By Michael Nagrant
Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz might be battling it out for their share of the cookbook market (one report says Achatz’s Alinea is handily outselling Keller’s Under Pressure), but the mega chefs have nothing but the highest regard for each other professionally – even after collaborating on a recent series of ultralavish “Mentor-Protégé” dinners that could easily have led to ego clashes and chef-knife rattlings. Here, they talk to the Buzz about their working relationship and how they approached the dinners, the last of which was held this month at Keller’s French Laundry.
Grant Achatz
From Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, the list of mentor-protégé relationships is long. A rarity, though, is to have both parties at the top of their game at the same time, a situation that can lead to jealousy, insecurity and worse. But that’s not the case for Thomas Keller and his onetime protégé Grant Achatz.
The duo has managed to maintain a collegial harmony, culminating in a series of $1,500, 20-course “Mentor-Protégé” dinners held over the past two months to celebrate the publication of Keller’s cookbook Under Pressure and Achatz’s Alinea.
Of course, it took time for the relationship to evolve. When Achatz first arrived at The French Laundry, “he was certainly a subordinate,” says Keller. “He worked to become somebody we collaborated with, and as he became more proficient, he had a significant impact.”
Now they view each other as colleagues. “It reminds me of [the late chef] Jean-Louis Palladin, someone I admired from afar,” says Keller. “When he became a colleague, it made me proud that I reached that level – maybe not that level, but one where I could have a conversation with him.”
Likewise, Achatz – who named one of his sons Keller – says their collaboration “has been very rewarding in that it makes me realize that I have made it to some degree.” In fact, he sees it as more legitimizing than all of his media accolades and awards.
“Thomas Keller is a very thoughtful and deliberate person,” Achatz notes. “He wouldn’t do [these dinners] at this level and charge this price if his wingman wasn’t worth the price of admission.” But, he adds, “I am still the grasshopper, of course. He is still the man.”
Thomas Keller
The deference that each shows the other has roots in the lessons of Keller’s mentor, chef Roland Henin. “More than any cooking technique or life lesson he ever taught me is that the most important thing I do as a chef is nurture people,” says Keller, adding: “My feeling is more like being a father … It’s someone you saw as a youngster and you have an overwhelming pride when they succeed. Our role is not to break down or ignore the next generation, but to nurture it.”
Even so, there’s a lingering bit of the old sous-chef/executive chef relationship. During the first collaborative dinner at Per Se in New York on November 11th, Achatz recalls getting a bit vocal with the service team and “cracking the whip” when Keller telegraphed with his eyes that Achatz needed to tone it down. Achatz says, “I know that look, so I shut up.”
Their collaborative success is not wholly about deference. They also share a similar work philosophy. Of Achatz, who famously sent his résumé to the French Laundry almost every day for a month until he got a job, Keller says, “He had so much tenacity, much the same way I was persistent about my goals and what I wanted to do.”
And on the plate, they’re both very concerned with appealing not only to the palate, but the heart and brain as well. That approach was evident during their collaborative dinner series.
Achatz and Keller spent weeks discussing how to achieve a balance between their cuisines, and it showed in the results. For example, during the collaborative dinner at Alinea on December 2nd Achatz’s silky potato truffle soup – aka Hot Potato, Cold Potato – was followed by Keller’s pumpkin soup topped with sea urchin sabayon and black truffle purée, aka Jacobsen’s Farm Musquee de Provence soup. Though they looked nothing alike, both dishes were very comparable studies in temperature and textural contrast.
Probably the most significant explanation of their shared success, though, is found in their differences. Keller celebrates simplicity (though the execution of his cuisine is by no means simple) in his pursuit of taste perfection, while Achatz often embraces complexity while striving for perfection. The best part about their recent collaboration was that for three nights, diners lucky enough to attend didn’t have to make a choice between those philosophies but simply got to enjoy the fruits of both.