Matthieu Bonnier, born in Nantes in 1978, found his inspiration in his grandparents’ kitchen and is the Chef de Cuisine of French Window Brasserie and Bar in Hong Kong.
My name is Matthieu Bonnier, and I’m the Chef de Cuisine of French Window Brasserie and Bar in Hong Kong. I was born in Nantes in 1978 and grew up in a middle-class family. My mother and father were teachers, so you can imagine my childhood was based on some fairly strict rules, but my environment was rich and open-minded.
It was from my grandparents that I got the inspiration to become the chef I am today. My grandfather was a wine enthusiast who owned a massive cellar under their house, and he was also a fine cook. My grandmother, on the other hand, made her kitchen the main room of the house, and that’s where she spent most of her day.
Times were different back then, and nothing mattered more than family. Making an apple pie was a way to communicate and spend time together… It was a great way to learn!
I’ve been working in the field for almost 20 years. The most important day of my career was the day I met my chef and mentor in France during my apprenticeship: he set the course of my career and had a huge influence on me. The most important day of my life was when my daughter was born last year.
Believe it or not, becoming a chef wasn’t that easy. I started working in restaurants part time at a very young age, and my first job, just to make some pocket money, was making pizza with one of my parents’ neighbors. Then I went to cooking school, which wasn’t the best move in my case: I wasn’t very studious, and sitting in a classroom for long hours didn’t fit the idea I had of becoming a chef. All that led me to my apprenticeship, which was an absolute blessing for me, because that’s where I met my mentor when I was 15 years old.
I love all sorts of cuisines and eateries. It’s hard for me to pick one, because I have a lot of respect for every single one I’ve been introduced to over the years.
When it comes to my field of expertise, my favorite would have to be French, of course! Then again, so many dishes deserve a place, although I’d have to pick the mussels, since they represent my menu in so many ways.
As for my own taste as a guest, I tend to go for dim sum on Sundays and Japanese during the week, with a bit of Italian here and there. Oh, and my wife (who’s Chinese) cooks at home, so a lot of Chinese dishes too.
Overall I’m very open-minded when it comes to food, but I do have a secret: “I’m a sweetaholic”… I love my desserts. I love playing my guitar… when my schedule allows! I also played rugby for many years and still love watching the game.
Maybe not a wish, but a piece of advice. Did you know that many French recipes, if not all of them, are known to have come from mistakes made by their makers? A little too much of this, then a little too much of that… You expect things to go wrong, and the next thing you know, they turn out perfect.
My point is this: before a dish becomes perfect and comes to fruition, you should never feel disappointed when your recipe doesn’t turn out quite the way you wanted, because you might just have found another one of those classics.
