"My philosophy on food is pretty simple: ‘You have to make the food tasty before making it pretty’."
Chef Yoann has now been in Asia for 20 years. He was used to the ingredients which he accessed to while working in Europe, but his own tastes have adjusted the longer he has lived outside France. “We are all inspired by local flavours and delicacies,” he says. “We are always exploring, we seek inspiration from the best chefs in the world, and we as a team work on it together until we make art.”
1. What do you do at The Apurva Kempinski Bali?
My actual position at The Apurva Kempinski Bali is Executive Chef. I am leading and managing the entire Culinary and Stewarding Department. I am responsible for the food served to our guests.
2. Tell us about your journey, how did it all start?
I am originally from France. I grew up in a family that cherished good food. Since I was 12 years old, I have been passionate in cooking and culinary art. I found immense joy in preparing meals for my family and relatives, especially when I saw their joyful expression as they savoured my dishes. I had started at 14 years old to work as a steward and kitchen helper, followed by a Hotel Management School specializing in culinary arts.
Since then, it became one of the driving forces behind my culinary journey. I believe food brings collective warmth and connection to people around the table.
3. Describe the training that you have and how it relates to this position.
I used to work in a wide range of 2 and 3-star Michelin restaurants throughout the globe with some of the most renowned French Chefs. I was mentored for 3 years under the world-renowned-chef Joël Robuchon (1945-2018) who had 25 stars under his belt in the highly esteemed Michelin Guide. I have served in Asia at Robuchon A Galera, the famed 3-star Michelin restaurant in Macau, China; and at The Peninsula Bangkok in Thailand. The Peninsula Hotels now operates 10 prestigious luxury properties in the world.
4. What’s your previous experience in the kitchen?
My most recent assignment was at Wynn Resorts Macau, with almost 30 Food & Beverage outlets and a total of 9 Michelin Stars and 60 Stars Forbes Travel Guide on the both properties.
5. What’s your philosophy on food?
My philosophy on food is pretty simple, ‘You have to make the food tasty before making it pretty’. The recipe is having the best product, optimizing the right seasoning and enhancing it by a perfect cooking. It sounds easy but it’s actually a daily challenge to put these 3 criteria together to have a memorable food experience. The taste is primordial in culinary path.
6. How might you describe the role of an executive chef?
I believe in leading by example and fostering a culture of collaboration and creativity. I am here to be a mentor, a leader and a co-worker. Clear communication, trust, and respect are fundamental principles of my leadership role. Building a strong sense of ownership, collaboration and having a shared passion for culinary excellence is at the heart of my leadership philosophy.
7. Please walk us through a typical day at work. How do you prioritize your tasks?
A typical day does not really exist in our field. Usually, I look if there were any issues during the night before going straight to the 4 breakfast buffet locations through the resort. I greet the Culinary and Service Team members, engage with the guests if they have special requests or dietary restrictions. Afterwards, I meet my management, colleagues and assistants to have a transparent communication through the day and week. We also have meetings for planning for the followings months, quality standards, food safety standards, special groups, etc.
8. What’s the most important aspect of being a good chef?
Cooking with love and passion, eager to learn, understand the needs and satisfy a guest.
9. When you hire new staff, what do you look for in potential employees?
I am looking for motivation, passion, attitude, mindset, discipline and respect. The experiences and background are of course important but these are liaised with the above requested criteria that I am looking for!
I agree that it sounds like hiring a soldier in the army. To be a chef does not only request some cutting and cooking skills, it requires one to be flexible, communicating well with co-workers, respecting and following the direction. This is a very stressful job and you have to deliver the best of yourself daily to satisfy your guests.
10. How might you describe your management style?
I believe in leading by example and fostering a culture of collaboration and creativity. I am here to be a mentor, a leader and a co-worker. Clear communication, trust, and respect are fundamental principles of my leadership style. I always encourage my team to embrace their creativity and share ideas while respecting the local traditions and cherishing the local ingredients. Building a strong sense of ownership, collaboration and having a shared passion for culinary excellence is at the heart of my leadership philosophy.
