HÀ NỘI — Alain Dutournier, one of the top chefs in France, held a special workshop on Thursday with students from the KOTO school in the name of charity at Press Club Hà Nội.

The chef is visiting the city from November 1st to 5th to introduce his latest culinary creations for a special week of the Festival of Flavor.

Dutournier, who was born and raised in the culinary cradle of southwest France, shared his experience of becoming a two starred Michelin chef with the aspiring young chefs of KOTO.

He talked with the students and encouraged them to follow their dreams and use their struggles and poor background as a strength to become successful.

Coming from a middle class background as well, chef Dutournier said he could relate with the young students who are coming from poor backgrounds.

The chef talked about Vietnamese food with the students and encouraged them to explore their own regions and culture to find their inspiration.

In Việt Nam, along with phở, there are many others things to explore, he said.

“To become successful you need to travel and explore the world,” said Dutournier.

The two starred Michelin chef also shared his point of view about fusion food. Only after 40 years was he able to mix ingredients from foreign countries, such as mixing Vietnamese ginger into a special surprise ice cream mix of mango, ginger and saffron.

“It’s only when you perfectly know the ingredients you are working with that you can start matching them with ingredients from your own country,” said the chef. “It is not about fusion and trying to mix two types of cuisine but rather about knowing what could be the perfect combination for your dish.”

KOTO students were impressed with the demonstration of the Salade Nicoise, a typical French dish currently in the lunch menu for the Festival of Flavors week.

Chef Dutournier hoped his visit would help the students look forward to a bright future with confidence. — VNS