François Pelletey, Hugo Genty and Didier Robin, cooks, & Pierre Vandaële, gardener, at Château La Chenevière

Three of them. Three chefs who are helping to turn Château La Chenevière, a fine Norman family home, into a gastronomic destination. At Le Petit Jardin, young François Pelletey brings his dynamism to this bistronomic restaurant, with its large, charming terrace. At Le Botaniste, Hugo Genty, under the supervision of chef Didier Robin, offers his gastronomic vision. What all these offerings have in common is the estate's two kitchen gardens - one of which has recently been extended to 4 hectares - and is managed by market gardener Pierre Vandaële. A gardener out of the ordinary, he not only applies the principles of permaculture, but also considers the impact of his actions on nature. A man who befriends a garter snake, is passionate about amphibians and works the soil on his farm and in the vegetable gardens of La Chenevière with the help of his mare, Victoire.

Gault&Millau: Tell me about your background and how you got into market gardening...

Pierre Vandaële: My very first trade was stone-cutting. Then I decided to take a diploma in carpentry. But I felt it wasn't for me. I kept asking myself: what do I love most? It's always been nature. I've been gardening since I was 3. My grandfather was a coal miner in the North of France, and allotment gardening was very important there. I went off to do a BTS in nature management and protection, but at the time, environmental credits were being cut. For 1,000 BTS, there were only 10 posts. I said to myself: I've got a piece of land and a passion for old vegetable varieties, so I might have a niche. When I set up my own business in 2003, it was an instant success. People were amazed to see tomatoes in all colors, different kinds of squash...

G&M: How did you hear about La Chenevière and how did the large vegetable garden come about?

Didier Robin: I've been working at the château for twenty-four years, and as chef for twenty. I met Pierre at the Bayeux market, where he sells his vegetables every Saturday. That's how the relationship started, when I was looking for very specific products. We've always had a small vegetable garden here, especially for aromatic herbs. But since Pierre took over the estate gardens three years ago, everything has developed considerably, especially with the new kitchen garden.

G&M: In 2003, were you already using organic and permaculture methods?

P. V.: Yes, but I didn't know it! I applied crop management principles very early on. For me, it was common sense. In any case, I could never have done anything that wasn't linked to nature and biodiversity. I'm well aware of the role of beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, but I've always refused to use them. If you introduce a species, you run the risk of deregulating everything. In this case, that's what happened. Everyone bought eggs, and now we're being invaded by Asian ladybugs. Asian ladybirds do eat aphids, but when they run out of them, they attack the food of local species! Personally, I wouldn't even introduce an insect that lives 10 or 15 km from my home! I'll always prefer a species that's already there, and which may have just as beneficial a role to play. I leave the dead wood, I maintain the pond, I don't mow and, if I do, I keep the grass tall to allow amphibians to pass through. As Bill Mollison said, "Permaculture is about working with nature, not against it."

G&M: Can you explain how you organized the large kitchen garden?

P. V.: It was a field with very steep embankments on which we couldn't plant trees, otherwise the vegetable garden would be completely in the shade. There was no space to turn around, even with a horse. The first round of planting consisted in reconstituting a hedgerow with high-growing trees every 10 metres. The second stage involved the shrub layer, with trees having their heads cut off to provide shelter for little owls and beetles... Then we planted the stuffing species between each tree. This is the edible hedge. This year, for example, I planted Tasmanian pepper. We're also going to grow Sichuan and goji berries...

G&M: Do you know if these species will take here?

P. V.: I hope so. In any case, when you plant a tree, there's always a risk, even if it's a local variety. All it takes is one rabbit! I'm happy because, apparently, all my trees have recovered. But I never irrigate. That's another peculiarity of my work: I haven't put a drop of water in the field for over ten years. And, despite last year's drought, I don't think I've ever had such a good yield.

G&M: How do you work together?

D. R.: I've been working with Pierre for years. Once a year, we get together and discuss our wishes for the following year. He checks the catalogs, inventories his seeds and orders what we need. As the months and weeks go by, we see what's coming. Based on that, I start thinking about the menu and what's going to change in terms of garnishes.

