Michel Sarran's good addresses

When you're a chef like Michel Sarran, every product counts, every relationship with the artisan, every taste is a story. Here are some of his favorite addresses in and around Toulouse, to keep in your notebook.

Mathilde Bourge Published today at 3:28 PM

At Michel Sarran 's restaurant (4 toques in Toulouse), cooking begins long before preparation: with respect for the terroir, with trust in passionate hands, with an ear for raw ingredients. From idealistic producers in the Gers to artisans at heart in the Ville Rose, his good addresses are not simply suppliers: they are companions in taste. Here are the ones he likes to share, the ones that inspire him and nourish his ideas... and your palates.

Foie gras from La Famille Tomasella, Aignan

With mother and daughter Antoinette and Patricia at Ferme Auberge La Cave, their passion for the Gers region takes shape around duck: breeding, selection of varieties, cooking, raw livers, magrets, confits... Products they master from start to finish. "My mother already used their products when she had her own inn," recalls Michel Sarran. For him, their raw foies gras as well as their magrets and confits are benchmarks, not only for taste but for history, for their attachment to the soil, to the terroir, to the sincerity of the product.

Where to find us Chemin du Caroy, 32290 Aignan
www.tomasella.fr

Piment du Béarn from Maison Malnou, Poey-de-Lescar

Margaux and Anthony are an inventive young couple who work with Béarn chillies. "We find it smoked or plain, in all its aromatic nuances", stresses the chef. Michel Sarran has even created a signature collection with them, featuring rosemary-smoked piment du Béarn. "I use it in my dishes to replace pepper", he confides. A fine, sensitive work, an exploration of smokings, which broadens the possibilities of a little-known spice.

Where? 42, RD817, 64230 Poey-de-Lescar and 6, rue du Docteur Simian, 64000 Pau
www.maisonmalnou.fr

Coffee at Maison Bacquié, Toulouse

Fragrant coffees, roasting like a musical score, a warm boutique/grocery: for Michel Sarran, Maison Bacquié, on Place Victor Hugo in Toulouse, is more than a supplier, it's a place of daily pleasure. "I love strolling in, chatting with the owners and talking about their latest products. Their coffee? A real addiction, for the chef. "I only drink this one," he laughs, adding that it's also the one he serves to customers in his restaurant.

Where? 5, place Victor Hugo, 31000 Toulouse
www.cafe-bacquie.com

Maison Garcia charcuterie, Toulouse

Maison Garcia is a fixture on the Victor Hugo market. Traditional charcuterie, Toulouse sausages, Spanish charcuterie (hams, chorizos), house cured meats: everything is done with seriousness, rigor and quality. Michel Sarran has been a long-time loyal customer of this scrupulously meticulous company. Maison Garcia's Toulouse sausage is for him a landmark, an obvious choice.

Where to buy? On the Victor Hugo, Saint-Cyprien and des Carmes markets in Toulouse and in the store at 6, avenue de Fontréal, 31620 Villeneuve-lès-Bouloc
www.maison-garcia.fr

Yves Jehanne's boulangerie-pâtisserie in Balma

Yves Jehanne is a craftsman whom Michel Sarran appreciates for his technical skills and his desire to do things right. "He's my former pastry chef. He also took part in the show La Meilleure Boulangerie de France on M6, in which I take part." For the chef, bread is not a simple accompaniment: it's an essential part of the meal. "He also makes very beautiful pastries. He's an excellent professional, generous with his products, humble in his ambition, but always precise."