maman making about 10 litres at a time.
“She taught me to understand where our food came from, which became the foundation of my cuisine,” he says. “She taught me to embrace the seasons.”
He named his first restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (the house of the four seasons) with that ethos in mind. Homegrown, locally and ethically sourced ingredients have always been at the heart of his cooking. At Brasserie Blanc – the French restaurant group he founded – all staff, regardless of their role, are now taught how to reduce food waste in their own homes.
Dining and Cooking