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Frenchy's Bistro: A Master Chef at Paris-Charles
de Gaulle Airport
By
Bonnie Carroll
Aéroports
de Paris beefs up its "gourmet food" offer
at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport! Gilles Epié was the
youngest chef in France to be awarded a Michelin star (at 22 years
of age). Former chef at the Citrus etoile opens top-quality brasserie
at the airport: Frenchy's Bistro.
Spreading
awareness of French gourmet cuisine among passengers from all
over the world. Using only the finest fresh products. Such is
the credo of Gilles Epié and Frenchy's Bistro, which will
opened its doors in June 2013.
Continental Brunch, marinated salmon sliced herring-style or soup
to go?
Frenchy's Bistro opens from 6.00 am to 10.00 pm, with room for
up to 150 customers and serving all day long. The menu adapts
to suit the time of day and offers passengers the chance to get
a table and dine on refreshing "bistro" dishes, or to
enjoy an offering of finger food and mini-sandwiches at the bar.
What's more, a take-away area offers passengers soups, salads,
ultra-fresh sandwiches and small dishes cooked on the spot.
"We
are proud to be welcoming Gilles Epié to Paris-Charles
de Gaulle airport. His style of cuisine, which brings together
modernity and a great refreshing lightness, will delight the taste-buds
of our passengers. This event fits in perfectly with the major
project we have undertaken to modernise and refurbish our bars
and restaurants in the airport terminals of Paris. We plan to
open or renovate 50 food and beverage outlets between the end
of 2010 and 2013_, explained Augustin de Romanet, Chairman &
Chief Executive Officer of Aéroports de Paris. For Gilles
Epié; "Frenchy's is the last restaurant passengers
will visit before they return to their home countries. That's
why it's important for me that the welcome, the smile, and the
quality of the cuisine should be up to standard. Our customers
should come away with a wonderful memory of their time in France."
Do these different factors have something in common?
The quality of the products and the hint of originality that make
all the difference. French cuisine with a touch of Californian
sunshine! Frenchy's Bistro offers different set menus, starting
at breakfast-time. Customers can enjoy a Parisian breakfast for
€12 (pain au chocolat or croissant, bread rolls, Bonne Maman
jams, Echiré butter, a hot beverage, orange juice). The
Continental Brunch is available for €16. Passengers are served
a plain omelette or scrambled eggs, beef sausage, bread rolls,
Bonne Maman jam, Echiré butter, orange juice and a fresh
fruit salad. Frenchy's Bistro emphasizes the authenticity of its
products and French regional specialities, offering passengers
the chance to try Challans poultry, or flank steak with shallots,
and much more. But that's not to say that Gilles Epié's
cuisine forgets to give a nod to "international" dishes;
particularly, the California veggie burger, American beef tartar,
or albacore tuna tournedos with coriander, soya, and lime!
From the high-quality take away
To let passengers take a little of Gilles Epié's cuisine
away with them, a take-away service is also available. Soups,
salads, light dishes created by Gilles, Franco-American hot dishes
classics, desserts... the menu is comprehensive and competitively
priced! For instance, the cream of butternut squash and mushroom
soup (230 g) is priced at €5.10. A salad composed of cuttlefish
ink spaghetti with crayfish in coral sauce (180 g) for €6.95,
or lentils with marinated salmon, raifort sauce and beetroot sprouts
(280 g) for €8.80. A "hot" hot dog, made with 100%
pure beef sausage, gravy, and "fireman's mustard" for
€5.90, while the Manhattan bagel, with smoked salmon and
cream cheese is available for €6.90. 3.
Gilles Epié, the rock chef of French gastronomy!
When he was just 14 years old, Gilles Epié started working
with Alain Senderens. After they travelled around the word together,
Gilles returned to Paris and was awarded a Michelin star in 1989,
becoming the youngest chef in France to earn that honour at the
tender age of 22. He cheffed in restaurants such as the Miravile
(which he owned) and the Petite Cour in Paris, as well as the
Orangerie in Los Angeles. He left Paris in 1995 to explore America
and its gourmet cuisine. One year later, he was voted best head-chef
in the United States. His success was marked by his acquisition
of the Orangerie in Los Angeles, which he transformed from a deserted
restaurant into an address not to be missed. That very same year,
the rating of the Orangerie leaped directly from 3 to 5 stars.
Gilles Epié is known for creating daring new recipes, with
zero butter or cream: "I use a lot of steam, he explains,
a simple style of cuisine requires top quality ingredients ".
The culinary fusion of Franco-Californian dishes favoured by Gilles
Epié, or "Frenchy" (a nickname that he acknowledged
by having it tattooed on his forearm!), has fired the enthusiasm
of many gourmet diners and celebrities from all over the world.
Gilles Epié's style of cuisine has been strongly influenced
by California: "I was cooking for people who love to eat,
but who hate gaining weight." This is the size zero generation,
the Californian ideal!" he exclaimed with a chuckle. Gilles
also draws his inspiration from Japanese, Korean, and Chinese
styles of cuisine.
He welcomed Frank Sinatra into his restaurant for the crooner's
80th birthday, as well as Sophia Loren, and cooked for the King
of Sweden, Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Sharon Stone, Gregory Peck,
Richard Gere, Elizabeth Taylor, and Princess Diana, to name but
a few. After spending 10 years in his beloved United States, Chef
Epié turned his dream into reality by acquiring a restaurant
just off the Champs-Elysées, and rose to the culinary challenge
of a country where gastronomy is more than an art form. Since
2005, Gilles Epié has been the manager of the Citrus Etoile,
which he owns with his wife, Elisabeth. 4
About the architects
Frenchy's Bistro was designed by the stage designer Gérard
Cholot (stage designer for Louis Vuitton and, it's worth noting,
designer of Jean François Piège's Brasserie Thoumieux,
as well as Chez Julien, Savy, and the Bistro Vivienne in Paris)
and designer Alban Le Henry. Together, they dreamed up a place
that would be part Parisian brasserie and part American diner,
all arranged around a large central counter. Their wish to keep
some materials and spaces from the original building added an
unexpected dimension to the place. All of the essential elements
of a classic brasserie are there but "twisted" in a
distinctly modern fashion to create a setting that is chic, welcoming,
and accessible for an international clientele!
Extensively renewed food and beverage facilities at Parisian airports
Since 2011, Aéroports de Paris has undertaken a massive
project to refurbish and renew the range of bars and restaurants
available to customers.
Aéroports
de Paris' new strategy for bars and restaurants is ambitious,
with the focus firmly placed on quality and specifically based
on the following principles:
- a diverse selection of brands
-
more spacious and better located outlets
-
a new contractual relationship with the operators which emphasizes
quality and customer satisfaction.
Between the end of 2010 and 2013, 50 outlets are expected to be
opened or completely renovated. Quality is their common denominator.
New brands have also appeared: Caviar House & Prunier, DailyMonop,
Naked, Nespresso and Mariage Frères.
Bonnie Carroll
www.lifebitesnews.com