The star pastry chef of Cheval Blanc Paris, who also runs LV Dream Café, has just unveiled his delicious menu. There he revolves around the egg, for which he has such a passion that he has created magnificent nests. Recipes from life in a subtle way.
A word that immediately made Maxime Frederic react? Egg! The Cheval Blanc Paris pastry chef, who also works at the LV Dream Café a few steps away, has a passion for this product. So, he puts it in the spotlight with his first delicious menu, which he illustrated for this gourmet address under the Louis Vuitton brand. For him, this simple product makes sense. “Breaking an egg is a civil act,” he enthuses. Behind the egg is respect for animals, the environment and people. For a long time, when I used the eggs that are the basis of my profession, I was not satisfied. I was aware that the production methods did not match my values. And, obviously, the quality and taste were not there either.”
Instead of finding a rare shell, Maxime decides to create his own chickens, Les Secrets de nos vergers. More precisely, the three magnificent chickens were housed in spacious meadows, each sheltering five hundred gallinacea. There the chickens have a place to have fun, to enjoy fresh grass, to peck at worms and insects protected from foxes and bugs, in small sheds where the electricity is solar… In short, a beautiful chicken house, a place where they lay without pressure. Adventure has a human dimension. And even the family, designed in collaboration with his older sister and his wife, on his ancestral farm in the Cotentin.
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Nice sustainable alternatives
“We have been here for five generations. My sister lives and works on a farm. In 2019, I convinced him, even though he was phobic about chickens, to take on this project. We contacted collectors of old breeds to train us. The meeting with Miriam and David, collectors of obi, was crucial. We wanted to learn all about chickens, and they planned to diversify by making goat milk ice cream, a subject I know well. We somehow exchanged our knowledge. And Meriam and David formed our old chicken flock,” says the chef.
This is how Maxim Frederic can crack eggs with his eyes closed at the opening of Cheval Blanc Paris in September 2021. And sublimate them today at LV Dream Café. Because they are real treasures. “My sister or mother collects five thousand eggs a week,” explains Maxim. This may sound like a lot, but it’s very little. This could be equivalent to raising five cows on a farm. Because the red hen lays eggs every day, ours lay eggs every two days. While I use them for my baking and cooking, I also have requests from other cooks. And as a result, we no longer follow. So I hope this success will inspire titles. Because, humbly, we show that by thinking outside the box, by offering more sustainable alternatives, there are great opportunities.”
The room with its tropical garden decor at LV Dream Café, where chef Maxime Frederic serves. Gregoire Kalt
No snack, no classic gastronomy
The popularity is clearly due to the incomparable taste and texture of these eggs, which customers at LV Dream Café can enjoy in a variety of ways with a view of the Seine. Boiled eggs, but also ravioli, pastries… Eggs are everywhere, they are even in the spotlight of the chocolate factory, to be eaten in the form of snacks. But that is not the only signature of this unique address.
“It was a real challenge for me to create the dishes because the cooking codes are different from the pastry. So that was very exciting. I had to find the person with whom I had to collaborate, create a relationship of trust and exchange. The arrival of Benjamin Guber was central. It was recommended to me by chef Arno Donkel, who I work with and who is also a second father. Together with Benjamin, we imagined the Louis Vuitton kitchen, which was the continuation of the sweet and chocolate part that I had already put. The monograph immediately emerged as an essential marker, it was our guiding principle. We didn’t want to deal with snacks, but not classic gastronomy. We opted to have a little fancy, bakery breakfast, where we’d bake bread with customized tops, for example. We were a bit tinkering, enriching our technique as we had ideas,” adds the chef.
But “treatHis customers are not enough for Maxim Frederic. As with chicken coops, people matter. At LV Dream Café, he implements an ecosystem where, from the dish to the service or the crew, seventy employees are united, concerned and developed. “This team spirit is also my responsibility. And today, everything is coming together into a vision that suits me. I’m living my dream.” At LV Dream Café, nothing could be more normal…
LV Dream Café, 2, rue du Pont-Neuf, 75001 Paris. louisvuitton.com
Source: Le Figaro
