In his culinary career spanning three decades, Bonnet has mentored some of the world’s best chefs. We sit down with him to find out what traits he looks out for in today’s hungry cooks and the feeling he gets when they reach their goals
Chefs achieve greatness with their talent, passion for food and cooking, and perseverance to be the best at what they do. It also helps to have the right mentors who help feed their ambitions and guide them as they navigate the tricky world of F&B.
For Julien Royer and Kirk Westaway—two of Singapore’s celebrated chefs who respectively run three-Michelin-starred Odette and two-Michelin-starred Jaan by Kirk Westaway in Singapore—they see that in French chef Antonin Bonnet. Their one-time mentor is the former executive chef of the now-shuttered Michelin-starred French restaurant, The Greenhouse, in the UK, and now helms his own Michelin-starred Quinsou in Paris, France.
Royer remembers Bonnet as “a fantastic cook with a unique touch and style… someone who truly has a deep understanding of Mother Nature, life cycle and agriculture in general”, and working with Bonnet was a “great learning experience”. Westaway agrees, sharing that Bonnet introduced him to the “importance of produce, elegance and refinement”.
It’s been more than 30 years since Bonnet entered the culinary world, and since then, many of those he has mentored—Royer and Westaway aside—have achieved culinary success.
As he continues to share his knowledge with the new generation of chefs, often tapping into his personal experiences that shaped his own culinary career, he shares with Tatler Dining the attributes hungry young cooks need in order to succeed in life and the feeling he gets once they see them achieve their goals.
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How would you define the job of a chef mentor?
Antonin Bonnet (AB): As a mentor, chef and leader, you need to lead by example. You need to show your team that you understand the process, you know which direction you’re heading to, and you’re taking charge of it.
What is good leadership in the kitchen?
AB: Good leadership is about empowering the right people and surrounding yourself with the right talent. And if you have the right talent, let them express it and allow them to take responsibility. You need to give them enough freedom while guiding them in their career. Sure, at one point, they are going to fly away from the nest, but that’s OK too.
Good leadership is also a two-way street—you teach and mentor the young chefs; at the same time, they create something new for you which you keep in this repository of knowledge and new recipes.
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