Grandes Tables Suisses

Photo : @Anthony Demierre

Talented chef Franck Pelux and his friend Sarah Benahmed, who is in charge of the dining room, are used to working hand in hand and have done so for many years. In an exclusive interview, The couple talks about the inspirations of their travels and the highlights of their journey together that led them to this new adventure: La Table du Lausanne Palace. Interview.

Grandes Tables Suisses: What is your first memory of cooking?

Franck Pelux: I spent my entire childhood in the family restaurant. I literally grew up with pots and pans and it was during these moments with the family that I took my first steps in the kitchen.

GTS: Close your eyes and think of two dishes…
What is the dish of your childhood?

FP: My mother’s blanquette de veau, my Proust’s madeleine.

What is your “pêché mignon” ?

FP: Chocolate, I love it!

GTS: When did you know you wanted to become a chef?

FP: I always knew that one day I would become a chef. It was always a vocation, something innate and logical for me. I never asked myself what else I wanted to do with my life.

GTS: Becoming a chef is a long road; can you tell us about five highlights of your apprenticeship phase that preceded your arrival at the Palace?

FP: We had many highlights, but if I had to choose, I would say:

Our five seasons at the Vague d’Or in St Tropez. We arrived with Chef Arnaud Donckele in a house that was booming, that was going for 3 stars. It was an incredible experience.
The opening of a restaurant in Singapore for Chef Laurent Peugeot. With Sarah, we were very young, and it was an experience that made us grow and that allowed us to discover foreign gastronomy.
Our years in China, at Temple Restaurant Beijing. It was a terribly hard experience but also incredibly full of richness, sharing and encounters.
The takeover of Le Crocodile in Strasbourg, and all the pressure that went with this adventure.
Our arrival in Lausanne.

x GTS: What is the best advice you have received from a chef?

FP: The best advice a chef could have given me is that you should always question yourself and keep working. It’s when you think you’re good that you go backwards. Success is a daily challenge.

GTS: Who is your master thinker in terms of gastronomy and why?

FP: The chefs I worked with, Yannick Alleno and Arnaud Donckele. They imbued me with their universe, their conception of cooking and their vision of gastronomy.

GTS: You have just started at the Palace with La Table, what did you want to bring to the place?

FP: At La Table, we wanted to bring our experience and our love for this profession, while imposing our personality by creating a warm setting.

La Table is a restaurant that resembles us; simple, breaking the image that one might have of palaces. Here, we want to welcome our customers as at home.
Franck Pelux

GTS: If you had to describe the cuisine you prepare here in a few sentences, what would they be?

FP: It’s a local cuisine. We try to make the most of the richness of the Swiss terroir while adding our experiences, our desires, our travels, our loves, our favorites. It’s a travelling cuisine with local products.

GTS: What are your favourite dishes on the menu?

FP: I don’t really have a favourite dish but if I had to name two, it would be :

Le Tourteau, souvenir of a Hong Kong alleyway because it is a dish that represents our history; and La Belle Sole Meunière de Bretagne because it is a reassuring dish.

GTS: What cuisine inspires you?

FP: The cuisine that inspires us is Asian cuisine as a whole. More particularly Japanese and Taiwanese cuisine. These are two universes that we like very much. We fell in love with this culture, the passion for the product, the perfection that they have.

GTS: You work with your partner, what is the role of each of you?

FP: With Sarah, we are lucky enough to work hand in hand. Although we each have our own universe,we are a team and we work together. Whether it’s the choice of dishes on the menu or the creation of a setting for the dining room, we do everything together.

GTS: How do you get your inspiration and where do you find it?

FP: Most of our inspiration comes from home, with family and friends. Inspiration can come from anywhere – mainly from our memories, our travels, and the discovery of local products and passionate artisans in the region.

Find out more about La Table du Lausanne Palace on their website: https://www.lausanne-palace.ch/en/restaurants-bars/la-table-du-lausanne-palace/le-restaurant/

Located in the heart of the vibrant city of Lausanne, the magnificent Lausanne Palace reflects the elegance of the Belle Époque. Like its native city, the Palace has adapted to the dynamism of its visitors, while preserving its mark of excellence: the quality of its welcome. Today, the luxury hotel blends tradition, history and elegance with current trends, giving it a youthful and carefree appeal. Ulrike Kuechle Oguey, Guest Relations, tells us about the highlights of the “LP”. Interview.

