In the Second arrondissement of Paris, a cobbled alley, where the light never shines too much and which almost seems like a dead end, has become the site of a pretty kingdom frequented by all the taste buds of the city and beyond. In a few years, chef Grégory Marchand has invested both sides of the rue du Nil in order to install all the spirit of Frenchie, the house of bon vivants that he founded in 2009: here is Frenchie To Go - whose extraordinary pulled pork sandwich we recommend -, the Frenchie Bar à Vins and, above all, the Frenchie restaurant, for which the chef was awarded a Michelin star at the beginning of the year. As restaurants are getting ready to reopen in the country - finally! -, we had to talk with one of the most prominent chefs of the moment. Because in the kitchen, clothes count almost as much as taste.
© Géraldine Martens
When you were studying at hotel school, what uniform did you change your young men's clothes for?
I entered hotel school in 1994, at the age of 16. With the other students, we wore chef's hats, like in the grand palaces - later, during a stint in a restaurant in London, I even wore a sort of small fabric cap. But what struck me most at that time in my life had nothing to do with the chef's appearance. When we weren't in the kitchen, we had to wear a suit every day, with a shirt and tie . It felt really weird, I can tell you. They were impossible suits, cut any old how, that we had bought for nothing in the nearest store on the corner. I remember one thing, though: I learned to tie a tie at that time.
What does your silhouette look like in the kitchen today?
It's quite simple: it's more or less like real life. I'm wearing faded jeans and New Balance shoes on my feet. With them, I can stomp and walk quickly without any problem, I can even run between the stoves. Comfort is what matters most. I must have six or seven pairs of New Balance shoes at home. 1997 models to be precise. On my shoulders, I always wear a white t-shirt . I have a set of about twenty at home, which I change very regularly. It's my essential. Over it, I put on a classic white chef's jacket, with my name embroidered on it, like most chefs. As soon as I put on my jacket, I enter a character. I'm a chef, you can see it. It's written on my face. The design of these jackets has evolved in recent years. The cuts are more contemporary, more suited to the silhouette. They cut into the body instead of swallowing it up. Times change, as in fashion where streetwear has gradually replaced high fashion in the classic sense of the term.
In addition to being a chef, you are also a business owner since you have to manage your business in Paris, and also the Frenchie restaurant that you opened in London. As for clothes, how do you manage to switch from one role to another in the same day?
I am always moving between the kitchens and the outside world. So, it is about being able to alternate between my role as chef and that of business manager as easily as possible, without having to spend ages in the locker room, changing pants and shoes. So, that is mainly why I am dressed in a fairly standard way, without being too much of a chef in style. I only have to take off my jacket and put it back on when I need it, according to my schedule. Nothing more. In each of my restaurants, I always have two or three jackets lying around, just like that. And you know what, I also sometimes show up to my meetings in a chef's jacket. I find that it works. Some time ago, I had started thinking with the architect of my restaurants about a particular jacket made by Bragard, which is one of the most renowned houses in the field. We wanted to make a jacket that would desacralize the room. It was a jacket that would work between the kitchen and the dining room. An everyday jacket that would have allowed me to never really change. In the end, that didn't happen. What is also certain is that when I have important meetings, I never wear a suit. I have a thin turtleneck, jeans, and English brogues on my feet. Nothing more. Suits are for my operations manager!
Help us solve a major kitchen mystery: why do some chefs wear black jackets, and others prefer white?
Those who like black must be thinking that it makes them look slimmer! Really, when you think about it, white really doesn't always flatter you. And then there's the issue of stains, too. With black, you worry less about it. When you're a chef, stains are obviously terrible. There are those from small purées, with all their colors, which squirt everywhere when you use a mixer. There are also the stains from meat juices which are pretty much the same, like the blood from all the butcher's cuts, by the way. Personally, I stick to white. I find it pure as a garment, the white jacket. It goes well with the other tones in the kitchen: the stainless steel utensils, the shiny tiles. Too bad for the stains. At home I don't wear a jacket or an apron when I cook. I wear a white t-shirt, and I get them everywhere, because I don't pay attention, because I cook as usual. In these cases, I have a simple but infallible technique: pressing.
© Virginie Garnier
Why is the chef's jacket and more generally his uniform an important issue in the kitchen?
The kitchen is a place of all dangers and you have to be able to protect yourself. Chefs don't wear special jackets for nothing. They have a double thickness at the chest to protect you in case of splashes of water or boiling oil. In the same way, the buttons on the jackets always have snaps so that you can unbutton them in one go, in case it burns badly. If you were simply wearing a t-shirt, it would still be problematic: you would risk keeping marks for life. It's also good to have clogs on your feet: they are ergonomic safety shoes that allow you to be comfortable at the same time as they protect you in case a big pan falls on you! I don't wear them, and it's perhaps because I like the risk!
Finally, what's the latest news on Frenchie as the world prepares to breathe a little?
We will be ready to reopen our Parisian restaurant in June, I think. We are preparing and it feels great to know that we will soon be able to serve people like before! In addition, we are developing what we call Frenchie To Go, our takeaway branch. We already have a dedicated place to serve these dishes in Paris, and we are also opening small kitchens in the big cities of France to deliver to your home, via ordering apps!