Roland Trettl meets Gérard Depardieu

Duel at the kitchen stove

In films, Gérard Depardieu is often involved in struggles over life and love. With Roland Trettl he fights over just one thing: maximum taste enjoyment.

Naturally I already knew who Gérard Depardieu is. And I also knew what the star who embodies Cyrano de Bergerac, the Count of Monte Cristo and Obelix looks like. Who else has a face with such an incredible nose? In spite of this I could not believe my eyes when he suddenly turned up in my kitchen and, after a few minutes’ small talk, positioned himself by the chefs and demanded to taste everything. The man is an avalanche, an earthquake – quite simply a primeval force.

We now have to put the clocks back one year, to the Salzburg Festival. Depardieu has been booked as the speaker for Hector Berlioz’s “Lelio or The Return to Life”, and is travelling by private aircraft belonging to Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschütz. In order to get past the journalists at the airport, the star is using a back entrance in “Hangar-7”, which by chance takes him past the “Ikarus” kitchen. A detour that has consequences: Naturally, Depardieu fulfilled his Salzburg engagement to perfection – but apart from that, we couldn’t get him out of the “Ikarus” kitchen for three days.

This colossal Frenchman is a confirmed foodie, and you can discuss food and wine with him for hours. When I say “for hours”, however, I mean that in a “gross” rather than a “net” sense, because Depardieu is permanently talking on his mobile. Films, scripts, vineyards, art, oil transports to Cuba – I always thought I was a busy person, but compared with Depardieu I am just a lazybones. But what most interests him is everything that goes on in the kitchen, and in conversation it quickly emerges that Depardieu has two restaurants in Paris. Recipes, products, processes, he wanted to know everything – and in order that that knowledge should not just be theoretical, he also wanted to eat, and eat, and eat. A dream come true for any cook seeking curious and knowledgeable guests. It soon became clear to Depardieu and to me that we needed a joint project, and we proceeded to divide the Festival month of August, which is reserved for me and my team. The co-operation was so intensive that it gave rise to a wonderful cook book (“Kulinarische Festspiele” [culinary festivals], Collection Rolf Heyne, 58 Euros).

But it is important to point out that Gérard’s Paris restaurant “La Fontaine Gaillon” is no temple to high tech. There are no stars in the specifications. But that is precisely what fascinates me about it. What is happening here is that someone is following his own idea of what constitutes a simple but powerful cooking style without a lot of fiddling around, even though with the money at his disposal he could afford any refinement of taste he wanted. Foie gras parfait, langostino ravioli with roasted tomatoes and lemon butter, roast goujons of sole with beans, glazed shin of veal with potato puree and chanterelles – the essence of good plain French cooking, honestly presented.

And so that the “star collectors” don’t feel they are missing out: the products searched out by head chef Laurent Audiot, Depardieu’s friend and restaurant partner (whether it be scallops or pork cutlets) are of a quality that cannot be bettered in any three star “temple of food”. It is certainly worth having a word with the generally taciturn Audiot. For when you do get him talking, he reveals that “La Fontaine Gaillot” is no marketing gag aimed at boosting the star’s finances. Quite the contrary: whenever Depardieu is in Paris, he is in the restaurant on an almost daily basis. If they are short-staffed, he himself mucks in – in which case it is perfectly possible that Depardieu will occasionally play the role of waiter. The famous Frenchman is frequently to be found in the kitchen with Audiot at weekends, trying out new recipes. He particularly likes pot roast dishes. It really is true: “La Fontaine Gaillon” is 100 per cent genuine Gérard Depardieu.

When he had to travel back to Paris after fulfilling his Festival engagement, he also came to see us in the kitchen to say goodbye to everyone. Unfortunately I wasn’t there, and so he got hold of my mobile number and telephoned me to say thank you once again. It’s great when big stars are also big-hearted people.

Recorded by Christoph Schulte • Photos: Red Bull Photofiles / Helge Kirchberger, Joerg Lehmann