Like every day for twenty years, William Ledeuil walks through the door of his restaurant in the early hours of the morning. He puts on his jacket, pours himself a coffee, greets the waiters, dishwashers and cooks already in place, then descends the few steps that separate the kitchens from the pantry. There, he takes stock of the latest arrivals: he opens the fridges, smells a citrus fruit, assesses the caliber of a poultry.
Upstairs, on the piano’s large hotplates, a few broths started the day before are simmering. They are used as a base for soups, sauces, condiments, and smell like lemongrass, gray shrimp, Thai green curry… That day, they will mingle with the smoky flavor of a Figatellu and the sweetness acid from an apple mixed with tamarind.
At Ze Kitchen Galerie, in the 6and arrondissement of Paris, the broths are always dense and elaborate, like the cuisine of Ledeuil. It is the sanctuary of his culinary memory: a liquid medium in which the chef has condensed his many memories of travels but also a share of sensitivity and technical know-how.
A dinner with six hands
As he heads for the pantry, William Ledeuil often thinks of those past two decades. To all those producers who continue to support him and from whom he always finds new ideas: Olivier Durand, the Japanese vegetable grower; Roland Feuillas, the farmer-baker of Cucugnan; Eric Roy and his mini-vegetables; Perrine and Etienne Schaller, who provide it with rare and varied citrus fruits. “It is thanks to them that I can cook and share things that we are not necessarily used to tasting”he repeats.
He also thinks of the many chefs and pastry chefs he has taken under his wing, of these talents he has seen hatch and who are all pursuing a fine career: Romain Tischenko, Adrien Ferrand, Clio Modaffari but also Eunji Lee, Lucas Felzine , Denny Imbroisi. Like a benevolent father, he transmitted to them these codes that make his trademark: “The sense of supply, the requirement of the product, of a job well done – and that little bit of punch that comes back in the seasonings. »
In recent months, William Ledeuil has invited them to come cook with him, during a series of collaborative events. As a symbol, the first meal was a six-handed dinner led by the young chefs who officiate in its three addresses: Pavol Sekerka (Ze Kitchen Galerie), Martin Maumet (Kitchen Galerie Bis) and Pandora Métayer (Kitchen Ter (re)) . They too claim their identity – this is one of their greatest sources of pride.
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