chef supreme - Georges Blanc

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CHEFSUPREME
WiththreeMichelinstars,
Georges
BlanchasmadeVonnas
a magnetfor
gourmetsseekingthe renowned
pouletdeBresse,
saysRayKershaw
68 FRANCEMAGAZINE
www.completef rance.Gom
hen is apoulet more than just
a chicken? If France went in for
chickenjokes, in the small
communeofVonnas theywould surely
reply, "\Mhen the chicken, ofcourse, is
a poulet de Bressel"
Maybe not a side-splitter,yet it contains
a gourmet ffuth, for pouletsdeBrase are of
a regally different feather and in Vonnas
they rule the roost - especiallyas prepared
by the iconic chef GeorgesBlanc.
A giant bronze chicken guardshis
restaurantdoor. The doorknob is chickenshaped.Winsome fowls flirt from the menu.
A giant porcelain chicken greets you in the
hall. They are on ornaments,paintings, salt
cellarsand napkins. Such gallinaceous
dedication might appear excessivein other
hands,but in Blanc'sthree-starrestaurant
and five-star hotel everything is elegance
and unostentatious luxury.
r\.
.
1.
ulscernlng 0rners
The chefs favourite motif simultareously
celebrates his family's culinary dynasty especiallyhis grandmother, the legendary
la Mdre Blanc- and his passionfor the birds
that for five generations have draurn
discerning diners to this restaurant in
Vonnas,in the Ain ddpartementhalfway
between Bourg-en-Bresse
and MAcon.The
only poultry awarded,an appellation
d'originecontr6l6.e(AOC), their gastronomic
credentials are as peerlesi as h,is-ovrn.
The current Michelin Guide corifersthree
stars onjust 27 French restaurants.Georges
has held his for 32 years."Keepingthem,"
he jokes, "is harder than winning them." His
friend, Paul Bocuse,got his third star earlier
but no other restaurantboastsone from the
year when starswere invented or has stayed
in the guide as long. Three-starrestaurants
don't come any starrier. Every Michelin
edition sinceits 1900 launch is displayedin
the lounge: 7929,793I and 1981 markthe
Blanc stellar years.
ln 7872 Georges'sgreat-grandfather,
Jean-Louis,opened his Vonnasinn for
poultry dealers.His chicken luncheswere
soon famous. Thirry years later Georges's
grandmother, Elisa,took over thepo€la,
creating many of the dishesthat Georges
servestoday. Her reputation spreadto Lyon,
eventempting gourmet palatesfrom Paris.
NewspapersharledlaMire Blanc as the best
cook in France.
The age of motoringwas davrning.The
ear$ Michelin Guidessimply listed good
restaurants,but from 1926 some got
the accolade\,vorth a specialjoumey'
denotedby a star. Elisa'srestaurantwas
www.completefrance.com
honoured in7929. Her secondstar camein
1931 after Michelin introduced the system
recognisedtoday. From 1934, Georges's
parents,Jean and Paulette,guided by Elisa,
kept her constellationlustrous for another
three decades.
Georgeswas born in7943. 'Whennot at
schoolor catchingfrogs - cursses
de
grenouillu are a specialityof the historic
province of Bresse- he helped in the
kitchen. The teenager graduated from the
renor.rmedcatering college at Thonon-lesBainsin Haute-Savoiewith the highest
distinctionsever awarded.Although he had
gror ,Trup in restaurants, his dream was to
fly. He became an Ajr France steward, yet
could not forget Elisa'sprediction that he
would be France'stop three-starchef.
In 1968, aged25, his mission began. In
1981 the third star was won. The Gault et
Millau guide proclaimed him Chef of
the Year,awarding him an unprecedented
19.5 out of 20 points.
FACINGPAGE,CLOCKWISE
FROMTOP
LEFT:Michelin-three-starchef Georges
Blanc;A bronze chickenwelcomesdiners;
A poulet de Bressehas the freedom to
roam;The restaurant'swaterside setting;
THISPAGE,TOP:The restaurantinterior;
ABOVE:Georges'sgrandmother Elisa(/a
MdreBlonc)in the kitchens
Few other three-starchefs are so bonded
to their teroir. "We only use natural Bresse
organic products. Bressegrows everything
we need." The area'sancient sobriquet is the
'Larder Lyon',
of
capital of Rh6ne-Alpes to
the south. Abucolic country of meadows
and lakes, it fuses rustic simplicity with what
seemsto outsiders like milk-and-honey
hedonism- the only flaw being the extra
notch you may need on your belt.
Six hundred family farms raise the
exclusive chickens that were crornrned"the
queensofpoultry and the poultry ofkings"
by the father ofFrench gastronomy
).
FRANCEMAGAZINE69
POUTreT
FIIE
I Therearethree categoriesof
volaillede Bresse:
Pouletslive outdoors
for 16 weeks.(Supermarket
chickens
aretypicallyslaughteredafter only
five or six weeks.)Poulardesare
spayedfemalebirdsthat grow
outdoorsfor a minimum of 20 weeks.
