Food expert Sebastien Ripari based in France, has travelled the world for twenty five years trying new flavours.
The iefimerida met him at the Gastronomy Festival in Heraklion, Crete, where we talked about food trends, the Greek chefs he has singled out and why French cuisine is not the best in the world.
How did your love for gastronomy begin?
I think like all passions, you carry it in from birth. As a young child I used to be carried away by names. The sound of a word would carry me to a spectacular dreamland, the names of products themselves would get me going: lemon from the Marquesas Islands, sugar cane from the West Indies, rose syrup from Lebanon. Names were my stimulus. It's amazing to imagine the taste of a product you've never tasted. It's like talking colors to a blind man. So I said to myself: when I grow up I will taste everything! I loved cooking for my family and created some great recipes.
Cooking was an important family bond.
You are a gastronomy consultant for Michelin stars. What are the characteristics that a restaurant must have to get listed?
Good question. First of all, it ain’t true I work solely with restaurants carrying a Michelin star. I work with chefs who are passionate, generous and caring. Officially, for Le Guide Michelin, the star comes "straight from the plate". For me, the two most important criteria are sharp taste along with regularity of work. The chef must tell an honest story and know how to justify it. Not to fake a narrative, not to create a mere copy_a sad story met only too often. One has to be oneself and be able to make a descent presentation of it, and we all happen to know that luck favours the brave.
What is your favourite cuisine?
All! I love it all! Depending on my whim, inspiration and mood. They say that French cuisine is the best in the world, but that's definitely not so. How can one justify that a great Japanese, Italian or Greek chef is "less" than a French one? French techniques are incredible and a benchmark, I definitely agree. French cuisine is one of the best in the world, but not the best. Even who we dine makes a great difference to the dish_ doesn’t it? If I dine with a fool in a great restaurant I'm going to have a very sad evening, right? The only important thing is that every dish that comes out of the kitchen is true to a story, to a region, to the local production. When the feeling is love, generosity and quality, it happens to be my favourite cuisine.
Do you consider Greece a gastronomic destination?
Obviously! Greece is an exquisite destination, promising an unforgettable gastronomic journey. There is a great variety of gastronomic proposals: Athens is moving modernwise, the Peloponnese keeps it traditional, while the Cycladic islands specialise in fine dining. Greek gastronomy lies on the solid base of a very long tradition of high quality products. Oraganic farming is not a trend in Greece, it is mere tradition. All one has to do in Greece is bend down to the ground and pick an incredible wild thyme. The locals are so wonderful, rather important in itself, isn’t it? I definitely love Greece.
What is your favourite Greek food?
Besides Dina Nikolaou's dishes? I love the way you make chicken. I love the appetizers, they are so terribly tasty. The only problem is that I eat them all and then I find it hard to move on to the main courses. I also enjoy Greek wines, like Assyrtiko.
Have you singled out any Greek restaurants or chefs?
I really like restaurants by the seashore. On the other hand, I am a regular at the Grande Bretagne restaurant. I love Dimitris Katrivesis’ dishes, and Dimitri Makryniotis’ desserts, I happen to be
good friends with both. I also enjoy the Pasaji restaurant as well as the Bil and Co in Mykonos. I have worked with Athenagoras Kostakos, Stelios Parliaros, Dimitris Pamporis at Ekies All Sense Resort in Halkidiki, plus I enjoy spending holidays at the Sikyon Coast Hotel, which is owned by my good friend, Leonidas Typaldos.
Which dishes are a must-try in France?
Well, the classics: foie gras, duck, oysters, pigeons and frog legs, plus bouillabaisse in Marseilles, flammekueche (German pizza) with local beer in Alsace (a historic region on the border with Germany), last but not least a heartwarming visit to a three-star restaurant in Paris.