French chef Antoine Westermann has earned international kudos for Le Buerehiesel in Strasbourg, France, and also for Mon Vieil Ami and Drouant in Paris. Now, working as a consultant in Washington, DC for Willard InterContinental’s two restaurants, the Willard Room and Café du Parc, he’s bringing his culinary vision stateside. The Buzz caught up with Westermann on one of his frequent trips to the capital to get his thoughts on weathering the financial crisis and more.
Zagat Buzz: How will the current economic situation affect restaurants like yours that serve food with a focus on fine ingredients?
Antoine Westermann: These things go in cycles. For a while things will go slowly, but people like to go to restaurants, so I am optimistic. Right now, at moderately priced bistros, like Café du Parc and in Paris too, we must do more “at home” – like making our own charcuterie – to keep costs down. We must still source high-quality products, but we must make sure that we use them all up – not throw some in the dustbin. It is a challenge, yet that is the art of cooking. A chef must respect the produce.
ZB: You talk about sourcing the best ingredients – how do the products in this area compare with France?
AW: Now it is possible to get produce in the U.S that's as good as in France. When I agreed to work with the Willard to develop the bistro, I looked for a young chef [Christophe Marque] to send here who was in love with products. He had to learn English in six months, as well as find local sources for everything from raspberries to pigs’ blood. Since then, he and the hotel’s executive chef, Neal Bailey, work all the time with farmers and growers in the area.
ZB: What changes have you made at your restaurant in recent years?
AW: Simplification – and not only because of the cost. When I cook now, I will not always astonish. But I want people to say, “My god, this is really good,” and then think about it a few weeks later and remember the tastes.
ZB: What do you like to do in DC when you're not in the kitchen?
AW: I call my friend Michel Richard (DC's Citronelle, Central) and we go out to bistros and restaurants. I also love a certain kind of American steak that he makes for me.
– Olga Boikess