What was it like to cook for leaders Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron? One of the world’s top chefs shares his experience
Hong Kong (CNN) — During the 11 years Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been in power, he’s unintentionally kicked off numerous food and travel trends, from boosting the sale of bao in Beijing to accelerating the sale of an English pub.
But when it comes to the official state dinners he attends, rarely does the public have a chance to experience those same dishes themselves.
Until now.
Back in early May, Xi headed out on a whirlwind trip through Europe, his first since 2019. While in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a formal state banquet at the Elysee Palace in the Chinese leader’s honor, marking the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties.
But curious diners hoping for a chance to sample what the two world leaders were served won’t find the dishes in Paris.
For that, they’ll have to head to Hong Kong restaurant Plaisance, which has launched a special China-France State Dinner Experience menu that’s available till late June.
The restaurant is an outpost of Mauro Colagreco, chef-owner of famed eatery Mirazur in Menton, France, and one of just three chefs called in to create the state dinner menu.
The chance to cook for a mystery guest
Colegreco says the opportunity to cook for the famous world leaders started with a phone call from the Elysee Palace.
“[They were] asking me to take part in the menu for this state banquet, without knowing who the guest president would be, for reasons of state secrecy,” Colegreco tells CNN in an email, adding that he quickly said yes to the assignment.
“This adds to the excitement, as you never know what the guests’ tastes will be. But in the end, we created a menu that is very true to the cuisine I love, with exceptional products and delicate flavors.”
Colegreco was tasked with designing the starter of the night.
With his Italian-Argentine background and experience in France, the chef is known for fusing influences from all of those cultures, with a strong focus on seasonality and sustainability.
In 2019, he became the first non-French chef to earn three Michelin stars in France with Mirazur. It was crowned the No.1 restaurant at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards that same year.
Colagreco says their team only had a month to design and prepare their dish for the state dinner – but the chefs were given “carte blanche” to create whatever they liked as long as it “was representative and respectful of French products.”
“I must admit, I was quite confident when I found out who the guest was; I have a deep love for Asia and my very first experience there was in Shanghai in 2011,” says Colagreco.
In addition to the Plaisance restaurant in Hong Kong, his restaurant group now has five establishments in mainland China.
Colagreco says it was a challenging and thrilling experience to create a menu for the two world leaders.
After developing the recipes, the chefs sent their various requirements and lists of ingredients to the Elysee Palace kitchen team, led by chef Fabrice Desvignes.
Then, on the morning of the state dinner, the Mirazur team arrived to start preparing for the evening alongside the other chefs. Within this short period, Colagreco says they had to be flexible and make their way around the unfamiliar kitchen quickly and smoothly.
“Then we had a visit from Mrs. Brigitte Macron in the kitchens, which really reassured and motivated us,” he says of meeting France’s First Lady.
“It’s quite a responsibility to cook for her. It’s only now that we realize how lucky we were to be part of this wonderful moment.”
The starter that wowed China’s First Lady
A total of 250 guests were invited to the state dinner.
The final menu was relatively short – a three-course meal to suit the leaders’ tight schedules.
Colagreco’s starter was a Tourteau crab (homegrown crab from France) and Oscietra caviar cake blanketed by a beautiful pink and purple flower-infused jelly casting.
“The whole team took the time to come up with a surprising dish,” says Colagreco.
“We had to offer flavors that would appeal to everyone’s taste buds, but also present our culinary identity. The aim was to showcase our expertise in healthy eating and respect for the product.
“But it was also an artistic and colorful presentation, with the veil of our cosmos flowers that we brought from our unique Mirazur gardens. Aesthetics are very important because it’s the first approach to a dish and this one is particularly refined.”
And thankfully for the chef, that attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed.
“The Chinese president’s wife seemed to find it very attractive, so mission accomplished,” he says.
Colagreco was able to talk to the guests at the end of the dinner. That was when he says Peng Liyuan, Xi’s wife, thanked him and complimented the aesthetics, finesse and flavors of the starter.
Pierre Gagnaire, chef of the eponymous three-Michelin-star restaurant in Paris, was in charge of the evening’s main course.
He opted to serve slow-cooked Bresse chicken and morels in a blend of Cognac, Port and Madeira wine and chicken stock. The dish was topped with a sauce made with Vin Jaune, a special white wine made in France’s wine-making Jura region.
The dessert, strawberries and verbena pavlova, created by Délicatisserie founder and superstar pastry chef Nina Métayer, wrapped up the evening.
Fromagerie Quatrehomme, a cheesemonger and refiner in Paris since 1953, curated the cheeses for the event. All the serveware used during the dinner was provided by La Manufacture de Sèvres, which was founded in 1759 and is one of France’s principal royal/national porcelain factories.
‘Food is what binds the world together’
At Colagreco’s Plaisance restaurant in Hong Kong, diners will get to sample all three of the dishes Xi and Macron were served during the recent state dinner.
The chef says the dishes and ingredients remain true to the original versions – only the presentations will be adjusted as the tableware will be different.
For those who have a bit more time than Xi and Macron, the restaurant also offers a longer menu with three additional dishes from the Mirazur and Plaisance restaurants. The cost of the three-course option starts from 1,888 Hong Kong dollars ($241), while the six-course menu is 2,888 Hong Kong dollars ($369).
Having moved to France in 2001, then opening Mirazur in 2006, Colagreco says the state dinner was a special moment for him.
“I am truly proud and honored to have been chosen for this exceptional dinner and to represent France, my host country for almost 23 years, through my cuisine,” says the chef, who is now 47 years old.
“I truly believe that food is what binds the world together. Cooking is an act of love. As chefs, it’s our duty to pass on these values of sharing and to contribute to a positive atmosphere for this kind of diplomatic dinner. We are ambassadors, using our cuisine to showcase French know-how and to introduce people to our culture through flavors and combinations of tastes.”
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