What if, to understand Giverny other than through the paintings of Claude Monet, we spent a moment in the kitchen of a private mansion nestled in the middle of the gardens. At the Jardin des Plumes, a stone’s throw from the painter’s house, chef Cyril Boulais took part in a culinary questionnaire which sheds light on his career and his way of thinking about each plate. Behind this set of questions, a very precise trajectory emerges.
Executive chef of Maisons David Gallienne, in charge of research and development, Cyril Boulais today reigns over the kitchens of Giverny with a cuisine described as sensitive, demanding, very anchored in the season and the Normandy land. This culinary questionnaire format allows us to put this style into words, to link the stages of an international career to what happens, very concretely, on the plate.
Cyril Boulais, a chef trained between Poitiers, Paris and Asia
Trained at CAP cuisine in 2001, Cyril Boulais first cut his teeth in Poitiers then in several large Parisian houses, before choosing exile to broaden his palette. His visit to the Le Caprice restaurant at the Four Seasons Hong Kong played a role in his openness to world flavors, as did his subsequent experiences in Brussels and Bali.
Back in France, he took command of La Marine in Barneville Carteret. He maintains the three hats there and increases the rating of the Gault et Millau guide from 15 out of 20 to 16.5 out of 20, before being distinguished “Grand de Demain 2022”. His arrival at Maisons David Gallienne, then as executive head of research and development, marks a new stage, focused on transmission and technical precision.
Le Jardin des Plumes, an impressionist setting for signature cuisine
Anchored in Giverny, it combines hotel and gourmet restaurant in an Anglo-Norman house, with a vegetable garden and an environment that immediately recalls the world of Monet. The house has one Michelin star, three toques and a rating of 16 out of 20 in the Gault et Millau guide, with a reputation for contemporary locavore gastronomy.
Alongside David Gallienne, Cyril Boulais designs tasting menus in five tables, around $150, or in seven tables, around $180. His work can be read in the cleanliness of the plates, the accuracy of the juices and broths, and in emblematic compositions, for example an accord of langoustine, pig’s trotter and garden herbs, where the sea, the earth and the plants interact.
Culinary questionnaire: what we perceive from the world of Cyril Boulais
When he answers a culinary questionnaire, the chef highlights what also comes up in his daily practice: a marked attachment to the product, to its season, to its origin, with the idea of removing everything that is superfluous. And then, he lets the influence of his travels shine through, between French precision, Asian echoes and memories of more distant cuisines.
On the other hand, this format highlights his role as executive chef in research and development: time spent testing, adjusting, working with teams to develop the menus. Because basically, this culinary questionnaire serves as a common thread to understand how a background, tastes and a place like Giverny come together in a very contemporary author’s cuisine.
Who is Cyril Boulais, chef of the Jardin des Plumes in Giverny?
Cyril Boulais is the executive chef of Maisons David Gallienne and the gourmet restaurant Le Jardin des Plumes in Giverny, after a career in France and internationally and a title of “Grand de Demain 2022” awarded by the Gault et Millau guide.
What is Cyril Boulais’ cooking style at Jardin des Plumes?
His cuisine is described as sensitive, demanding, very seasonal and locavore, with an emphasis on the precision of plates, juices and broths, nourished by experiences in Hong Kong, Brussels, Bali and Normandy.
What does the culinary questionnaire dedicated to Cyril Boulais highlight?
The culinary questionnaire highlights his journey, his relationship with the product, his role as executive chef in research and development and the way in which he links his travels and the Giverny region in his signature cuisine.
