La Pergola welcomes its new Chef
Native from the South-West France, Gérard Lafforgue was pressed, a few years ago, with the desire to discover new horizons. And it is in New Caledonia that his search will end in 2015. He recently joined La Pergola, the rooftop restaurant of the Hôtel du Centre.
Meet Chef Gérard
Gérard came from a sibling of five children and he always saw his father in front of the stove every weekend. This is how the taste for cooking was unsurprisingly passed on to him, so much so that, from the age of 15, his future job appeared to him as obvious.
By turning to the La Pergola restaurant today, he wants to propose new concepts, while being interested by a different clientele, not necessarily passing through just for a meal.
Generous and passionate, Gérard particularly likes enjoying his guests and pass on his passion to his teams. Questioned about what unusual request would have already been made, he explained that he had received an order from a French fries dish… in an Italian restaurant – where there is logically no deep fryer in the kitchen! Of course we have prepared fries, he goes on smiling.
Still questioned about a professional challenge, he answers (with great modesty) to having held, for five years, the place of Chef in two establishments in Toulouse, France: one at lunch, the other at night, at the rate of one day’s rest per week.
The spirit of an authentic kitchen
Gérard defines his cuisine as “franchouillarde, very good and very pretty”, revisiting and modernising our traditional French recipes. Motivated by a desire to share, he develops his restaurant card, both according to the place and the spirit of the moment, but also according to his customers and his team.
Fresh fish, readily available locally, is a product that he enjoys working with. His Tataki sashimi has a great success, as other classics such as lamb mince and duck breast.
Chinese portrait
- If you were a dish? Pasta! I love it.
- If you were a dessert? A creamy cream... It makes you shatter!
- If you were a kitchen utensil? A knife, without hesitations.
- 3 things you still have in the refrigerator? From Leerdammer®, a Basque Pâté with Espelette pepper and water (flat).
- The Chef who inspires you? Philippe Etchebest, for his strength of character.
- If you were not a restaurant manager? Business manager, why not.
- Your best quality and your main imperfection? As a quality, the one to say yes. And as an imperfection, the one to add no next!
An eclectic and curious leader
When he gets served, Gérard likes to get rich. From the gastronomic address to the brewery, to the exotic flavours of the world’s cuisine, what he seeks above all is to observe and understand.
For your next stay at the Hôtel du Centre, consider booking your table in La Pergola!
