A Michelin star is the ultimate reward for a chef. But, the weeks and months following the awarding of the prestigious badge, what does that change for the cooks? Products, recruitment, pressure… 20 minutes questioned the starred Hérault on the consequences of the distinction on their work.
To win the star, the chefs obviously pay particular attention to the quality of the products. Once rewarded, do they seek to go a little further still? At the Jardin des sens, with the Pourcel brothers, hailed by a first star in March, the requirement is already there, confides Jacques Pourcel. “Above all, we are small producers,” notes the chef. We have had this product quality approach for a very long time. The quality “is there, and it will stay the same,” he assures.
Even better products?
Denis Martin, the chef of The Marcel, in Sète, starred for four years, has also always been “very, very demanding” with the products. “But that forces me to persevere, to go find my little shepherd in Mèze,” he confides. But they have to agree to work for us. And it’s not easy ! It’s not enough to arrive at a farm and say, “Your lamb is magnificent, I want to work with you!” We talk to farmers, who need a feeling. For Guillaume Leclere, chef of the restaurant that bears his name, starred since 2021, being distinguished by the Michelin means “visibility, with producers”. “It stimulates producers and suppliers to knock on our door, because they know that their products will be put forward, will be respected,” he says.
Easier recruitment?
Since the Covid-19 crisis, hiring has been a real hassle for restaurateurs. And for starred chefs? “The whole sector is affected, whether it’s the stars, the bistros, the breweries, etc. “, assures Jacques Pourcel, who receives “very few” CVs. “For us, it’s hard, too. There are many places, and few suitors. Certainly, emissions, such as Top chef, have brought interest in this profession among young people. But it’s commitment, you have to work in the evening, on weekends…” But a starred restaurant is necessarily more attractive for young people, notes the chef. “In a CV, to say that they have worked in a starry, it is necessarily an asset, for their career”, he assures.
Denis Martin confirms: the red guide means better visibility for employment. But it remains “terrible, notes the chef. We focus on the well-being of the staff. We have changed the schedules, we have increased salaries, we are housing the majority of our employees… And, despite that, we are struggling to find “talent. For the chief, it is necessary to “reassure” the young people. “Tell them that we are no longer the generation before, where we yell everywhere, he smiles. So, come! “Guillaume Leclere, he receives spontaneous applications, which he did not have before the star. “People who arrive from other cities, who have a fairly extensive curriculum, necessarily go to starred establishments,” he says.
Even more pressure?
Once the star is in the pocket, another battle begins: do not lose it. Does this represent additional pressure in the brigades? “The star is very motivating for the teams,” confides Jacques Pourcel. For Laurent Cherchi, the chef of Reflet d’Obione, starred since last year, pressure or not, “it depends on everyone’s experience” in his brigade. “If they have ever worked in a starred restaurant, etc. We are still in a state of mind where we will try to do better than the night before. It stimulates, and at the same time, we know that nothing is certain. »
Denis Martin, for his part, admits some additional pressure. “We don’t want to disappoint customers, we don’t want to disappoint the Michelin guide, we don’t want to disappoint ourselves,” he says. “In any case, we need pressure in our profession, confides Guillaume Leclere. For questioning, for regularity. If you do it as a dilettante, it can’t work. Afterwards, this pressure must only be negative. You have to come to the kitchen with the pleasure of doing this job. »