Franck Putelat

“It gets you noticed!”

Franck Putelat, what was your itinerary to the Bocuse d’Or ?

It happens that in 1991, I attended the Bocuse d’Or. That was the year that Michel Roth won, and that made me want to enter the competition. So I decided to sign up for the artistic cuisine contest the same year as Yannick Alleno, in 1998. He won, and I told myself to give it one more try. So, with my assistant at the time, Hugo Rinaldo, we calmly got to work…and it turns out that I got nominated for the Bocuse d’Or. I very clearly remember that day, stepping onto the podium, saying to myself, “That’s a fi ne mess you’ve gotten yourself into, because in one year, you’ll have to start from scratch!”

How did that year of preparation go ?

Like a marathon and a huge investment. Preparing for the Bocuse means hours of research in texts, hundreds of calls to friends. I was fortunate to be encouraged by my wife, Céline, and to be able to rely on chefs like Jean- Luc Danjou, Yannick Alleno, and Frédéric Anton who guided my approach, checked out my recipes. Then, you’ve got to fi nd artisans who can make the right dishes, molds, stainless steel tubes or whatever utensils that can help you work faster. Following that, you need to work on timing, sequence by sequence, element by element… It’s surely the combination of all this that make the preparation so exciting. That’s what gets everything moving along, your ideas, your technique, your precision, your quickness.

Now tell us about the big day of the Bocuse

There were about 300 people who had come to cheer me on! Two entire busloads of professors and students from my culinary school in Jura, parents, friends…The fi rst fi ve minutes of the contest, the pressure was overwhelming. My hands were shaking, I couldn’t really get going, and I said to myself, “I can’t wait for these 5 hours to be up, for it to all be over so we can just let it go!” Luckily, after that, I calmed down and found my footing. Next? Only good times. You’re next to Paul Bocuse. Everyone’s applauding you, shaking your hand, kissing you, pressing through to take your picture or interview you…

What has the Bocuse d’Argent brought to your life ?

Actually, lots of things. First of all, it sets you on a new level, because afterwards, you’ve got to assume your responsibility, be up to it. Then, for the Barbacane, the restaurant of the Hôtel de la Cité in Carcassonne where I was working, that signifi cantly raised the number of reservations. What also counts is the enormous respect the Bocuse brings you, especially abroad! Following the contest, I was constantly asked to give demonstrations abroad. My fi nest memory is of crossing the Atlantic on the Concorde for a presentation of my cassoulet recipes in the state of Delaware. The Bocuse also helped Céline and me decide to realize our dream: starting our own restaurant in the middle of a verdant park at the foot of the Carcassonne citadel. It’s yet another great adventure that started in the spring of 2006. Life goes on !

Franck Putelat and foie gras

It was during the Bocuse d’Or that I met Alain Rougié and Pascal Schneider. We hit it off right away. I happily accepted to do demonstrations, particularly in Russia, and to create recipes for Rougié, such as foie gras with verjuice grapes and grapefruit.

In my restaurant, I always have foie gras on the menu and change the recipes with each season. I use a lot of the slices, nuggets, and fresh entire lobes, and I’m starting to use the deveined. For me, foie gras is an incontrovertible element. People love it because it’s synonymous with the idea of an indulgent feast and of refi nement.

Restaurant Le Parc Franck Putelat
Chemin des Anglais - 11000 Carcassonne
Tél. 334 68 71 80 80
www.leparcfranckputelat.com