Chapons- the champions- are
castratedcock birdsthat live outdoors
for at leasteight monthsand are
producedfor Easterand Christmas.
I Flocksof volaillede Bresseare
restrictedto 500 birds.Eachmust
havea minimumof ten squaremetres
of grassland
in whichto roam.
* To guaranteethe geneticpurity of
the Gauloisede Bressebreed,all chicks
must comefrom a centralhatchery
run by membersof the CIVB.
FROMTOP:(AncienneAuberge,a re-creationof Ia MdreB/anc'srestaurant;GeorgesBlanc,
wearing the insigniaof the Legiond'honneur,with then PresidentNicolas5arkozy
tiny potato pancakesthat she invented.They
inevitably start with gdteau defoia blonds de
poularde- anotherElisadish - or cursses
de
grenouillesen hommagedla Mdre Blancas
servedsince 1872.
Every recipe is suffusedwith his devotion
to Elisa,yet sometimeshe wisheswistfully
that guestswould try somethingnew. You
don't keep three starsfor 32 yearsby
cookingsolelychickens.His changing
seasonalmenus- imaginative,inventive,yet
never airy-fairy - make you yearn to stay
a week. Ever calm and courteous,he is
acommandeur
de la L{gion
dhonneur and
an esteemed
gastronomic
author: his
bookLaNarure
dans I'Assiette
won the PremierGrandPrix de la
Gastronomieand his bookle PlusSimpledu
Meilleur could be his motto and philosophy.
TheVonnas roadsidesign reads,Premier
ViIIageGourmandde France;another shows
it is a four-bloom-ratedVillageFleuri de
chicken sketches.First-time diners usually
Fronce.Vonnasradiatesprosperiry almost
orderpoulet de Bressed la crdmefagon Mdre
all oi it due to Georges.
it gets
Sometimes
Blancaccompaniedby crdpesvonnossiennes, called Blancville- not amusine Monsieur
Jean-AnthelmeBrillat-Savarin. Starsof
royal banquetssincethe Middle Ages,they
gracedthe first-classmenu on the fitdnic's
last night in 1912. At Jodl Billet's farm we
watch them strutting on a vast verdant
stage,flaunting their ermine-white plumage,
brilliant red combsand the blue-blooded
legsthat attest to their noble race.
Theif pamperedfree-rangelifestyie
encompassescenturies-oldtraditions that
were AOC codified h7957.In butchers and
on market stalls, they lie in state in their
regalia of ribbons and seals.The chickens
may be more
expensivethan
their plebeian
cousins,but
most Bressans
still prefer
periodic treats
of the royal
McCoy.Muscularly plump from a lifetime
outdoors, the flavoursome chickenslinger in
the memory long after the final morsel.
Georges,who is president of the Comitd
Interprofessionnelde la Volaille de Bresse
(CI\ts), autographsguests'menuswith jolly
Tlae ehi*kex"x$$fl:xlt $m &!v€l$f
ve&"deffit$tagtr* flmamfixrg
{heir *rmime-wkifrsp}umage
/OFRANCE
MAGAZINE
I Farmsmust maintaintwo separate
pastures.
The flock alternatesbetween
them - a traditionalway of preventing
disease.
Antibiotics,usedin other
poultry,are prohibited.
* Dairycowsfertilisethe
recuperatingfieldsand the milk is fed
to the chickensto supplementtheir
high-proteindiet of insects,worms
and organicfarm-growncorn.
f Of the millionsof chickens
just one
consumedannuallyin France,
in a thousandis a voloillede Bresse.
Althoughoften thought of asa luxury
food,at around€15 a kilogram,they
arecheaperthan qualitybeef.
X Everybird leavesthe farm with
a ring on its left leg showingthe
oroducer'snameand address.A metal
seal.onthe neckcertifiesits AOC
Bresse-poultry
authenticity.
X Fourpoultrycompetitionsand fairs
calledles G/orieuiesare held every
Decemberin Bourg-en-Bresse,
Montrevel-en-Bresse,
Louhansand
Thetwo winning
Pont-de-Vaux.
chaponsgotothe Elys6ePalacefor
the President's
Christmas
dinner.
www.pouletdebresse.fr
www.glorieusesdebresse.com
www.com pletef rance.com
FOODAND WINE
Blanc - yet as it is offthe beaten track to
nowhere, why else would you come?
With fewer than 2,700 inhabitants,
Vonnas is possibly France's smallest
commune to have a heliport, railway station
and exclusive autoroute exit. Presidents like
short cuts to their favourite restaurants.
Celebrities can take a 2O-minute helicopter
hop from Lyon or Geneva and soon be
sipping champagnebesidethe fuverVeyle.
When the G7 summit came to Lyon in 1996,
Georges created.poulet au G7 saucefoie gros
au champagnefor the world's leaders.
When the restaurant passedto him, it
measured120 squaremetres,unchanged
since 1872. It is now a tfuee-hectare
complex with a five-star hotel and luxury
spa. The extensive hotel park has two heated
outdoor pools and a firll-sized indoor pool.
