He is one of those people who choose their professional path as early as their school years, and today it seems as though destiny intervened at just the right moment - because it is difficult to imagine Chef Henri Donneaux in any role other than that of chef and instructor. He graduated from a prestigious culinary institute in Namur, Belgium, specializing in classical French cuisine. Over the next years, he built his career on the international stage, traveling between Belgium, France, and the United States. In Paris, he worked alongside distinguished chefs such as the French culinary icon Guy Savoy - eight-time consecutive holder of the title “Best Chef in the World” in the La Liste ranking - and Thomas Henkelmann, whose restaurant has repeatedly appeared in prestigious culinary rankings, including those of The New York Times.
Years followed in which he managed high-class restaurants, combining French culinary tradition with modern American influences. Bulgaria appeared to add more color to his otherwise colorful professional career and he has dedicated 10 years to it, mainly teaching. Balkan cuisine brings a sense of home, the culinary community knows his name well, and today Chef Henri Donneaux is also the head instructor in the leading program in French and Balkan cuisine, in Sharena Fabrika school for gastronomy..
Shall we take readers into your kitchen and tell them why you eat lentils every week?
First of all, I love lentils because they are extremely healthy and an excellent source of plant-based protein. They are a superfood!
Is there a special way you prepare it?
I like it seasoned with French vinaigrette with Dijon mustard and shallots – both hot and cold.
Lentils are one of those foods that uses few ingredients to prepare. Do you stick to this style of cooking or do you prefer rich dishes with many ingredients?
The more I cook, the more I try to simplify recipes. For me, it's like painting - do you really need a lot of colors to make something beautiful? The art is to stick to the minimum. Including too many unnecessary elements confuses.
And as for lentils, they are very versatile and can be used in both salads and hearty, filling stews. They are suitable for both summer and winter.
What can you most often see in your refrigerator?
Cheese, various types of appetizers, seasonal vegetables, yogurt, eggs, white wine or rosé in the summer.
You have lived in many different places around the world and have tried a variety of authentic cuisines. Do you remember your first impressions of Balkan cuisine? Is there anything that you like today and cook often?
My first impression of Balkan cuisine was that the flavor combinations were very strange. But my palate and my taste comfort zone adapted over time and today I really enjoy it. Sometimes I even get sick of Balkan dishes.
What do you most often bring home when you travel to another country?
Spices, cheeses, appetizers. Anything related to food or cooking that I can't find in my home country. The best memories and the best way to continue the vacation after you get home.
I'll provide a little context for readers who don't know you by saying that you've been living in Bulgaria for nearly 10 years now, albeit with short breaks. You've said more than once that we cook without following a strict sequence and strict recipes. How do you perceive this spontaneity in cooking in our country and what do you most strongly associate it with?
It was a little confusing at first because I had no idea what a dish should look like or taste like, but I cook spontaneously and I found my way around. Once I find the spice, herb, or flavor that characterizes a dish and makes it authentic - like mint with beans, for example - I then follow my instincts for the rest of the recipe.
Does this mean that only professional skills are required of a chef to be good at preparing traditional dishes from an unfamiliar country, or over time, getting to know the entire culture and attitude towards food can have an impact?
Good professional skills mainly help with organization, speed, and understanding of processes. To achieve truly authentic cuisine, one needs to visit the place itself, cook with the locals, and taste the products and food on site. At shared tables, locals tell details and explain what they think makes a dish special, what they like about it, and how it is prepared in their family.
Let's go back to the very beginning - when did you turn to cooking?
I grew up in a family that loved food. As a child, I loved cooking with my mother and grandmother. In high school, a few of my friends studied culinary arts, and I started a summer job at a restaurant and fell in love instantly. My parents respected my choice on one condition – that I study at the best culinary school in Belgium.
You've probably been successfully applying everything you were taught back then for over 25 years, but is there any specific advice you remember? Something that opened doors, showed you new possibilities, or simply inspired you?
While I was in culinary school, I worked on the weekends at a restaurant with an Italian chef who had a very spontaneous cooking style. I really enjoyed that and I think it's still my favorite way to cook to this day.
Years later, in New York, in a casual conversation with a supplier, he told me: “No matter how good a cook you are, in the end it all comes down to properly calculating food costs."The first experience helped me find my style, and the second gave me wise career advice."
Undoubtedly, in our country, in recent years, cooking has become increasingly popular and it seems that the field is moving very dynamically on a global scale. How do you see the development of the culinary industry in the last 10 years? What has changed and why?
On a global scale, I think our industry has been dynamic for a very long time. Creative and interesting concepts have become more accessible, and maybe that's why we perceive food as more attractive today.
In the past, restaurants were based on the skills of the chef and his ability to prepare delicious food. Today, due to the shortage of qualified personnel, chefs are forced to create menus with different (not better!) combinations of flavors, spices and textures, in order to be attractive, but easy to execute. My all-too-frequent comment is: “Good idea, bad execution!".
What remains hidden from customers and people who don't understand the processes in the kitchen?
While guests experience the atmosphere, the coziness, the convenience, or the flavors of a dish, they don’t see the mechanism behind it all. The “creative chef-poet” and the other chefs having fun cooking together are just an illusion. Creating the perfect dish is possible when a system is built with discipline, repetition, working under pressure, precision, hygiene rules, inventory, constantly changing plans. So, yes – all of this is part of the daily reality of a chef.
What has changed in our attitude towards food, given the growing number of people who are oriented towards cooking and what influence do topics such as clean food, healthy lifestyle, proper crop cultivation, etc. have?
There was a time when food was simply fuel for energy in everyday tasks. Today, the focus has shifted from tastes to fashion and luxury. Today, there are many opportunities for young people related to food – food photography, menu creation, cooking, food concepts and more, and more. When it comes to the future of food, chefs need to be creative and focus on the local products they have, rather than striving to source everything at all costs.
What attracted you personally to the project to create the "Sharena Fabrika"?
Besides the opportunity to create a culinary school from scratch, I was attracted by the positive energy and incredible spirit of the people who initiated the project. We are building a team of great people, driven by the same goal. There are no boundaries!
Read more about the main programs and the culinary month of Chef Henri Donneaux and Chef Stefan Yakich - chief instructor in the French Cuisine program at FERRANDI Paris in the BACCHUS article - "The High Hats".
What programs will future students study?
The educational program will include three main professional programs in French and Balkan cuisine, French pastry, and Bread & Bakery. We worked together with the chefs of FERRANDI Paris on the training approach and borrowed the best practices. We are all united by the concept of focusing on the practical part with smaller groups of students.
As an alternative to the main programs, we will also offer shorter practical programs that will not include theory.
What opportunities does a partnership with an institution like FERRANDI Paris open up for students?
FERRANDI Paris is an institution with a 100-year history. All our chief instructors have undergone technical and pedagogical training in Paris and are ready to pass on this valuable knowledge to the students. They will also have access to the contacts and network that this institution provides.
And finally – what do you like most about your job?
The transfer of knowledge. Watching the students I have taught grow in their professional careers.
