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URBAN GUIDE

Looking for good ideas and places? With exhibitions, festivals, concerts, shops, capsule collections, restaurants, bars and more, our Urban Guide pages tell you what's on and what's just opened. A great way to discover all the richness and diversity of the Provence culture, shopping, food and drink, from. Local creators also have their say in these pages.

February 2023

Provençal Umami

A travel enthusiast and great fan of Japan, Château de la Gaude chef Matthieu Dupuis-Baumal, takes his team on a journey to bring a taste of the land of the rising sun to our region.

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Super Saiyan provençal, le chef Matthieu Dupuis-Baumal promeut notre cuisine au pays du soleil levant.
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©We on it

Many French chefs have contributed to the influence of French gastronomy abroad over the past 40 years, not only through their reputation but also by opening French restaurants across the globe. Nowadays, some chefs like Matthieu Dupuis-Baumal, firm fixtures in France, are keen to export French cuisine. Marked by his first work placement in Japan aged 21, he has since returned there more than 15 times. In 2018, he took his team on a three-week journey of discovery. “This country’s culture and traditions are a source of discovery and renewal for me,” he explains. This year, he has decided to export Provençal gastronomy to Hiroshima, where he will create four-handed meals with the chef of the 2-star Michelin restaurant Hiroto. Taking emblematic regional products with him – olive oil, herbs, spices, and wines from Château la Gaude – to complement dishes prepared with local Japanese products. The chef plans to immerse himself in the local area to combine Mediterranean products with the Japanese products he discovers on-site during visits to producers of Wagyu beef, gin, sake, and oysters—although the menu outline is in draft form. “It’s this fusion of two gastronomic cultures with developed traditions and crafts that drives me.” The ambition is to bring Provençal cuisine to Japan. But Matthieu Dupuis-Baumal also plans to share his journey and experience with Château La Gaude customers through film screenings, tastings and cooking shows. A nourishing return ticket.

By Clotilde Roux

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