Chef William Groult: ‘Culinary work is a marathon, not a speed race’

French chef and culinary educator William Groult took 15 years to finally visit the Philippines, where some of his students at the École Ducasse Paris Campus hail from. He was on a five-day sojourn as a guest of Enderun Colleges that runs École Ducasse Manila Campus as an academic partner for 16 years of the culinary school founded by world renowned chef Alain Ducasse.

Groult's brief stay culminated in a masterclass on healthy and sustainable cuisine held on 16 November at the Enderun Colleges headquarters at the McKinley Hill in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

He discussed École Ducasse's culinary philosophy — which revolves around a deep-rooted respect for nature, seasonality and the responsible use of ingredients — while preparing three dishes, namely Bok Choy and Lato Seaweed Condiment; Persian Octopus; and Alumahan with Fennel and Nuts.

More impressively, the visiting chef personally shopped for the ingredients, and found a lot of them at Farmers Market in Cubao, Quezon City. "I was impressed by the diversity of fishes. I also love the fruits," he told DAILY TRIBUNE over lunch, consisting of what he just cooked during the masterclass. "I took a lot of pictures…I tell French chefs to come here. There's a lot of things you want to try, to create, to explore."

Culinary career

Growing up, Groult recalled believing the old notion in France that "if you don't do good in school, it's either you do mechanics or cuisine." He also heard people saying, "Don't be a chef. It's a hard life. Do something else." Though he was already interested in gastronomy back then, he chose to study psychology in college and eventually earned a master's degree. He soon found a job putting in good use his education, but he wasn't happy.

When he turned 26, he decided to follow his heart and told his father he wanted to be a chef. He then studied culinary and took his chance at the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, which is considered the highest competition for best craftspeople in the country famous for its exacting standards especially in culinary arts. Eventually, he got to work at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris.

In 2008, Groult joined École Ducasse first as assistant chef at the school-run restaurant, where he met some "incredible chefs." The experience changed his life forever and, as explained to us, "It made a huge difference to meet the right people at the right time."

The following year, he was tasked to assist a senior at the institution, chef Romain Corbières, in opening the École Ducasse Paris Studio. Groult passed with flying colors, thus his promotion as chef trainer. He also continued chalking up more experience in other Ducasse Paris group's establishments, including Le relais du Parc, Aux Lyonnais and then at Rech for four years.

In 2014, he rejoined the École Ducasse team as chef trainer and consultant. All those years, he did exceedingly well that he was given the position of pedagogical manager for the Paris Campus' training programs in 2021.

Groult said he's had students from 60 countries, including the Philippines. He described the Filipino learners as "incredible," adding that "I have to say the girls are better."

He went on, "They work hard together, always smooth, always with a smile, with a good mindset. Those skills are very important to me. Filipino have these skills." Through them, he got to try eating balut (fertilized duck egg), to which he can say, "Interesting."

He noted that teaching holds a special place in his heart as it is in "transmitting everything I know" gives him the best feeling. "I teach students, coach them, see them to succeed. Have them ready to be the next generation of chef. This is the thing that I like the most."

Training future chefs

Groult agreed that French chefs are usually portrayed in pop culture as stern and strict with what they serve in their restaurants, to the point of becoming scary when diners ask for more seasoning to their food. "Maybe it was true 20 years ago. It's not like this anymore," he pointed out. "Maybe the last misconception left is about ego. But it's not true either now."

His face lit up when asked if French chefs are as good-looking as the ones in today's media, just like in the Netflix series Emily in Paris, in which the character of chef Gabriel is played by hunky actor and former model Lucas Bravo.

He then offered an explanation: "Why they cast beautiful chefs now is because [the profession] has become glamorous. Twenty years ago, it was not glamorous."

"Now it's glamorous," he added. "It's good for the industry because it puts us out of the kitchen… But I tell the students when they join École Ducasse, we're not a star system mindset. Keep it humble. We can become successful chefs because there's a team behind us, because we have producers producing for us beautiful products. Without those guys, we're nothing. That's the Ducasse mindset, which was also transmitted to me. The best chefs at Ducasse are the most humble."

Groult shared more of the nuggets of wisdom he tells his students: "[Culinary work] is a marathon, not a speed race…You have to understand everything. The risk in our industry is it becomes a routine at some point. You should never forget about cuisine is about instinct, customer, provide experience, provide something meaningful."

Regarding the new generation, such as the Millennials, he admitted that he used to feel the same way as the older generations who usually see them as lazy. Later on, he had change of heart: "Because this is a different generation. What I discovered is you have to bring meanings and values on what you're going to do. In the past, you have to be in the order of the chef and you have to close your mouth for years.

"If you bring that to this generation, it's not working. You tell them to choose wisely where to work. You need to have a connection to the chef, be a good manager. Work hard, even harder than before. It demands more investment and put a good team."

His advice to aspiring chefs: "Be patient because, you know, this generation they want to be seen now. Some of my students, they come with a booklet. I say, 'Forget about that. We're gonna teach you techniques.' Be patient. Don't burn the steps. There are several steps to fulfill before becoming a confident chef.

"It's about what Alain Ducasse told us, which means everything we know, we share it. There's no secret. Some chefs, they give you the recipes, but they won't give you the small details. For us, there's no secret. Everything we know, we share it. Alain Ducasse told us to do that because it forces us to reinvent ourselves all the time."