Neither! (Laughing). Rather the result of a personal journey. When I was 14, I entered the hotel and catering school in Alassio, in Italy. I was keen to learn and worked very hard. Three years later, I won a competition in Luxembourg which opened the doors to prestigious addresses. After a few culinary milestones in Monaco, Rome, New York, Switzerland, then Greece, I have been in Paris for the past 17 years. An honour for the devoted fan of French gastronomy that I am.

Le Taillevent has set generations of chefs dreaming, and still does, it is a reference in the history of high gastronomy for all young chefs around the world. I remember when I moved to Paris, I lived just 150 metres from the restaurant. Each day, I crossed the street to avoid walking in front of it, it impressed me so much. If anyone had told me at the time that I would be running the kitchen brigade 15 years later, I would never have believed it!

A chance encounter with the Gardinier brothers. I accepted their proposal immediately. A chance like that only happens once in a lifetime! Today, I am honoured to play my part in this new chapter in the history of Le Taillevent. It is a matter of real pride for me, a personal accomplishment.

The challenge for me was to understand Le Taillevent's entire progression since its origins, and to be guided by its past by diving into its archives. This resulted in the creation of two tasting menus with four courses each, "Héritage du Taillevent" and "Gestes du Taillevent", which are now the restaurant's signature menus.

At Le Taillevent, it is simply legendary! It was partly by thinking about these delicate gestures that I designed the menu. They involve carving on a pedestal table, flambées, last-minute seasoning, wine decanted by candlelight. It all depends on real teamwork between the kitchen and the tables. If you choose the "Gestes" menu, the final preparation of each dish is completed before your very eyes. I was keen to reintroduce this tradition, and raise awareness of the expertise of our front-of-house team.

I have always cooked with total freedom for my mind and in execution. I prefer to work on instinct, feelings. The environment, the produce I receive each morning, and my teams provide on-going inspiration. Seen from outside, my style conjures up French classics, though all my experience and background go into their preparation. For all that, everything is clear, easy to read and understand. In short, I would say it is intuitive cuisine, rich but light, and above all very French.