Around the village square are his
boutiquegourmande,tablewareshop and
boulangerie-pdfisserie.
The R6sidencedes
Saulesis his three-starhotel. Touristsvisit
Vonnas to photograph the restaurants and
buy GeorgesBlanc souvenirs. LlAncienne
Auberge - one ofhis proudest innovations
- re-createsElisa's1900 restaurant,offering
scaled-dornm
three-coursemenus in a Belle
Epoque setting.
In the gastronomic restaurant the
languages mywife Alice and I hear are
ABOVE:Georges'sson Fr6d6richas taken
over the reins in the kitchen
chiefly English and Russian. Some of the
diners could be oil sheiks,oligarchsor
eminent executives.The carteda vins lists
2,000 fres bonnu bouteilles,two pages alone
of Vosne-RomandesBurgundy. At €5,000
a bottle, many guestswould not blink.
Fortunately,the sommelier discerns
shallowerpockets,often recommending
Georges'swines from his MAconvineyard.
A French extendedfamily is holding
a celebration for which they may have saved
all year. They are Georges'sfavourite kind of
customer."It's a specialexperiencethey'll
never forget." He has knornrnsome of his
customerssincechildhood. Somestill bring
mushrooms to the kitchen as their forebears
did in 1872.
Staffenlist from round the globe to get
Georges'sname on their CVs. "But they
must be qualified. Three stars means
perfection. No blunders allowed." Heston
Blumenthal was here. Georgesis pleasedhe
is doing well.
Georges'ssoq Fr6ddric, now captains the
kitchens, but Dad is still everywhere tasting a sauce,prodding a ham - like a
maestroconductor tuning his ensembleor
a wizard adding stardust. He is 70 this year,
but looks 55. He starts at 6am and tries to
finish at 9pm after chatting to guests. His
businessmanager,Antoine Maillon, says
that few people can keep up.
Maintaining three stars is expensive; the
restaurant'sstaff ournumber diners. Like the
best seatsat the opera, three-starprices are
necessarily high. "But every guest must feel
they've never eaten better. That's whywe're
here. Perfectservice,perfect setting,
perfectly cookedfood," saysGeorges.
Repleteafter eight inspired courses,we
wonder who could want for more.
Working closely with his son, Georges
likes the idea that some day the signs will
read Fr6ddricBlanc: the fifth generation,
but when you ask if he has set a retirement
date, he smiles shyly and shakeshis head.
You guessthat a lot more Bressechickens
mayhave hatched before then. Q"
FRANCOFIIE
GETTING
THERE
By road: Vonnasis six
hours'drivefrom the
Channelports.P&O's
Hull/Zeebrugge
overnightferry makes
a shortcutfrom the
north and Scotland.
Tel:08716642121
www.poferries.com
By air: The nearest
airportsareat Lyon
and Geneva.
By rail: Thetrain from
Londonto Meconvia
Paristakesaroundfive
hours.Faresfrom fl 20
return(tel:0844848
4070,www.raileurope.
co.uk).Connecting
trainsto Vonnastake
30 minutes.
www.com pletef rance.com
WHERETOSTAY
GeorgesBlancHotel
and Spa
Placedu Marche
01540Vonnas
Tel.(Fda 74 s0 90 90
www.georges
blanc.com
Doublesfrom €180,
suitesfrom €650,
buffet breaKast€29.
One-nightpackages
for two from €620.
A two-night stayand
dinner packagecosts
from €980.
R6sidencedes Saules
Parc& Spa
Detailsasabove
GeorgesBlanc's
three-starhotel is on
the other sideof Place
du March6.Doubles
from €160.apartments
from €200,buffet
breakfast€29.
WHERETO EAT
Restaurant
GeorgesBlanc
Detailsasabove
Seasonally
changing
menusin elegant
surroundings
with
impeccableservice.
Menusfrom €190;
eight-courseseasonal
menu€250.
LAncienneAuberge
Detailsasabove
GeorgesBlanc's
reproductionof his
grandmother's
restaurantis cosyand
convivial.Three-course
menu €36;traditional
menu €60;threecourselunch€24.
WHERETO VISIT
Mus6e de la Bresse
Domainedes Planons
987 Chemindes
Seiglidres
01380 Saint-Cyr-surMenthon
Tel:(Fr)3 85 36 3'l 22
www.ain.frlmusees
Outdoormuseumwith
its own chickenflock
and an exhibitionon
the historyof Bresse
poultry.Open Marchto
mid-Nov.
Ferme-Aubergedu
Poirier
Cuet,01340
Montrevelen-Bresse
Tel:(Fr)474308297
www.fermeauberge
dupoirier.fr
The Billets'poultryfarm
can be visitedat
weekends.Lunchesby
appointment.
TOURIST
INFORMATION
Vonnas tourist office
Tel:(Fr)4 74500447
www.tourisme-endombes.com
Ain tourist board
Tel:(Fd4 74 32 31 30
www.ain-tourisme.com
FRANCEMAGAZINE71