Eating out after coronavirus: Michelin star chef plans big changes in the dining experience and in the kitchen
- Yannick Alleno has written a manifesto for post-Covid-19 haute cuisine, and it doesn’t just involve changing the food – it changes the way kitchens are run, too
- The Michelin-starred chef wants to prevent the ‘monumental waste’ generated in normal kitchens and is changing the way his kitchens are run and staffed
He has scaled the heights of French gastronomy, and now Yannick Alleno says it is time to reinvent fine dining for a post-Covid-19 age, both on the table and in the kitchen.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Alleno realised he had not stopped moving since he first entered a professional kitchen at the age of 15.
“I was on life’s highway and running like a madman,” says the 52-year-old.
The philosophy had always been: “You arrive at 8am, you finish at 1am, and you don’t have any choice in the matter.” That approach was highly successful. His modern twists on French classics and scientific dissection of sauces has earned him a glut of accolades.
He runs several distinguished restaurants, including two – Alleno Paris at Pavillon Ledoyen in the French capital and Le 1947 at the French Alps ski resort of Courchevel – with three Michelin stars.