Glenn Viel

Chef Glenn Viel defines his culinary journey as a deeply personal, poetic, and philosophical exploration. Rejecting conventionality, he seeks to create a dynamic and original cuisine that expresses his unique personality and vision. His core ethos centers on creation as the ultimate key, constantly pushing boundaries and taking risks to cultivate new ideas. For Viel, cooking is not merely about sustenance but about crafting an immersive experience, a "parti-pris," designed to tell a story through each dish and evoke profound emotion, which he deems indispensable. He aspires for his work to leave a lasting mark on French gastronomy, aiming to create dishes that are not just technically proficient but also "right, honest, and equal," resonating with his self-described "ultra-sensible" nature. His overarching vision transcends mere gustatory pleasure, aiming to stimulate clients on multiple levels beyond taste. Viel's cuisine is built on a specific composition: 60% taste, 30% psychology, and 10% chance. The psychological component is crucial, employing elements of humor, nostalgia, and intellectual engagement to manage the "chance" factor and open guests to new experiences. He crafts narratives and challenges diners to interact with his creations, fostering a sense of playfulness and discovery. Ultimately, he desires guests to depart with a feeling of happiness and wonder, having discovered new flavors and perhaps even recalled forgotten childhood memories, acknowledging the powerful connection between food, music, and smell in triggering flashbacks. Viel places immense importance on the quality and provenance of ingredients. He leverages the bounty of Baumanière's own potager and has initiated a significant project around bread-making. This involves cultivating ancient wheat varieties on the estate, which are then freshly milled by a local partner. His team of three bakers crafts 10-15 different types of bread per service, designed for specific food and bread pairings, demonstrating a deep commitment to tradition, quality, and minimizing waste by incorporating recycled bread. This meticulous approach to sourcing and internal production underscores his dedication to authenticity and respect for the product, often replacing traditional salt with concentrated natural flavors from ingredients like fish. Chef Viel's technical mastery is characterized by an intriguing blend of deceptive simplicity and profound complexity. He aims to evoke a "slap" (une gifle) from the diner's perspective: a dish of seemingly ordinary appearance delivers an exceptional flavor experience that surpasses expectations. This is epitomized by his concept "tellement peu mais tellement tout," envisioning a single spoonful bursting with a multitude of flavors and textures, playing with hot and cold to challenge perceptions. He actively transforms ingredients, such as compressing zucchini flowers into an artistic "boudin" or "traficking" the "DNA" of a tomato through various preparations to enhance its essence while maintaining authenticity. Viel also experiments with bold flavor contrasts, as seen in "Quand l’amertume devient la douceur," where the inherent bitterness of poutargue is heightened by grapefruit to paradoxically reveal its sweetness, a testament to his willingness to take "a true risk." The artistry in Viel's plating and presentation is deeply rooted in his desire to infuse each dish with poetry and a narrative. He utilizes symbolic and regressive elements, drawing inspiration from personal memories and universal experiences, like presenting pigeon with a branch and a nest to evoke childhood bird-nesting. Beyond the plate, he orchestrates a full sensory and intellectual engagement, incorporating tableside découpes and mise en scène to create moments of "recreation" and stimulate clients. His dishes often come with evocative titles that hint at their story or psychological play, such as "La pêche à pied, les pieds sous la table" or "Tomate ancienne, ADN modifié." He even proposes future dishes where the client actively participates in naming them, transforming dining into a collaborative storytelling experience. Among Chef Viel's most acclaimed creations are dishes that masterfully blend technical innovation with profound narrative. "Les trois petits cochons" playfully revisits a traditional pig's ear and black pudding in an interactive, comic-book-inspired presentation. "Une fleur pas comme les autres" showcases his ability to compress and transform zucchini flowers into a visually poetic and flavorful centerpiece. His "Tomate ancienne, ADN modifié" is a philosophical exploration of agriculture, reimagining the tomato through burning, smoking, and diverse preparations. More recently, "Entre le thon et le cochon, une histoire de ventrèche" has been lauded for its exceptional interplay of textures and flavors from tuna loin and pork belly. Another striking example is "Quand l’amertume devient la douceur," a bold and unforgettable dish featuring muge and poutargue, demonstrating his daring approach to flavor perception.

Career

• Stage at Hostellerie du Nord, Auvers-sur-Oise
• Brigade member at Le Meurice, Paris
• Brigade member at Plaza Athénée, Paris
• Chef de partie, Sous-chef at Hyatt Madeleine, Paris
• Sous-chef at Hyatt Regency, Casablanca
• Brigade member at Monte Cristo, Le Castellet
• Chef at Peron, Marseille
• Chef at La Caravelle, Bonifacio
• Chef at Le Kilimandjaro, Courchevel
• Chef at Cheval Blanc, Courchevel
• Chef at L'Oustau de Baumanière, Les Baux-de-Provence

Mentored by Joël Boillaud, Marc Marchand, Jean-François Piège, Nicolas Sale, Jean-André Charial.