Project Foodie - French Cuisine by a True Canadian Chef

French Cuisine by a True Canadian Chef

Photo courtesy Jason Bangerter, Auberge du Pommier

Imagine overlooking the sea from a small fishing village on the coast of Brittany as you inhale the salty steam wafting up from a bowl of freshly cooked mussels. Savour the lingering smells of fresh baguette, pain au chocolat and rich dark roast café as you enjoy open-air breakfast on a quaint bistro terrace.   Sample cheese and charcuterie in a family owned shop that has stood in its cobble stoned location for the past 300 years.

This is how it happens. Spend any amount of time in France and you will come away with an unparalleled respect and appreciation for food, whether you consider yourself a "foodie" or not. You can't help but drink in the passion and pride of the artisans producing the world's richest and most flavorful ingredients. Their traditions are centuries old; their techniques and recipes have been perfected by generation after generation. For an eager young chef, as I was when I first arrived in France, there can be no experience more intoxicating.

From as early as I can remember I knew I wanted to be a chef. And by no coincidence, also as early as I can remember, my family began spending summers on the coast of Nova Scotia with my grandparents at their cottage on Amherst shore. It was a time of relaxation, family gathering, tradition and good food - very good food! My grandparents are wonderful cooks, who enjoyed preparing great feasts of family rooted dishes. They would spend hours preparing, using only local ingredients and tinkering endlessly in the kitchen. I recall vividly the aroma of fresh breads, pies and cookies in the morning, simmering braises in the afternoon and the sweet salty smell of the seafood we would boil in the early evenings after a bountiful clam dig on the beach or visit to the lobster docks. Nova Scotia for me came to represent the very best of my culinary heritage; what my family and my country had to offer. When I arrived in France, I understood clearly what was available to me - a whole new country and a whole new family's worth of cooking.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but food in France is amazing. There is resourcefulness in the way the French cook so that an ingredient is used to its maximum potential for maximum flavour. As well, I was astonished by the endless variety of dishes that were being prepared, each one so distinctive and unique. And each region has specific ingredients for which it is known and respected.   Normandy for example is renowned for its lush dairy pastures and apple laden orchards, Burgundy for its fine wine and abundant forests filled with game and wild mushrooms and Provence for its fresh herbs, seafood and beautiful vegetables. French dishes all start from some simple pure ingredient and evolve into a complex multi-layered flavour experience. I loved this because I grew up watching my grandparents evolve and perfect each and every family recipe. The process is what advances a dish - everyone's input - trying a new spice or a new technique. Creating depth of flavour is what's most captivating, and no one understands that better than the French.

My extraordinary culinary experience in Europe has led me to Auberge du Pommier in Toronto, an Oliver Bonacini restaurant. I could think of no better place, based on my commitment to providing inspired classic French cuisine but with a modern twist. Plus visually, Auberge pays homage to the rustic richness and patina of French country living. It feels like a place where a wonderful French meal and fine bottle of wine should be savored and enjoyed.

People sometimes shy away from French cuisine for health reasons, perceiving it to be heavy, full of cream and butter. But this is not the case, certainly not at the Auberge. French cooking has evolved considerably. Our flavors are derived from vegetable pureés and the reduction of natural juices. We use lovely, interesting oils, unique vinegars, lots of fresh citrus and fine herbs.   In fact, I pride myself on taking a classic French recipe and evolving it to a lighter, more refined dish.

I suppose it seems strange that a Canadian boy who found his passion for cooking on a beach in Nova Scotia would end up as a fine dining chef of haute French cuisine. But all great cooking is rooted simply in tradition, family and the availability of wonderful, fresh ingredients. Canadian food will also evolve to the level of French cuisine.

Just give us a few more centuries.

Written by Jason Bangerter

About Jason Bangerter

Chef de Cuisine, Auberge du Pommier

At the helm of Auberge du Pommier since 2002, Bangerter has proven time and again that French cuisine, while rooted in the classics is ready and waiting for exciting, creative reinterpretation. Classically trained in Britain under uber-chef Anton Mosimannan and seasoned by his experience running top-rated Mosimann dining rooms throughout France and Switzerland, Bangerter continually draws on his gastronomic repertoire to push Auberge du Pommier's culinary vision higher, faster, smarter.