The Executive Newsletter of TheOfficialBoard

With Pedro Subijana

You often talk about the wisdom of the ancients, how would you define it ?

As for any art or job, you first need to know the basics and to build solid foundations through academic training. Then, as you get more knowledge and practice, you get the freedom to create and to innovate.  Mixing generations in my teams and in my courses has always been stimulating for everyone including myself.

Tell us about you ?

After studying in Spain, I set up my own restaurant in 1975 in San Sebastian, my native town, in the Basque region. We are located the Igueldo Mount above the Atlantic sea. Our ambition is to be one of the hubs of creative cuisine. I also love to share my cooking secrets.

How do you teach your art ?

I have been teaching cooking on TV everyday for 15 years at Tele5 and at Etb2. It was a great way to meet and teach students every day in the intimacy of each home thanks to the massive mail contacts we had. Now, I am more inclined to give classes at my own restaurant or in schools to the younger generation of people. I wrote a dozen books. As they are all out of print, I am now preparing the next one.

Spain produces outstanding wines. What do you recommend ?

I love wines in all the price ranges. Here are some of my preferred red wines : San Vincente 2005 or Las Gravas 2006 about 20 € ; I appreciate a lot the Finca El Bosque 2007 or the Finca Dofi 2005 around 100 € ; then you can find ultimate wines such as Pesus 2004 or La Faraona 2005 for about 250 €.

Which of your many distinctions you are the most proud of ?

For any chef, the Michelin macarons are among the most prestigious distinction you can get. Each year, you also have to be good enough to keep them. We have got our third Michelin Star in 2007. This has been great recognition for the whole team.

Pedro Subijana is one of the Grand Chefs at Relais & Châteaux, a family of 480 prestigious hotels and restaurants in 56 countries. He is also the founder and the owner of Alekare, a 3-Star Michelin Restaurant located in Spain. He is teaching cooking all over the world and advises several hotel groups.

With Patrick Henriroux

Patrick Henriroux is the Chef and the proprietor of La Pyramide at Vienne, France. In 1989, he bought this mythical hotel-restaurant which was then in jeopardy. He has transformed it into a must-visit in the Rhône Valley.

You have one of the most exclusive wine lists on the planet. What is included?

When taking over La Pyramide, I inherited an exceptional array of historical vintages. In Bordeaux wines, for instance, we start with Napoleon’s time: a Laffite Rothschild 1806. Our Cognac dates to 1788 with the French Revolution and our Chartreuses Liquor even goes back to 1760…

Located in the vicinity of Burgundy, we buy all the millennium of its best wines. We also source wines from all over the world including France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Argentina and the United States. For each of our millenniums (even the oldest ones,) we often have 50 to 100 bottles in our cellar. We taste them to make sure that our wine list displays only the ones that deserve to be drunk now.

How can one appreciate such a wine?

To spend a unique moment, I suggest you to start by choosing your wines. Take your time to absorb the list. For every customer, there is something magical as they get a sense of the magnitude of the history available here. Once you have made your selection of wine at 100 €, 500€ or 1000 €, we can help you build the perfect meal.

Then, our wine waiters bring special care to the conservation, the preparation and the discovery of each bottle. Even if an old bottle has its tags a little tattered, our guests will be delighted with the contents.

How do you decide what to charge for a 50 year-old or 100 year-old bottle?

Of course, I could sell most of my bottles for premium prices at Sotheby’s. I have not chosen to set up in Paris, Tokyo or New York. I am more interested in offering reasonable prices to my guests (from this region or traveling here) who are looking for those exceptional vintages and an authentic experience.

What are you passionate about?

Guilds matter a lot to me because they are about transmitting our heritage to future generations. I was one of the lucky beneficiaries. For me, meeting a well-known Chef like Georges Blanc or Pierre Trois-Gros, even for a short while, is a moment of great emotion and pride.

Though these informal Chefs’ guilds, our team members get valuable experiences. I also appreciate it when the Chef is at the piano in the kitchen and not just traveling to his restaurants in five continents. I also love making my visit to the daily market. We have about one hundred great producers within a 20 km radius of Vienne.

Patrick Henriroux is the Chefs’ Coordinator at Relais & Châteaux, a family of 480 prestigious hotels and restaurants in 56 countries. He is also the owner of the Relais & Châteaux La Pyramide in the Rhone valley, France.