Q&A with Chef Christophe Bellanca of L'Orangerie in Los Angeles
Taking over the helm of a 27-year-old institution
is never an easy thing. But for 33-year-old chef Christophe Bellanca,
moving from France to head the kitchen at L'Orangerie in
Los Angeles has held some special challenges. For starters, he barely
spoke a work of English when he moved to the United States, creating
some unique communication difficulties with his staff of nine chefs.
Still, he has quickly made a name for himself with his incredible
foie gras courses and delicate touch with other dishes such as white
truffle turbot and steamed cod.
Bellanca rose to fame through the French restaurant system and
came to L.A. from the Michelin two-star Pic in Valence in
the northern Rhone. When he needs help in the U.S. he calls his
friend Thomas Keller. Though his English is still a bit shaky, he
took some time recently to talk with us about his plans to keep
one of the West Coast's most famous restaurants up to par.
CMEplanner: How did you handle the language difficulty
when you first moved here?
Bellanca: For the first three months I spoke only "yes" and "no,"
so it was very difficult. It was also hard to find suppliers when
I couldn't speak to them about what I wanted. But I brought four
chefs with me from France so that helped and eventually it got easier.
CMEplanner: How have you had to change your cooking style
in L.A.?
Bellanca:
There are many things. To begin, Americans want everything cooked
more than in Europe. I had to spend a lot of time watching to learn
what they eat. In L.A. everyone wants to look good so they don't
want anything cooked with butter or cream. Instead of butter we
use the olive oil grown on the South of France estate belonging
to the owner of the restaurant. It has won many prizes in France
and other places.
CMEplanner: Are there other things too?
Bellanca:
Well, in L.A. people seem to have a lot of dietary restrictions
and more and more they just want me to cook specially for them.
In France nearly 90 percent of my customers wanted to eat from a
tasting menu. Here 90 percent want to eat a la carte. They want
to try new things but they don't want a lot of courses. And you
can't do a cheese cart in L.A. No one will touch it. It's very interesting.
They want to eat a lot of vegetables and then they want chocolate
at the end of the meal. Mostly I think they just go out to eat for
the experience.
CMEplanner: Now that you
can speak to your suppliers how is that going?
Bellanca:
Every year the products available here get better and better. The
beef in the U.S. is very good. I get scallops from Maine, fish from
Hawaii, New Zealand, and the Mediterranean. Sea bass, my favorite,
comes from Chile. It's still very hard to get some things here.
There isn't much goat available in L.A. for instance.
CMEplanner: How would you define your cooking style? French classic?
Bellanca:
There isn't strictly Italian or French cooking any more. It's
all fusion. I was trained in a classic French style but then I make
things that are all my own. I'm influenced by all countries--France
for sure, but also by many other places.
CMEplanner: What is your
cooking philosophy?
Bellanca:
You must start with good ingredients. Don't make things complicated.
Let people taste the food. There shouldn't be any strange pieces.
If it's not necessary on the plate it shouldn't be there. Everything
should support the main ingredients and each dish should play well
with the other.
CMEplanner: What's in the future for you?
Bellanca:
I just want the restaurant to keep getting better. Patisserie
is very important to me. In L.A. it has to be perfect. My day begins
at 8 a.m. and I finish at midnight at least five days a week so
it's a lot of work to make things right. Eventually I'd like to
own a small restaurant that will seat only about 50 people with
six or seven dishes. Simplicity is always best.
* * *
Eggs in the shell with
Sevruga Caviar paired with a 2002 Macon-Prisse Les Clochettes
L'Orangerie Restaurant
903 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 652-9770
www.Lorangerie.com
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