INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF REUNION’S UPCOMING CHEFS AND PROMOTERS OF CREOLE CUISINE

(Posted 12th March 2016)

You are a Head Reunion Disciple Escoffier, tell us about your background?

I was born in Reunion Saint-Andre. I was often at the side of my grandmother when she was cooking and I liked it well. With my parents, we left to go to France in 1976. At the time I was barely out grown. I went to work in July and August, during school holidays, as waitress in a restaurant. But what was happening in the kitchen, the sound of pans or cooks with their hats, which interested me a lot more! I did my apprenticeship and I got my CAP cuisine. I then went from restaurant to restaurant as second cook. Then I undertook all the steps to become a proper chef. The Disciple Escoffier scarf I respect a lot. When I was an apprentice I always saw men arrive with this scarf and wondering what they had to do for it. Since I came back to Reunion, I evolved, I began to gain some prominence and I joined the Toques Blanches. Later, I thought it was the right time to become a disciple of Escoffier. For me, this is the holy grail of cuisine and cooking!

Induction Disciple Escoffier

How would you define your cuisine? What inspires you?

I have no particular cuisine. When I go to the market and I see a product that I like, I take it and I work with it. That’s the kitchen philosophy of Marie! What inspires me most is our products which I want to bring up to date. This is my little thing to me. But I’m not the only one! It is a few other cooks too. Today, young people do not know the old fruits and vegetables that are part of our heritage.

Do you have favorite products? For what reasons ?

I like working the cambar, whether for a sweet or savory recipe. The cambar really is my favorite product. It is mysterious and can work in several forms. We can make a beautiful chiffon or even match fries or a mousse cambar decorated with a chocolate ivory.

What is your Speciality ?

My grandchildren will say that my specialty is the rougail sausage! (Laughs) But I did not really specialty. All products are good and noble work.

What is the head chef that you admire most?

Paul Bocuse! This is a great leader. This is our boss to us, we take example from him.

What do you want for your kitchen?

My greatest wish is to travel and introduce the Reunion cuisine worldwide. I participated in the Salon of Gastronomy of Overseas in Paris, alongside the Reunion Island Tourism, from 12th to 16th February. It was the opportunity to fly the colors of the Reunion kitchen high. If the opportunity is given to me, I would like to let the world discover the Reunion gastronomic heritage through my menus and dishes.

Exhibition of Gastronomy of Overseas

Where can you find your kitchen?

I have a website: www.marytraiteur.com
I am organize catering and I work in private for a romantic dinner or on the occasion of a baptism or a wedding. I also make cooking demonstrations throughout the island of Reunion. I even worked on Sakifo where I had the chance to cook for M and Stromae!

Chinese portrait

If you were a place? Saint-Leu, where I live. If you were a spice? The blue vanilla. This is a condiment that I like, it’s a mysterious find. Besides, I put it everywhere. It is a fresh vanilla pod which can be consumed in its entirety. If you were a fruit? I’d be a litchi. If you were a vegetable? The cambar course! If you were a dish? The rougail sausages for my grandchildren!(laughs again) If you were a dessert? The dessert that I particularly like is the dessert Virassamy. It is a mixture which is used in all our products lontan , such as sweet potato, which find themselves blended in one dessert. If you were a smell? Vanilla!