Friday, June 03, 2011

Guy Martin, Portrait of a Grand Chef

Financier Pastry by Carol Gillott Fruit de la Passion et la Fraise, watercolor, 9" x 11"
Financier Pastry I've always wanted to sketch pastries in rows - the way you see them in patisseries windows...
 A wonderful cake sketch of Wayne Thiebaud's et voila!Artists sketch out their ideas before painting. Many pastry chefs, Japanese or otherwise, also sketch before baking their creations. Who knew Michelin 3-star Parisian chefs sketch as well? I watched a fascinating documentary on Guy Martin yesterday. Chef Guy Martin earned his bones not in any culinary school or by doing stages, but on his own cooking in several country chateaux in the Savoy region. He was then invited to cook in one of Paris' grandest restaurants, Le Grand Vefour and won his third star. I've looked in the window and admired the menu, but that's it.

Chef Martin hangs out with artists in his spare time for inspiration...

 Back in the kitchen, Martin sketches out his ideas like this 'red' ratatouille. Quelle surpris!

Another intriguing thing about chef Martin - he invites French school children in gratis for special lunches to educate their palates.
Lucky ducks!
  I'm waiting for an electric knife to cut cleanly through my 'pastry models'...
Hurry up Amazon...

BONJOUR GUY MARTIN, Chef-Sketcher!

15 comments:

  1. Justine7:43 PM

    I'm loving all this creative inspiration passing from artists to chefs and back again!
    BRAVO!!

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  2. Yum, looks to die for.

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  3. I'm not surprised he tries to educate the kids' palates...didn't you write about the mother who was giving her preschooler lunch at home and the school called her in to make sure she was taking the food seriously (school published menus so parents wouldn't make the same lapin a la fricassee for dinner if they had it for lunch)? (If it wasn't you, please chalk it up to my extreme age - yesterday I was asked for the FIRST time if I'm eligible for Senior citizen rates)
    Yes, line those pastries up! That really appeals to my sense of orderliness.

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  4. You can also use your electric knife to cut through foam rubber. See, already the cost per use has been halved!

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  5. Try cutting your pastries with dental floss. I do this with rolled cookies. Place the floss under your pastry and bring the two ends up over the top crisscrossing the stings as if you were beginning to tie your shoes. Keep drawing string in the opposite directions until it has completely cut thru the pastry. This may work...and if it doesn't, you will just have to eat the pastry. Ahhhh!

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  6. More great pastry shots!
    I love that charcoal sketch of the cakes in a row.
    Your watercolor is wonderful, as always!

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  7. Merci beaucoup, Carol, I am blushing! :-)

    Guy Martin is a true Renaissance Man!
    Arts and Craft a great pâtissier/pâtissière makes, the vision behind it, the sense of color and endless enthusiasm to create an edible work of art with the knowledge of chemistry and a willingness to pursue the borders of physics.

    I discovered this post of yours only today, Saturday morning. I was putting the last touches on my Cherry Orchard yesterday and by nightfall I finally handed it in.

    A wonderful, pastry-filled weekend to you. I hope the knife works. *smile*

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  8. "Arts and craft .... make" - sorry!

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  9. The knife is due to arrive on Monday Merisi..
    I couldn't find it in New York City!!
    Well not the Black & Decker model.
    The Cuisinart version is made for carving turkeys and men's hands :(

    I must try out Dental Floss too!
    Thanks Cindy and Joe in Provence.

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  10. I agree Carol so much creativity and those deserts, delish!

    Be sure to enter my awesome $250 Giveaway from Tracy Porter!!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  11. I would have never ever guessed pastry chefs sketch before creating their masterpieces. Wow!

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  12. lovely, Carol! I like the Thiebaud, too!

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  13. I want to be one of those lucky school children - only in France! It is indeed cool to see the sketches and inspiration.

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  14. amazing creations and looks delicious as usual.
    I really appreciated this post on a particular chef from France. I never heard of him.

    The Wanderfull Traveler

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  15. Great post! Love the sketches but hungry for the pastries!

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