2023-12-27 23:08:02
Parties can be an opportunity to discover new restaurants or emerging talents. This is the case with Clément Guillemot, a young starred chef in Espelette, in the Basque Country.
Published on 12/27/2023 2:16 p.m. Updated on 12/27/2023 10:08 p.m.
Reading time: 4 min Star chef Clément Guillemot, in the kitchen of his restaurant Choko Ona, in Espelette in the Basque Country. (THIBAULT VINCENT / FRANCE BLUE BASQUE COUNTRY)
Choko Ona, in Basque, means “The good corner”. This is the name of the restaurant that Clément Guillemot and his partner Flora Le Pape took over five years ago. A good place where the thirty-year-old chef has already imposed his culinary signature. It must be said that for a long time he has only thought about the stove: “It was a television show on Michel Bras that made me want to cook. I never worked for him, and maybe it’s better that way.”
Although he never worked for Michel Bras, Clément knew other mentors, and not the least important ones. After his training in hotel school, he immediately applied to several three-star hotels, the first to respond was… Paul Bocuse! A proposition that cannot be refused. With the sacred monster, the young man becomes Best Apprentice in France.
A journey through spices
Then there he was with Gordon Ramsay, at the Trianon Palace, in Versailles, then with Cédric Béchade in Saint-Émilion, before settling in Espelette. Among the Basques, this original Parisian feels good. It blended 100% into the local landscape: “We only work with local producers. It’s common sense. The Michelin green star encourages us to continue to be careful, to limit waste, to think about everything.”
Clément Guillemot takes you on a journey through his temperamental cuisine. He composes the menus according to the market, his inspiration, and the spices at his disposal, of which he is a great lover. The menu evolves over the weeks, including for the holidays, during which the young man usually stays on deck. His favorite dish, a beautiful poultry: “A capon or a chicken. This year we’re taking it to the Maghreb side, tagine style. It’s not because we’re in Espelette that we have to forbid other spices…” Clément Guillemot chooses poultry from local producer Pierre Duplantier.
Pierre Duplantier’s poultry prepared here by Clément Guillemot with chard, pears and Jurançon. (BERNARD THOMASSON / FRANCEINFO)
It is therefore in Espelette, at the Choko Ona restaurant, that you can savor the Basque products that it highlights. This talented chef sports a Michelin star and two Gault Millau toques (of which he was Young Talent in 2020).
THIS IS MY PLATE – Interview with Clément Guillemot
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