Jean-Pierre Jacob

I am 59 years old. I was born in 10 km from that place where now there is my restaurant, in Aix-les-Bains. It is the city of thermal sources in the region Savoie, near the Lac du Bourget.The best fish in the world floats in this lake. I prepare the dishes from the products that grow in my district.

I am a third generation of chefs in our family. In this hereditary profession, there are two ways: either you plunge into it from childhood, or you realize that this is a crazy profession, because ninety percent of your life you spend at work. And I chose to stay in this profession that requires a huge return.

Waking up in the morning, you should understand that you experience the joy of what you’re doing. It is a profession in which you have to be happy and from which you have to enjoy.

My father was a man who loved people. Culinary art — it is a profession in which you have to love people. And the most important thing that I had taken over — it’s kindness and generosity. The interesting thing is that I am doing a lot of effort to achieve something, but I have not reached yet the heights of my father. I have something to aspire.

The decision to become a chef was taken to 15 years. I realized that this is the only thing that I want to do in my life. It seems to me that all the time I wanted to pursue this profession. Also important is that my father never forced me to engage in this profession. And I think this is very important because parents should never force children to engage in any business. Especially if it’s a family affair.

I do not know the components of a good fortune. But I think I’m a lucky man. And this is largely due to my profession because it allows me every day to meet new people. Yes, I am a happy man. In fact, it’s not even a question of happiness, but a question of motivation. And this is the hardest thing, because you have to fight for it every day, and every day find something that makes you move on.

The most important thing in life — it’s the moments of happiness. And during those moments in life we need to cling to them, and to remember always about them. And more. People like to complain. The most important thing — it does not complain. Because if you wake up in the morning and you’re healthy, then you are happy.

We must always stay humble and simple. You should never think that you have reached the heights. Now there is a new generation of chefs. Having heard that the reporting or TV show were made about them, they become so «inflate» that don’t pass through the door.

Usually I do not expect rewards. But when I got my first award, I realized that this is not only my personal achievement. This is the merit of the entire team that worked with me. The most important thing — never stop.

We have a very difficult profession because we sell pleasure. If a person has gone without a smile from our restaurant, so we were wrong. And it’s very hard, because every day and every time you need to make people happy. We sell pleasure.

I like Asian food. I like the kitchen, where there is not a lot of fat, which, basically, consists of herbal products, and where there is a mix of three tastes: sweet, bitter and sour. And it seems to me that Asian cuisine is very balanced.

Although food can not be compared. Because the kitchen is not special, and a certain dish can be special. For example, Russian “borscht” is just a unique dish for me. I like the taste of beets, the crunch of vegetables, fresh aroma of sour cream. That is why I say that the culinary art is a special profession that is very rich, because it is the wealth of the world. Therefore, each kitchen is special in its own way.

A dish from the chef: Roasted Salmon Steak with Carrot Puree, Ginger and Spicy Sauces. Three simple ingredients. This dish has beautiful colors. It is very simple ,without fat, cream, butter, because when I cook, I always think about the figure of women, I do not want them to grow fat.