Paris (AFP)

Gargouillou, the signature dish of Michel and Sébastien Bras, has the taste of their garden, never the same, and contains up to 80 vegetables, shoots, flowers and seeds. The quintessence of their "living" cuisine and the "antithesis of the codes" of the Michelin guide.

"Creating the menus from these products is the DNA of the living kitchen and I do not design the kitchen otherwise.It is the chef to adapt to what offers him the nature and his garden ", says in an interview with AFP Sebastien Bras alongside his father, on the occasion of the release of the book" Arms, the taste of the garden "editions Plume carrot.

Having taken over from his father at the three-star restaurant Le Suquet in Aubrac (Massif Central), he asked and obtained not to appear from 2018 in the Michelin Guide in order to "regain a little freedom of mind and independence. "

But the new director of Michelin Gwendal Poullennec who believes that the stars "do not belong to the leaders", has returned to this controversial decision of his predecessor and the restaurant reappeared in the 2019 edition with two macaroons.

"Risible", according to the father, "ridiculous" for the son who claims not to read the Michelin.

- Full lunch and dinner -

"The reward is the customers who come and come back.The Aubrac is 3 inhabitants per square kilometer, the smallest city of 40,000 inhabitants is two hours away and the restaurant is full for lunch and dinner," says Michel Bras.

For Bras, the expectations of Michelin inspectors "do not necessarily correspond" to those of customers.

"Our creative, intuitive cuisine is the antithesis of the Michelin codes, they want dishes that are always there," says Sebastien Bras.

Maintain 3 stars for almost 20 years, the last ten during the transition from father to son was a weight "heavy to wear", admits Sebastien.

"In 10 years, I proved myself and wanted to find the true meaning that made me choose this job, the pleasure of sharing, the emotion and no longer have in mind the guide, the guide, the guide. .. "

Isolated on the volcanic plateau, world-famous chefs have always followed their "common thread", refusing to bow to fashion and being pioneers in things that are very fashionable at the moment, such as vegetable gardens and vegetable-based cooking ( with a piece of beef at the end of the meal all the same).

"Being in the wind is the fate of dead leaves," says Sebastien.

He admits to having "asked a lot of questions at the pinnacle of molecular cooking" when those who did not do so were labeled "has been".

According to his feelings, he remained faithful to the cuisine of Aubrac, a country of animal husbandry, and to plants.

- Interpelled by the queen of meadows -

Sixteen years ago, Bras has a garden where grasses from all over the world are brought from their travels abroad.

"This has allowed us to further expand our palette of colors and flavors," says Sebastien.

"The gardens are back in fashion because there is an ecological awareness today, the respect of cycles, seasons, short circuits ... For us this has always been the case, for 30 years".

At the origin of this craze, the passion of Michel Bras, marathoner since the age of 20, for running.

This is how he "met for the first time" the queen of the meadows.

"She called me, it was almost an aggression, this very deep almond scent I turned to see this girl who provokes me, I looked for this plant (...) It's like that that she entered my kitchen, "he says.

In the 80s he introduced the menu gargouillou, originally a dish Auvergnat based on potatoes and bacon, he reinterprets with vegetables and plants to evoke "the song of birds".

© 2019 AFP