Bruno Verjus arrives at the end of the month in Brazil to participate in Mesa São Paulo 2023, which this year will have the theme “Disruptive Table – breaking paradigms, invading spaces and recreating concepts for and through gastronomy”, therefore, there is no one better than Verjus to speak.
He is one of the most disruptive chefs today and breaks all paradigms, starting with ageism, as he only became a chef after the age of 50. Bruno was a medical student, entrepreneur in the field, food blogger, gastronomic critic, photographer, journalist, author and radio and TV personality before opening the table , in Paris, and make his debut on the other side of the counter, as a cook.
Located in a less popular region of the City of Light, the restaurant has won important international awards – in addition to boasting two Michelin stars, the restaurant occupies 10th position in the British ranking The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Self-taught, the chef, now 64 years old, explains that he likes to create without restrictions, free from impositions, recipes or fads. Based on what he receives from artisanal producers, considered his most loyal friends, he creates daily menus poetically called “the color of the day”. Sitting on high stools in front of the counter, customers see that nothing is prepared in advance – not even the bases and sauces. It is the products, always fresh, that dictate the path to follow.
More than that, local producers are the artisans responsible for bringing what the chef calls exceptional products to the restaurant’s daily routine. “They provide us with what nature can offer on a daily basis. We do not make any quantity orders, only quality is the rule”, explains Verjus. “The way we eat decides the world we live in,” he adds.
Regarding the way he relates to the world and his own life path, the chef is also an outlier – and an inspiration to everyone who fears getting old. “I’m the oldest young chef”, he jokes. “Age is not important. What matters is his approach and whether it is a game changer. I offer a different approach to haute cuisine. I want to make people understand, through the way we eat, how we can live in a challenging world of constant change. I literally want to feed the soul”, he concludes.
For those who want to attend a talk by this legendary chef up close, the Mesa São Paulo takes place from October 26th to 28th, at the Memorial da América Latina, and Bruno Verjus’ presentation will be on the day October 28th with the theme “Make love, not war – a counterpoint between the military vocabulary of the culinary industry and the mind of Bruno Verjus”. Tickets must be purchased in advance at official event website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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