Andreas Karapanos

Citimarks: When was the moment you realized that you want to dedicate yourself to cooking?

Andreas Karapanos: It was during my military service. On the first day, an officer called all soldiers to charge us with missions, depending on our backgrounds. When they asked us if there were any cooks, something pushed me to step in front of the line and shout “Me!”. I knew nothing about cooking.

They named me cook of the barrack and, just as I started to panic, a Deus ex machina stepped in: every morning, I would call my mother, ex-cook herself, to guide me through the recipes, step-by-step. With time, I gave more of myself, and realized how much satisfaction I was getting from cooking for other people; from offering them a meal of my own creation, and seeing the smile on their faces. Indeed, to my great pleasure, the soldiers found my food delicious. Near the end of my military service, it was they who urged me to apply for a cooking school: “You should do it!”. And so, I did.

What are the restaurants that your audacious spirit took you to? 

A year later, with the same determination, I showed up in another restaurant, asking to speak with the chef. Although annoyed for taking him out of the kitchen at dinner time, he offered me a job opportunity. My work was appreciated there, and soon I was offered a position at the award-winning Hakkasan London and at Daniel Boulud’s three Michelin-starred restaurant at Mandarin Oriental London. At Boulud’s, I adopted their strictness in using only top-quality, fresh ingredients: I started paying more attention to raw material and wanted to further explore the alchemy between ingredients, flavors, and textures.

I therefore decided to focus on the best gastronomic restaurants and sent my résumé countless times to the team of Joël Robuchon that I had always admired. My persistence paid off and managed to get a position in his Atelier. At the end of an intensive two-year experience, I moved to L’Abeille of the Hotel Shangri-La, another two-starred restaurant, under the supervision of Christophe Moret. My mind was blown by the quality of their vegetables; tomatoes smelled deliciously from afar! Later on, under the guidance of Alain Ducasse -Moret’s mentor- at the Plaza Athénée, I have learned that "less is more".

"Escoffier invented modern gastronomy as we know it today. [...] He is my inspiration and my spiritual father."

Less is more...I imagine that you refer to the Naturalité: Alain Ducasse’s culinary philosophy advocating a more natural treatment of locally supplied ingredients. What is the benefit from a meal Naturalité?

Naturalité treats vegetables in a new way, offering a holistic culinary experience. Let’s say I am making lobster with beetroot. The beetroot will be decomposed into parts that will acquire different forms and textures. They can be crushed, melted or sprayed; they will be cooked with other ingredients, and delicately blend with the taste of the lobster. The various preparations will all find their way into the dish, offering a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures. By choosing seasonal, organic products, treated in ways that respect their substance, naturalité aims to achieve purity in a flavorful outfit.

What do you remember from your first day in the City of Lights?

Paris helped me pull through the difficult conditions that the hard work of a chef entails. When I first set foot on the Parisian boulevards, I felt that I belonged here. The city gave me strength when I needed it the most.

At the end of my first day at work, I was overwhelmed by that new world opening up to me. I needed to take some fresh air and so I walked from the Arc de Triomphe to the Pont d’Alma: the beauty of the landscape and the majestic architecture filled my heart with enthusiasm. Later, in the same evening, I went up to Montmartre. As I was sitting on the hill, contemplating the city lights from above, I felt like I was closer to paradise. On the way back, I got amazed by the picturesque scenery of the rue des Martyrs and the grandeur of the Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, and the Champs Elysées. The excitement of that first evening gave me the energy I needed and a feeling that the vibe of this city can help me defy the challenges to come.

Are there any ethnic cuisines that you enjoy in Paris and what is your experience from the street food in the city?

Paris does not have a strong street-food culture, because Parisians are not accustomed to eat standing on the street. Even when they don't have much time, they try to enjoy their lunch around a table. It is important for the people here to be able to feel the taste of each meal, something that resonates with the slow-food philosophy and is a clear indication of the love and respect French people have for food. 

With regard to ethnic cuisines, there are so many in Paris and from so many different countries. I enjoy visiting the district of the Pyramides, near the Garnier Opera House, to explore authentic Japanese recipes. A ramen soup and a mix of Gyoza stuffed with chicken and ginger is my ideal combo for diner.

Are there any other up-and-coming chefs we should know about?

You should check out the talented chef Pascal Barbot, owner of the restaurant Astrance. Barbot marries tastes and ingredients from very different cultures and blends them into harmonic and tasteful meals. His out-of-the-box thinking pushes the boundaries of creativity further than other chefs of his age. 

What is the most precious lesson that a chef gave you in Paris?

I remember when Joël Robuchon visited the kitchen to check-out our work. It was a busy evening and everyone was stressed, even the waiters. Faced with this collective panic, Éric Bouchenoire, his right-hand man, turned and told me: “You don’t cook for him, you cook for you.” He was right. I had forgotten the reason I was there: to satisfy my love for cooking. 

We get so focused on meeting the expectations of our chefs that, sometimes, we risk putting aside the pleasure we take from the process of creation. Each chef sets his own standards that we should not use as our single measure: we should try to set the bar as high as we can handle, and build our unique identity as chefs.