An interview with Joel Robuchon; Chef and Restaurateur, Paris, Tokyo, Macao, New York and Las Vegas.

AC: When you opened the first L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in 2003. what was the inspiration behind it?

JR: I had clients coming in and asking me if I could find a way to blend ambiance and good food. They were finding that where there was good food, the style, the ambiance was not as good, or vice versa. I needed to something that would blend the two, so I came up with this concept, which is a mix of good food, good people, and a good feeling.

AC: You have said that at first you didn't have plans to come to the U.S. What persuaded you to open two restaurants in Las Vegas?

JR: It's true I was apprehensive about the U.S. It's a big country that's not well known for the quality of its food. However, my colleague, Gamal Aziz, was in Las Vegas and he told me to come and explore the lifestyle. He believed I would see that my cuisine made sense here. He invited me to create a restaurant--not a big restaurant as many are in the U.S., especially in Vegas--but one that was exactly what I wanted. So I created what I wanted: a small space in which I could be passionate about the food and create a reflection of the food in France.

AC: What brought you next to New York?

JR: It's difficult to refuse to come to the States, especially to New York. New York, like Vegas, is a very difficult place to establish a restaurant. People come and go; great chefs come and go. I was offered the opportunity to come not just to New York, which is one of the best places to come to, but to the Four Seasons. It has such a reputation, and being designed by I. M. Pei, it was ideal. I thought, "Okay, I'll be able to establish something small and upscale for the guest. " It's a demanding clientele, and yet I wanted to create something very warm and very open to the public. It's not so exclusive. It's one of the best, and it's gotten the stars in the New York Times, but it's small enough that it can welcome different kinds of guests.

AC: How does the bar around the open kitchen enhance the experience of dining here at L'Atelier?

JR: I've combined the food and the decor to be a show. I went recently to a Chinese restaurant in China where I noticed the chefs chopping up the vegetables and creating the meals, and it inspired me. Again, it's a small space because I wanted it to be more of a show. Then guests would come in and see they're not sitting in a restaurant like any typical restaurant. They'll come in and sit at a table the first time, but the second time, they will sit at the counter because there's no other show, no other kitchen like it.

AC: You are known for striving for perfection in a dish. What do you strive for now in your career?

JR: Perfection doesn't exist. But certainly I'm looking for what is simple and good. All the dishes here are made to order, so it requires absolute attention. That's where the perfection lies, in the making of the dishes themselves. It's very simple. They're not magicians; what they do just requires a lot of attention.

AC: What have you learned from having restaurants in different countries?

JR: I was a workaholic, so I didn't travel much early on. It took about fifty years for me to begin traveling. I was fifteen when I started working in a restaurant and it was day-in, day-out, working, working, working. So I never really got to travel. Now that I am traveling, I've learned extensively, from Japan, to China, to the U.S. I'm constantly learning from those experiences. I do recommend to young chefs that they travel as much as they can, because they will learn constantly, too.

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AC: How do you feel about earning the title "Chef of the Century" from the Guide Gault Millau?

JR: (Laughs) Other people deserved it. It's a great title, but I don't take it so seriously. I'm very thankful, of course, but humble because other people may have deserved it more.

AC: What inspires you now?

JR: Culture is the first thing, and probably the most important. I've been really inspired by traveling in China, and the way the chefs there cook and create their dishes. That's where I'm taking inspiration from. There's a different texture in the food that I'm trying to convey, or mimic. I've learned that the way they clean a shrimp and prepare it changes the texture of it. Westerners are much more aware of taste, but I'm trying to get into more textures. But I'm a very happy chef. I have what I want, I love what I'm doing and I've been able to do what I love for a long time now.

AC: What do you see in the future for your style?

JR: It's always an evolution. It's always changing, it's always growing. I've been involved with agriculture and the way organic foods are produced for 25 years now. Wherever organic foods are going, that's where I'm going to go.

AC: Do you have a favorite dish?

JR: Depending on the season and the produce that you're using, that will make it my favorite dish. But certainly I don't want to forget the dish that made me who I am today, the pommes puree, or even the potatoes themselves. (laughs)