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The journey of a Michelin-starred chef
With Anne-Sophie Pic on board as guest of honour on a gastronomic cruise to Norway in March 2024, Escales takes a look back at the rise of the world’s most decorated Michelin-starred female chef, now at the helm of eight restaurants, from Valence to Lausanne, via Megève, London and Hong Kong.
Balancing heritage and rediscovery
Travelling and shaping personality, meeting new people and discovering new cultures: Anne-Sophie Pic had a little of all this in mind when, as a student, she pushed open the doors of a Paris International School of Business. Her studies led her to pursue her childhood dreams of fashion, luxury and design. She also discovered Japan, where her passion for the country and Asia in general began to take root.
In her younger years, no doubt driven by a desire for independence, Anne-Sophie Pic took the time to explore other worlds away from the cuisine that had nurtured her childhood. That of her grandfather, André Pic, himself raised at the apron of his mother, the chef Sophie Pic, who founded the Auberge du Pin in Saint-Péray, in the Ardèche. Decorated with three Michelin stars, André Pic created the Maison Pic in the mid-1930s. His son, Jacques, took over the reins in 1956 and regained the stars lost in the post-war period. It took Anne-Sophie Pic a few years to venture down this prestigious family path and follow in the footsteps of these greats of the culinary world.
Photo archive of Maison Pic.
Heading for the stars
With no formal training in the hotel trade, Anne-Sophie Pic embarked on her adventure in 1992, eager to discover new things. At first, she worked alongside her father, who taught her the secrets of the trade. Then, in 1997, she boldly took on the role of head chef and creative director, while her husband David Sinapian oversaw the management and strategy of the establishment. Since then, they have together developed a group of exceptional restaurants and culinary experiences, the Pic Group.
Anne-Sophie Pic and David Sinapian.
Being self-taught encouraged me to find a different path.
It was a difficult start. ‘Woman’, ‘daughter of’, ‘self-taught’… Nothing was off limits. But it was with passion, perseverance and conviction that the young chef stayed the course. Guided by her intuition and her emotions, she made her way in this resolutely masculine world. “At first, I was thirsty for techniques,” she recalls. As a self-taught woman, I thought people wouldn’t forgive me if I wasn’t up to scratch technically.”
Anne-Sophie Pic honed her technique by practising in the field. This has given her cuisine a breath of fresh air and allowed her own culinary style to blossom, a philosophy akin to Impregnation: a way of thinking that combines different methods and preparation techniques, starting with the aromatic framework.
Extract from Imprégnation, by Anne-Sophie Pic, published by Hachette in 2023.
For me, this is the first step in creating a dish; I then think about textures, cooking and sauces. I also think very early on about the visual aspect, which should arouse desire and give an idea of the taste. Then I try to understand the ingredient, to get the quintessence of it to marry it in the best possible way.
Anne-Sophie Pic therefore uses all her expertise to reveal new flavours: marinade, infusion, maceration or smoking, through which the aromas intertwine and combine in a subtle balance, creating original flavours. It is by following this creative thinking as a common thread that emblematic dishes such as the Berlingots Anne-Sopie Pic©, the Millefeuille blanc, or the ‘Lightly smoked blue lobster and crab cake, fresh sake almond veil and rooster mint melon’, a dish served to King Charles III in September 2023, were born.
The Berlingot by Anne-Sophie Pic© ‘melting greenness, Banon, matcha, fennel, dill’.
But the spectre of Impregnation doesn’t stop there: creative drinks, with or without alcohol, devised with Paz Levinson, Pic’s head sommelier, and pastries created with Éric Verbauwhede, Pic’s head pastry chef, are further expressions of this culinary philosophy.
Third star
In 2007, ten years into her culinary journey, she was awarded her third Michelin star. She became the only female chef in France to be awarded three Michelin stars. An accolade to be proud of, and the feeling of a duty of remembrance fulfilled.
‘Green asparagus, lentisk, citrus leaves, pine buds’.
The step that needs to be taken today is for men to recognise women’s work (…) But what’s important for me is that men and women work together in a complementary way. Mixed gender in the kitchen is often a source of a very special kind of competitive spirit.
A taste for travel
Offering the finest of sensory journeys: such is the perpetual quest for excellence that drives Anne-Sophie Pic and keeps her constantly on the move. For instance, she likes to combine beetroot and carrots, two of her childhood favourites, with the more unusual flavours of whisky and sobacha (roasted buckwheat). At the heart of Anne-Sophie Pic’s imaginary culinary landscape, there is no such thing as routine.
Travel provides responses to our desires, stimulates daydreaming, and that’s what this job is all about: dreaming up and then creating new dishes in keeping with the natural world around us.
And to fuel this imagination, the Michelin-starred chef doesn’t hesitate to take to the high seas. “astronomy is a way of accessing a new culture, a way of elevating yourself. Travelling, gastronomy, it all makes sense! It’s an extraordinary source of inspiration for me. (…) And even if it’s difficult to leave one’s restaurant,” she agrees, “you have to allow yourself to seek oxygen elsewhere, to put things into perspective – it’s absolutely essential!” Anne-Sophie Pic gives free rein, whenever she can, to her desire to discover new landscapes, to get as close as possible to the land, to the producers and their products, to immerse herself in the place, to open herself up to new ingredients, new techniques. “It’s a wonderful feeling!”
I’m always on the lookout for new and complex flavour combinations. I like to get off the beaten track and explore more demanding flavours such as bitter and acidic, iodised, roasted or smoked.
Scandinavian gastronomy through the eyes of Anne-Sophie Pic
“The Scandinavian countries have had to create a gastronomy to suit their climate, and that’s what’s so interesting. They play with fermentation, smoking, marinades, salting, impregnation…I find these cooking techniques fascinating.(…) In Lofoten, we saw skrei, Norwegian cod, being dried. In fillets or whole, the fish were dried outside, in the open air, buffeted by the winds. Being able to talk to the fishermen and share a very convivial moment with them was a truly incredible and rewarding experience.”
Anne-Sophie Pic in 5 products
Behind the scenes
In addition to her cooking, Anne-Sophie Pic also shares her culinary expertise through a series of books, including Le Livre Blanc (Hachette), published in 2012, and Une cheffe dans ma cuisine, published in 2022 (Albin Michel). In 2023, she will publish Impregnation (Hachette), part recipe collection, part art book.
Photo credits: ©Mehdy Nasser; ©Groupe Pic; ©Maison Pic; ©iStock; ©PONANT/V. Vauchelle
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