A chef of this calibre is a rare guest in Germany. Pierre Gagnaire currently holds 13 stars, including three stars at his flagship restaurant, ‘Pierre Gagnaire’, in Paris’s Hôtel Balzac, which he has held since 1998. His influence on the art of cooking worldwide is of enormous significance. In my forthcoming ‘History of the Art of Cooking in 100 Dishes’, his profile will form Chapter 92. Gagnaire’s visit is due to a role that is unusual for a chef of his stature. In fact, a collaboration with Perrier-Jouët (as ‘Artisan de la Nature’), which began in 2019, led shortly afterwards to his appointment as the Maison’s ‘Global Chef Ambassador’. Since then, he and colleagues from his team have developed a series of special champagne-pairing dishes for the champagne house, which was founded in 1811. He also personally promotes the use of champagne as an accompaniment to meals during appearances around the world. The programme in Hamburg included, amongst other things, an evening with the German three-star chef Kevin Fehling as well as a press lunch.
The “Déjeuner au Hanse Lounge”
The déjeuner began as a standing reception at which three amuse-bouches were served. Gagnaire has made the concept of simultaneously served amuse-bouches famous as the “Pocket Cocktail”; here, however, they were served in the traditional manner, one after the other. First came ‘sea bream tartare’, followed by ‘langoustine scampi’, one of Gagnaire’s signature dishes. Here, however, it was not presented as a varied selection, but served with salad and sauce verte. Finally, ‘turmeric gaufrettes (little waffles) with Provençal condiment’ were served. This was accompanied by Perrier-Jouët’s Blanc de Blancs, the house’s latest cuvée, launched in 2017. It has noticeably gained in body since its introduction (more here). This is undoubtedly down to Séverine Frerson, Perrier-Jouët’s head cellar master since 2020. It was, of course, to be expected that this single-varietal Chardonnay champagne would be an excellent accompaniment to sea bream and langoustines. What was also impressive, however, was its lovely elasticity, which interacted beautifully with both the sweetness of the grapes (in the sea bream tartare) and with herbs and spices such as coriander and turmeric.
The next two courses, the actual ‘déjeuner’, were then served at the table. As with the amuse-bouches, it soon became clear that the purpose of the event was not to convey an impression of Gagnaire’s three-star cuisine. The meal began with ‘Truffled veal blanquette with Ratte potatoes from Noirmoutier, spring onions, peas, pointed cabbage, green beans and green (as well as white, SP) asparagus’. This was, as it were, an optimised classic of French cuisine – but of course not a dish from the ‘Pierre Gagnaire’ restaurant. Paired with the Belle Epoque 2016, the current vintage of Perrier-Jouët’s Prestige Cuvée, it was a celebration of textures blending together – and, aromatically, a veritable complete chord. In stark contrast to this was the pairing of the same cuvée with the dessert: “Guanaja macaronade with caramelised hazelnuts and pistachios, pink grapefruit jam and raspberries”. Few people would – at least on paper – serve this with champagne. But it worked magnificently thanks to the unifying element of the jam!
A conversation with Pierre Gagnaire
The subsequent discussion, moderated by Niklas Milesi from Perrier-Jouët’s parent company Pernod Ricard, focused primarily on Gagnaire’s self-image as a chef and his role as brand ambassador for Perrier-Jouët. As Gagnaire convincingly explains, his collaboration with the Épernay-based Maison is essentially based on three pillars. These are a shared understanding of the importance of nature, of perfect product quality and passionate savoir-faire (including, as he notes, a ‘unique bottle’), and finally, an appreciation of the significance of community celebrations and shared emotions when enjoying champagne. When asked about his personal favourite champagne, he has no answer. Even though a 1999 Belle Epoque had made a great impression on him just two days earlier. But what is truly fascinating, he says, are the differences between the vintages, the variations … When asked about his preferred pairings for the Belle Epoque, however, he goes into greater detail. Seasonal vegetables, sushi, seafood such as crab, but also rich cream sauces, for example with his famous morels with coffee.
Gagnaire’s remarks on his own self-image were also particularly noteworthy. The focus of his work, he says – even though chefs today are always entrepreneurs as well – is the kitchen. He, Gagnaire, owes everything to being a chef who has never forgotten the roots of his inspiration. He urges the profession – which, as he notes, has at times lost its focus – to remain close to the craft. What matters above all, he says, is ‘la geste, la geste’ – the masterful execution. At the same time, his work is the art of constantly questioning and doubting himself. This continually transforms his cuisine, not least because it does not remain trapped in an ivory tower. Gagnaire emphatically highlights the importance of contrasts on the plate, because perfect harmony is, after all, impossible. Far more important in his ‘Cuisine d’instant’, his ‘cuisine of the moment’, is the prevailing mood, in which he prefers to make errors than to cook in a way that is too unemotional and too harmonious.
“Beauty is a rebellion”
It is statements like these, which certainly polarise opinion in the world of haute cuisine, that give an idea of Pierre Gagnaire’s stature. That afternoon, the chef signed copies of his book “A Bouquet of Nature”, published the previous year. It was produced ‘with Pierre Gagnaire’, but apart from a few (short) recipes, contains no text by him. That is a pity, for in his 2003 volume ‘Reflections on Culinary Artistry’, Gagnaire had written some substantial essays on culinary aesthetics that are at least as relevant today as they were 20 years ago. In doing so, he not only explores in greater depth his oft-stated affinity for jazz “with its rhythm and dissonance”. Above all, he makes it clear that great cooking is the antithesis of mediocrity and compromise, and that it is instead necessary, on the path “toward new thresholds: the modernity I seek”, to “fight against conformity and fashion”. ‘One does not,’ says Gagnaire with all due self-assurance, ‘enter my culinary universe gingerly. Please, no false courtesies, no contrived universe, no proper bourgeoisie.’
Today, when haute cuisine finds itself increasingly on the defensive and at risk of being ground down between lifestyle superficiality and the glitz of social media, such an attitude has become rare. During Pierre Gagnaire’s appearance in Hamburg, it flashes up only in moments, even if it persists as an underlying impulse. One of his key essays in ‘Reflections on Culinary Artistry’ is entitled ‘Beauty Is a Rebellion’. Little remains of this idea when people absent-mindedly leaf through glossy magazines or endlessly scroll through Instagram. Yet many ‘beautiful’ things actually owe their existence to this guiding principle. Take, for example, the iconic champagne bottle for Perrier-Jouët’s Belle Époque cuvée, created around 1900 by the revolutionary Art Nouveau artist Émile Gallé – no wonder Pierre Gagnaire holds this very bottle in such high regard. Finally, at the déjeuner in Hamburg, sparks fly once more between the two in a spectacular pairing: Gagnaire with his dessert and Belle Epoque with its 2016 vintage.
Image credits
Lead illustration: Miyuka Schipfer. From: A Banquet of Nature (with Pierre Gagnaire). JBE Books: Paris 2025.
All photos: Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