Hugo Genty: It all starts with Pierre Vandaële, because he's the one with the knowledge. He can tell us whether this or that vegetable can really grow in Normandy. No matter how much we want avocado, for example, it's going to be pretty complicated! On this clay soil, we can't plant certain varieties of carrots, lentils or coco beans either.

D. R.: Because we always had a problem with the transition between winter and spring, between summer and autumn, I asked him to grow pulses. He grew a type of bean called teggia, which I use as a garnish. I also gave him seeds of another variety that my parents had in their garden. So we're working a bit more on pulses for the shoulder seasons.

G&M: Are you aiming for self-sufficiency?

D. R.: I don't think we can be 100% self-sufficient, but we're going to do everything we can. Citrus, of course, we won't be able to. We've found a producer in the Manche department. I've contacted him, but for the time being, he's not taking on any new customers due to insufficient production. But we're going to make the most of the varieties grown here, which are often uncommon in Normandy. And, if we have surpluses, Pierre can sell them on the market.

P. V.: There are some things I won't be producing any more. For example, garden chicory. I don't have the physical strength. You have to dig pits, pull the roots out of the mud by hand, place them next to each other, cover them up to just above the crown and water. Then add a little wood ash to prevent fungus. And then cover with dry soil and a black tarpaulin under a Nantes tunnel. It's just too hard. What's more, I stopped using plastic straw almost ten years ago. When I see some people doing live soil market gardening and covering their soil like that, I think it's a total aberration!

G&M: Why did you decide to switch to animal traction, in this case the horse?

P. V.: First of all, I've never liked tractors. Mechanics, cars, all that, is not for me. Secondly, I'm very sensitive to pollution. I don't want to leave my daughter a world in such a state. Then there's respect for the soil. Tractors compact them enormously. So it was out of the question for me to use mine. I said to myself: I may not have enough land, I may be almost 50, but never mind, I'll make the transition to animal traction. And it's been nothing but happiness! I walk a lot, so it's good for me, and I find I use less force. I also take fewer bumps in the back than on a tractor. Besides, I've always loved animals. Horses are particularly intelligent and sensitive. You can have an extraordinary relationship with them. I make no distinction between a human being and an animal. We all have hearts, brains and emotions. Even a snake! Does this snake recognize me? Why doesn't it run away anymore? The first time, she took off in a hurry. As time went on, because she always stays in the same place, she was no longer afraid of me. The only animals I get rid of are the coypu. Unfortunately, they're not a local species, but a family from South America. Their only predators are anacondas, piranhas, jaguars... and they are destroying populations of amphibious voles and water shrews, which share the same ecological niche.

G&M: Has your work in the kitchen changed since the creation of the kitchen garden?

D. R.: We're even more respectful of the product, because we know how hard Pierre works and the enormous effort he puts in.

H. G.: The first kitchen garden was already what I liked here, when I arrived ten years ago. Before it became fashionable, there was this awareness of saying: we've got land, we might as well use it to grow vegetables as close as possible to the kitchen. When I met Didier, the chef, it was a cuisine of selected producers, a real craftsman's job, even for a simple potato. But now we're on another level. Having a variety of 5, 10 or 20 types of cabbage also allows us to play with textures and cooking methods. It gives us greater creative freedom. Even if you have to adapt to the weather or other factors. There have been times when we've planned to cook new turnips, only to hear Pierre say two weeks later: "Sorry, there are worms inside and they're no longer presentable...".

G&M: How does contact with chefs help your work evolve?

P. V.: I'm lucky enough to be invited to taste the dishes on each new menu. And when I see what they manage to do... All the things they can create with leeks, kale, little toadstool beet chips, Jerusalem artichokes... With squash, the same. Last year, they let me taste a little mousse with royal acorn, a green squash shaped like a cocoa nut. It was just incredible. All this enriches my approach enormously. When I started out, I grew several varieties of vegetables, but I couldn't get them all to market. Now, in one fell swoop, I can do what I really enjoy, sowing old, little-known varieties. For me, this is a consecration. They recognize my work and make it sublime.