All About the Seasons: Creating a World Class Menu at Le Richemond in Geneva

Philippe Bourrel is not the typical Executive Chef. Stationed at Le Richemond, a Dorchester Collection hotel in Geneva, Philippe tends to all sides of the offering at Le Jardin. Not only does he oversee the kitchen brigade, which is made up of nearly 20 staff members, but he also takes care of everything related to the product, from buying to receiving to preparing and serving. This includes managing aspects like cost and quality control, as well as understanding seasonality to ensure that Le Jardin is using the best quality ingredients on their menu at each moment. This attention to seasonality is especially important because Philippe’s menu is built off of the ingredients, and Le Jardin prioritises suppliers with short food cycles, meaning that sometimes Philippe deals directly with farmers to guarantee freshness of products. But it’s only once the products are chosen that the real fun starts. As Philippe explains, building a new menu is “like a cooking contest,” with many trials and revisions before deciding on the final plates. And while the job of Executive Chef requires quite a bit of administrative work, Philippe still dedicates a large amount of his time to being in the kitchen with his team. He does this, he says, not only because he is passionate about cooking but also because “we are responsible for training the next generation.” Learn more about Philippe and the role of an Executive Chef by watching the video.