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For their very first appearance at the St. Barth Gourmet Festival, the close-knit duo of Pierre and Cristina Chomet is setting up shop at Bagatelle with their fusion cuisine that blends influences from France, South America, and Thailand. Meet a passionate chef couple who blend their inspirations with Caribbean flavors.
What attracted you to the invitation to participate in this 13th edition of the St. Barth Gourmet Festival?
Pierre Chomet: What appealed to us was the chance to come to Saint Barth, discover a new region, a new culture, a new culinary scene, meet people—professionals, food enthusiasts…—and get away from the gray skies of Paris! Plus, the number 13 is my lucky number!
Is this your first time on the island? What do you like most about the island’s atmosphere and this exceptional setting?
Pierre Chomet: Yes, this will indeed be our first time in Saint Barth. What we’ll enjoy most is, of course, the island’s spirit. I lived in Thailand for years, so I’m finding a bit of that here: the island’s spirit, the sea, nature, the landscapes, and getting away from Paris for a little while.
You cook and create together every day. How do you divide up the creative process within your duo when designing the festival’s original menus?
Pierre Chomet: Cristina and I have been lucky enough to work in harmony for four years now, bringing together two distinct worlds: Latin America for Cristina, and Asia and Brittany for me. We build a dish together, we imagine it together, but we always try to stick to a single direction for any given dish. That is to say, if we decide to create a starter inspired by Latin America, we won’t add lemongrass or ginger that would evoke Asia. Conversely, if we decide to work on a fish dish that reminds us of Thailand, we’ll go all out with Thai spices and curries. Our golden rule is to never mix our two culinary identities on the same plate. We work together, but our menu is designed as a journey through France, Venezuela, and Thailand: it moves between all these culinary worlds, but you’ll never find two of them in the same dish.
How will your culinary identity align with the spirit and ingredients of the Caribbean on your menu?
Pierre Chomet: Our culinary identity complements Caribbean ingredients. Of course, we asked Rocco and Manon (Executive Chef and Pastry Chef at Bagatelle, ed.) to help us find local fruits and vegetables, as well as the dishes their customers usually enjoy. We’re not here to revolutionize fine dining, but rather to try to delight them—and to delight ourselves! We incorporate Caribbean ingredients as much as possible, infusing the dishes with joy, good cheer, and sunshine—featuring vegetables, fruits, and fish.
Can you reveal a flavor, an ingredient, a flavor combination, or a surprise dish that guests will have the privilege of tasting?
Pierre Chomet: For the main course, we’ve gone with a land-and-sea dish centered around lamb. Once again, we asked Rocco and Manon if people in Saint-Barth like lamb. So we’re serving lamb, smoked sardines, celery, and a very fresh, very herbaceous chimichurri. I hope we’ll be able to use some slightly different herbs that we find locally to put our own spin on the chimichurri as well.
Is there a local ingredient or regional spice that you were particularly eager to highlight in your dishes?
Pierre Chomet: I was really looking forward to working with mahi-mahi, because everyone’s been telling me about it for so long that I’m genuinely curious to taste it and cook with it.
What emotion or taste memory do you hope to leave with the food lovers who come to dine at your table?
Pierre Chomet: The taste memory we’d like to leave is one of sharing and a culinary journey. That’s what really represents Cristina’s and my cuisine: ajo blanco, chimichurri, miso chocolate... We’ve truly created something that reflects who we are and that we love. I really hope that the people who come to enjoy our menu will understand what we’re trying to do. I hope our guests will understand the approach we take every day in Paris, and that we’ll have the pleasure of sitting down together, sharing a drink, and chatting… and maybe even welcoming them one day to our Parisian restaurant, Ambos!