Madam Ulrike Kuechle Oguey, Guest Relations of the Lausanne Palace

Grandes Tables Suisses: Can you tell us about the birth of the Lausanne Palace?

Ulrike Kuechle Oguey: On 19th June 1915, the Lausanne Palace opened its doors for the first time. The hotel, located in the heart of the city centre, is on the former site of the Belvedere and Beau-Site hotels. In 1911, the Belvedere was demolished to be replaced by the Lausanne Palace, which merged with the Beau-Site building. The Lausanne Palace, a new luxury hotel, competes with the Beau-Rivage Palace located on the banks of Lake Geneva in Ouchy.

GTS: The Lausanne Palace has been “witness to historic encounters”. Can you tell us about one of these meetings? When did it take place?

UKO: The Lausanne Palace has indeed hosted many historic meetings, but one of the most significant was undoubtedly the signing of a treaty of friendship between Turkey and Poland in 1923, as part of the negotiations on the Middle East which led to the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. A historic moment!

GTS: Tell us about a historical part of the hotel, which has been there since day one… What is its history?

UKO: The columns, the wide corridors and the woodwork are defining elements of the Lausanne Palace. The column has become an iconic signature and is featured in the hotel’s logo. The wide corridors decorated with wood panelling are important areas of representation where people parade and look at each other. It is said that the width of the corridors allowed women dressed in imposing dresses to cross each other without changing their trajectory.

GTS: What is one of the most memorable and extravagant events you have hosted at the Palace? Do you have a particular anecdote to this day?

UKO: Lausanne hosted the 2003 G8 and, on that occasion, the Lausanne Palace was hosting some of the delegations. One of the delegations asked us to install a huge red carpet at the main entrance, extending to the reception columns, to welcome a prominent member of their group. As this was his first stay at the Lausanne Palace, everything had to be perfect!

A few hours later, the members of the delegation told us that they wanted to arrive more discreetly through the annexed entrance to the Lausanne Palace, which is located on the street side. We therefore moved the red carpet and readapted the dimensions to this second entrance to meet their wishes.

Shortly afterwards, a third call indicated that the delegation had changed its mind and preferred to keep the first option of the main entrance. We had to urgently prepare another carpet, re-done to the right dimensions. To make matters worse, we were in the middle of a bank holiday, so getting to the contractors quickly and coordinating everything was a real challenge!

Eventually everything was back to normal and the staff was in position to welcome this famous guest. It turns out that at the same time, another delegation arrived and went through the main entrance, which prevented our special guest from going through the red carpet and finally going through the side entrance… Without carpet.

GTS: The famous fashion designer Coco Chanel had her own suite in your hotel, which still bears her name today. Can you tell us how she chose your hotel and how long she stayed there?

UKO: After World War II, the Lausanne Palace welcomed Coco Chanel in exile in Switzerland. She stayed there several times, alternating between the Lausanne Palace and the Beau-Rivage Palace, before settling in a villa on the Sauvabelin side. To remember her stay, we have dedicated a suite to her that bears her name. It is located on the fifth floor in a nod to her lucky number (n°5).

GTS: Who are the other celebrities to have stayed at the Palace?

UKO: The Lausanne Palace has welcomed personalities from the world of entertainment, politics, jet set and sport such as: Pascal Delamuraz, François Mitterand, Bill Clinton, Gerhard Schröder, the Rolling Stones, REM, David Guetta, DJ Antoine, Garou, Roger Moore, Gérard Depardieu, Michel Sardou, Jean Dujardin, Pierre Palmade, Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, Stanislas Wawrinka, Katarina Witt, or even the presidents of the IOC, including Thomas Bach, the latest. The Lausanne Palace has been the official residence of IOC presidents since 1980, initiated by Juan Antonio Samaranch.

GTS: What is the most extravagant request a client has made of you? UKO: Once a VIP booked the presidential suite for a weekend. His arrival was scheduled for Saturday. The day before, the VIP called us and made a very special request: he wanted us to turn the terrace of his room into a botanical garden and to have the room and bathroom decorated in dark tones.

This shows that creativity and flexibility are key at the Lausanne Palace!

Find all the information about the Lausanne Palace on their website: http://www.lausanne-palace.ch

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