Brocante and cuisine: a winning duo for more sustainable gastronomy

In a world where customization and made-to-measure products dominate gastronomic trends, some chefs and restaurateurs are taking a different path, that of salvaging and second-hand. Rather than opting for new crockery or decors tailored to their image, these culinary professionals choose to unearth their pieces from flea markets, brocantes and vintage collections. This approach is often part of an eco-responsible, creative philosophy deeply rooted in culinary culture. through the testimonies of four chefs and restaurateurs, Gault&Millau explores the reasons behind this approach, and how it enriches their culinary identity and the experience of their customers.

Hunting for passion

For Alain Ducasse, unearthing unique items at flea markets and brocantes, or on his travels, has become a veritable art of living. This passion was born in 1995, when he acquired and then renovated the Bastide de Moustiers. " The original plan was to make it my own home. So I took a particular interest in decorating it. That' s when I started scouring flea markets and antique shops all over the region," recalls the chef, who is always on the hunt for new finds for his various manufactures.

" They each feature five to ten major pieces, all of which have been sourced. This approach allows us to give the same style to all our factories, but using different elements each time. It ' s a bit of a treasure hunt, which is great fun," says the chef.

This sense of satisfaction is shared by Thomas Bonnel, co-founder of the Mieux and Super Huit restaurants in Paris. " My partners and I love antiques. It's always been in our DNA. In our first restaurant, Mieux, we wanted something with a strong sense of identity, with an urban inn feel and country-style crockery. We could only achieve this by scouring stock clearance depots and flea markets."

Recycle and save

David Gallienne, chef at Le Jardin des Plumes restaurant (3 toques) in Giverny, is also a devotee of antique shops and flea markets for crockery and decoration, notably for his guest house O Plum'Art. " It's always been part of my upbringing to recycle or divert objects. When I was a kid, for lack of means, we always bought second-hand ", he admits.

Jean Covillault is no different. Since taking part in the Top Chef TV show, the young chef has opened several short-lived restaurants, which didn't leave him enough time to amortize the cost of buying new crockery. " I'd rather spend more time looking for second-hand items than paying full price," he admits. " Besides, it's part of my personal convictions to limit my consumption and salvage. I know flea markets and destocking places. I also have friends who lend me crockery... My cooking is simple, so I don't need bespoke plates to showcase what I do. "

The same goes for the decoration of his ephemeral venues, where Jean Covillault takes great pleasure in entertaining his customers: " My projects are pretty fun. People have to have a laugh... I feel that if everything is smooth and uncluttered, the place has less personality. Recently, I found a magnificent duck-shaped lamp! I kept it for my apartment ", he laughs.

For his part, David Gallienne loves collecting antique trunks and toy boxes, which take him straight back to childhood. " I think it's pretty and quite symbolic," he says. It's a sentiment that Alain Ducasse might well understand, as one of his favorite pieces is a confectionery representative's briefcase from 1932, containing dozens of candy samples encased in glass tubes!

As for Thomas Bonnel and his collaborators, one of their finest finds is a Pictet fridge simply found in the basement of their restaurant Mieux. " It ' s an old wooden fridge once used by butchers to hang pieces of meat. We opened a cellar right next to the restaurant, which was a butcher's shop over 100 years ago. We felt that the two establishments should have been one in the past. We completely refurbished it to turn it into a darkroom for fermentation," he enthuses.

Mixing old and new

While all these chefs and restaurateurs enjoy unearthing old crockery and giving a second life to old furniture, none of them shy away from the pleasure of acquiring something new. " We call on a lot of craftsmen for our restaurants. The most recent example is Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut, whom we asked to make his landscape furniture for our Maison Baccarat restaurant in Paris's 16ᵉ arrondissement, which opened in mid-September ," explains Alain Ducasse. " I like to combine the ancient with the modern! ", concludes David Gallienne. "It brings character and an interior you won't find anywhere else. To achieve this, we commission certain pieces from artists who work with us on a bespoke basis "... Until they are used again elsewhere, for another adventure...