11. How do you handle conflict in the kitchen?
There is solution to all the issues and conflicts. Firstly, we will handle internally and we will ask Human resources department to assist us if required. Honesty, I have just been here 3 months, Indonesian are very good coworkers and they can handle their little conflicts themselves.
12. What’s the favourite part of your job?
Favourite part is bringing joy and seeing happiness expressions when guests eat our food. I believe this is the major drive for all the chefs and not just me!
13. And the not favourite part?
Long hours, working hard so family and friends enjoy.
14. Where do you see yourself in five years?
It’s very difficult to project 5 years, I wish to grow, learn and continue what I like to do. We are very dedicated to our job which is a real passion, trying to do the best with what we have.
15. How do you stay up with the culinary trend?
I believe the only way to keep up with culinary trend is to keep up to date with the culinary world! Looking up Food Bloggers, Food Travelers, reading Food Magazines and Cuisine Books are part of our job. A chef is interested to improve himself and to discover new trends! Nowadays, I would say that we are lucky to have internet and we know what the trends are easily!
16. What’s your favourite ingredient to work with?
Black truffle is for me one of the best ingredients on earth.
17. What are your thoughts on local vs. imported ingredients?
It can be a long discussion but my direction is using the main products for each restaurant concept. If you cook Indonesian food, you have to use Indonesian products to have the authentic taste. Using the products from another country will not provide an authentic taste.
18. What’s your approach to sourcing locally-grown ingredients?
As sustainable philosophy, we work already with locally grown vegetables and fruits. Bali is amazing and we have developed our own hydroponic system on the rooftop! We are also working with local farmers who have started to produce some ‘organic’ vegetables for us in the mountains located east of Bali.
19. How do you control the quality of the food that goes out to customers?
I have the chance to have 5 Executive Sous-Chefs who assist me and are also responsible for the quality of the food that we serve to the customers. We have a Head Chef and Sous-Chef for each kitchen who follow-up the ordering, preparation, cooking and trainings! We spot check daily all outlets by tasting!
20. How might you describe your cooking style?
Let’s say that my cooking style is ‘Classic with a modern twist’. I have worked with many chefs of different backgrounds and I still believe that classic dishes are the best. Cooking basics have to be acquired first before thinking about own cooking style. I love to taste, in any one dish you should have a perfect balance with salt, sugar, sourness, bitterness, texture and this is what I am looking for when I cook. Cooking trends are just trends…everybody comes back to the basics and classics.
21. How do you keep your kitchen clean?
I required a lot of discipline regarding food safety regulations and knowledge from all my team members. Cleaning is a basic. To tell you the truth, I have started my career as steward in a restaurant. Stewarding is a foundation for us. Becoming a chef without respecting and understanding cleanliness is impossible. Our kitchens are well cleaned and we have been certified HACCP and are actually working on ISO Certification this year.
22. What’s your strategy for developing new recipe ideas?
I always encourage my team to embrace their creativity and share ideas while respecting local traditions and cherishing local ingredients.
23. What’s the best way for a customer to describe your food?
The guest does not have to describe or think too much. The 5 senses in everyone will procure the satisfaction!
24. What do you do when customers request ingredient substitutions?
We accommodate any single request as much as we can.
25. Do you have any wine knowledge? Could you recommend wine pairings for the menu?
I love wine like most chefs do I think. Wine is a part of my culture. I grew up in the Burgundy Vineyards! I am able to recommend a certain wine for a certain menu as I know which taste and flavor will best match with our dishes. I used to work closely with the Sommelier and taste together few pairings for a dish.
26. What are your interests outside of work?
My interests outside of work are still in line with my work. My family and I are food lovers so we love to discover new flavours. We love to go to restaurants, street food and market. All my life has been focused on food!
27. What advice would you give to youngsters joining the field?
To aspiring chefs, be passionate and cook with the utmost dedication. Always be curious as it drives you to continue learning and refine your skills. Work diligently from the basic with patience and perseverance while being open to constructive feedbacks, as they are crucial for growth. At the same time, respect others and build a strong network, as everyone you encounter in this line of work contributes to your advancement and development one way or another. Last but not least, always have fun and enjoy every moment!
