Hugo Bourny explores the cuisine of rare plants at Lucas Carton

At Lucas Carton, chef Hugo Bourny unveils an original menu entirely dedicated to aromatic plants. These plants can be found alive at the heart of the restaurant. A rare experience available from September 24 to the end of October.

Tiana Salles Published on 9/25/25 at 2:22 PM

Right in the heart of Paris, in the kitchens of Lucas Carton, Hugo Bourny explores the singular flavors of living herbs. After his cart of fresh infusions, prepared in the dining room, the chef has taken things a step further with a complete menu built around four unusual plants. " I really like rare, unknown plants. I love discovering new flavors and sharing them," he explains.

A plant walk on the plate

Conceived as a plant walk, the menu features a starter based on rose geranium, followed by fish paired with Milly la Forêt peppermint. Meat is paired with sweet verbena from the West Indies, before a dessert of Nama sage (or Somali sage). The experience ends with an infusion of fresh herbs. " The first product customers see when they come into the room are the plants. It was only natural to give them their rightful place on the plate," adds Hugo Bourny.

Behind this original menu lies the collaboration with Cécile Girerd-Jorry, founder of Vitaminherb. A former agricultural engineer, five years ago she began producing live aromatic plants. After Lille, in 2024 she set up her cultivation in former horticultural greenhouses in Nanterre, where she acclimatizes species from all over the world, in unheated greenhouses, without chemical inputs, respecting the plant cycle.

Hugo Bourny Plantes Rares © Le Photographe Du Dimanche

Her approach follows a circular logic: grown in pots, the plants are delivered to the kitchens, then recovered once they have been stripped of their leaves to be regenerated and sent on to other chefs. Less waste than with cut plants, and a truly collaborative approach: " When I build my aromatic palette, I draw inspiration from the ideas and desires of chefs ," she stresses. It's an exchange that gives Hugo Bourny access to singular plants, for an original menu designed to evolve with the seasons and botanical discoveries.