By Leigh O’Connor.
Clement Chauvin was a picky eater growing up – his hard-working mother couldn’t be bothered cooking so his food education was poor and he wasn’t adventurous in regards to new dishes.
A move from his birthplace of Paris to the gastronomic capital of France, Lyon, saw a friend invite Clement to her house for dinner where her Mum was an incredible cook and life changed for the soon-to-be Chef.
"The menu that night was black pudding and caramelised apple with gratin dauphinoise, not quite what my palate was used to at the time! But I was told this was dinner and I had better at least taste it,” he recalls.
"I forced myself to put some of the black sausage on a fork, covered it with mustard, apple and some potatoes and stuck the whole lot in my mouth. Boom! An explosion of flavour just hit me (literally a ‘Ratatouille’ moment). I ate the whole dish and asked for seconds.”
Clement says that experience ignited the flame in him to become a Chef to recreate moments like his to diners and open their mind to new flavour combinations or just even a good old-time classic done extremely well, which sends you back to childhood memories.
Now the sole owner and Executive Chef at multi-award-winning restaurants, Les Bistronomes and Montrachet in Brisbane, Clement delivers good food, good wine and personalised service to his dinner guests.
"We have over the years, managed to create a reputation for our standards, which makes our customers come with the peace of mind the meal will be quality, allowing them to relax and enjoy the experience.”
Secretly bald – but don’t tell anyone – this Frenchman has an impressive culinary resume from the streets of France to Gordon Ramsay’s Claridge Michelin-starred restaurant, along with Australian dining destinations such as Bistro Paris, Sage Restaurant and Water’s Edge.
Describing his style as modern French fine dining, Clement loves being able to bring French classics back to the modern world with new concepts and techniques.
While his signature dish is duck a l’orange, Clement shares his recipe for passionfruit soufflé which has become an institution and on the restaurants’ menus for the last 12 years.
Make this for your Valentine tomorrow and feel the love!
