This month, we meet David Toutain, chef at the prestigious restaurant of the same name in Paris's7th arrondissement.
David Toutain granted Castalie morning interview upstairs in his restaurant, leaving his wife Thai and his team in the kitchen for just a few moments.
The David Toutain I met was very welcoming and a little shy. An outstanding young chef, well known and respected in the industry, he seems to count the seconds when talking about himself. He begins soberly by telling me his age (33) and where he is from (Normandy).
Can you tell me a little about your career?
I started cooking at the age of fifteen. After four years at hotel school, I went to La Bourride in Caen. A year later, I arrived in Paris, at L'Arpège, where I stayed for three years [including two as Alain Passard's sous chef – editor's note]. Three years working with vegetables, then on to Pierre Gagnaire and Bernard Pacaud at L'Ambroisie. I then worked at Marc Veyrat in Savoie for three years as well, before leaving for the Spanish Basque Country to join the team at Mugaritz for a few months. Then I set sail for the United States: I left for New York. I lived there with my wife for two years before returning to Paris to work at L'Agapé Substance. We then set off again to travel around the world, from San Francisco to Melbourne. For a year, we did four-handed dinners, charity dinners, cooking demonstrations...
Was it after returning from this world tour that you opened your restaurant?
Yes. My wife and I wanted to open a restaurant in our neighborhood, the7th arrondissement. It took some time to find the right premises and get everything set up... We opened in December 2013.
I hear there's already a waiting list of several weeks to come and taste your cuisine...
Yes, several weeks indeed, but we have to be careful, because just because we're fully booked weeks in advance doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels. We also question ourselves a lot.
How can you recognize a dish created by David Toutain?
You should be the one to tell me! I would say it's raw cuisine, where you can taste the natural flavors of the ingredients. The technical aspects are hidden to highlight the ingredients. There's also a vegetable aspect to the dishes.
Raw cuisine, in keeping with the decor: wood, concrete, flat gray surfaces... The solid wood tables are gradually being dressed: napkins, glasses, pebbles, bowls, terracotta...
Head chef of your own restaurant at 33, known and recognized by your peers... What is your greatest achievement?
My little boy. He's the best.
That's adorable... Without further ado: how did you hear about Castalie
Franck [Pinay-Rabaroust – editor's note] from the Atabula news site told me about Castalie I was looking to install a microfiltered water system. I chose this system primarily for space reasons, but also for the quality of the water and Castalie interesting approach.
This is the famous moment in Chinese portraiture: if Castalie a dish... ?
I immediately think of oysters with champagne. The fine bubbles... Yes, the fine bubbles, the upscale atmosphere, the difference in temperature too: I imagine the buttons on the machine with the different temperatures...
Thank you, David Toutain.
David Toutain
Website
29 rue de Surcouf
75007 Paris
Tel: 01 45 50 11 10
