Hello Thierry, can you introduce yourself? Tell us about your exceptional journey and explain your vision of cooking today?
I am from Marseille, I started working in the family business as an apprentice butcher-caterer. A few years later, I turned to cooking to experience all the aspects and specificities of the profession. This has allowed me to work in different types of establishments, beautiful houses in France, Canada, Luxembourg, Switzerland and for 14 years I have moved to Belgium. Over time, I have found real pleasure in passing on my knowledge through the experiences that have given me know-how and interpersonal skills. Orienting myself naturally towards vocational training, I taught at CFA Corot in Marseille for ten years, then at L’EFP in Brussels.
Today I am a culinary consultant for companies, training centers and catering groups.
You are a Chef committed to sustainable development, how can you define "sustainable cuisine" and what prompted you to make this commitment?
The profession of cook has changed a lot since the beginning of my career. In recent years, we have had to reflect on our way of working. Offer a committed cuisine respecting the seasons, promoting the wealth of our local producers and artisans, selecting organic products or resonant culture. For my part, I think that we all have a role to play, cooks, customers, families, businesses, politicians in making a difference. Choosing a healthier and more sustainable diet is a vote for better health, a better planet for our children and supporting our jobs, our social rights and our know-how. I want to be part of those who act and not what criticizes without moving.
Isn't eating sustainable more expensive than continuing to eat “conventional” to use the terms used in the press?
It's not just about looking at the price on the tag. We must also look at where it comes from, what are the ingredients that compose it, how were they produced, raised,…. . So-called sustainable food makes it possible to remunerate producers, breeders and artisans in a fair and equitable manner. We should above all ask the opposite question, how is it possible to pay for products at such low prices? What did we put in it? Who made this product? And how can they be paid?
We buy brand name clothes, cell phones a real fortune from multinationals that don’t even pay taxes here. And in the same way, we are able to find that a kilo of organic zucchini or from a local producer is much too expensive compared to an intensively cultivated zucchini packed with pesticides with a difference of a few cents or euros. . A real paradox. In life there are really three essential things, to eat, to drink and to breathe, and these are the elements of our lives that we neglect the most, we drink too much sugar, waste water, eat too much fat, too sweet and industrialized and breathe polluted air.
Adapting, changing habits, and providing good information are the key words to educate consumers to move as far as possible towards sustainable food.
Have you written children's books and are campaigning for sustainable canteens today? Isn't this approach complicated (difficult children, tight budgets for catering, etc.)?
Yes, I wrote a culinary and fantastic trilogy to educate children about the harmful effects of junk food, but without being judgmental. Mixing humor, adventure, travel, gluttony and action, while making them think. I accompany my novels with a real educational program for schools combining reading, cooking workshops, educational games, meetings with producers and artisans. To reconnect children to food and those who do. A real success that I achieve in schools in France and Belgium.
I have been working for a few years now with "Biowallonie", a structure that supports schools and businesses that want to move towards sustainable cuisine. What I really appreciate about them is that there is real support throughout the process, putting in touch with local producers, practical and theoretical culinary training, awareness raising, auditing, conferences and obtaining a Green Deal label recognized. Long-term, step-by-step work while respecting the realities on the ground.
More and more schools are committed to improving quality for their canteens, respecting the seasons, using organic products, and producing as much as possible on site.
For the success of this daring but necessary step, all the players must come to an understanding, managers, cooks, students, parents becoming aware of good nutrition for a better future.
Christmas is coming, how would you make Santa Claus want to offer your children's books?
Young and old readers alike live a fantastic and gourmet adventure. They will discover colorful and endearing characters, an ice ball-spitting dragon, pirates protecting the oceans from intensive fishing, mysterious culinary mages, young heroes traveling the world chasing a hideous junk food witch and her acolytes who want to destroy their kingdom. And for little budding chefs, you will discover mouth-watering recipes after each volume.
Volume 1: Wallino, the junk food witch and the Cholesterol factories (Editions Jets d'ambre)
Volume 2: Wallino, the culinary masters against the junk food witch (Editions Inkjet)
Volume 3: Wallino, Monsantox the heir (Editions Inkjet)
Sustainable cooking means cooking with seasonal products, can you give us a seasonal recipe that our readers can make in their kitchen?
Thank you for your invitation and wish you a nice gourmet read. And if you want to live my adventures find me on the Facebook page:
Wallino, the junk food witch and the cholesterol factories
Goodbye.
Hake fillets cooked at low temperature, fennel cream and diced beetroot.
For 4 pers.
Prep: 30 min
Cooking: 20 min
Easy
- 8 king pollock fillets of 125 g
- 2 fennels
-1 cooked beet
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove of garlic
- Thyme
- Chive
- Arugula
- Parsley
- 50 g of peanuts
- Olive oil
- Liquid cream
- Salt, freshly ground pepper
Finely chop the fennel (keep some of the raw chopped fennel to dress under the fish when dressing)
Sweat it over low heat with the thyme and garlic.
Cream and reduce, season, then mix.
Finely chop the herbs and crush the peanuts. Add olive oil and season.
Bake the king pollock fillets in the oven at 80 ° C for about 15 minutes.
Let the fish rest for a few minutes out of the oven.
Spread the herbs and peanuts over the fish.
Heat for 4 to 5 minutes in the oven at 80 ° C. 10. Arrange the cream on a plate on the chopped fennel, layer the fish and decorate with the cherry tomatoes and diced beetroot, arugula and chives.
