Jean-Michel Carrette: “We preserve the soul of the house, yet we are constantly moving forward”

I have a feeling that nowadays, part of French cuisine is reinventing itself based on local ingredients. We avoid products from the other side of the world, we strive to ensure that the food on our plate represents real environmental value, all without excluding techniques from elsewhere. For example, I am fascinated by fermentation.

This mentality is clearly evident in the restaurant: I work with many local producers: a market gardener in Montret, a poultry farmer in Huilly-sur-Seille, a cheesemaker in Étrigny, a fisherman on the Saône… This is the community that feeds my cooking.

For me, this extremely short supply chain is not a marketing ploy, but a reflex that I learned from my father every day. At the same time, I remain open-minded: just because something is local does not automatically mean it is good. The products, the people and the ecological aspects all have to be in harmony. This is the one thing I do not compromise on.

What is the culinary principle or credo that has always been at the heart of your work throughout your career, despite the evolution of fine dining?

I have developed a lot in cooking over the past twenty-one years. In 2005, when my father passed away, I took over the kitchen. For two years, I practiced his classic Burgundian style, learning quietly and humbly, because at that time the Michelin star was not mine, but his, which he had earned in 1999. Then in the 2010s I turned towards a more “fusion” direction.

What has never changed, however, is the respect for the produce and the land, and the way of creating, in which I still carry my father's legacy somewhere, even if my own creativity takes me in a different direction. Since 2019, I have been offering exclusively tasting menus with the aim of taking guests on a journey through our region, spiced up with a little creativity.

If you could choose just one ingredient that best characterizes your kitchen today, what would it be and why?

I'm currently working a lot with Piment de Bresse, a product that is on the verge of obtaining AOP status. I'm pairing it with a homemade miso made from broad beans that have been aged for eight months. That's exactly what excites me the most: taking a product from the local terroir, one that is almost on the verge of disappearing, and putting it into dialogue with a fermentation technique that comes from somewhere else.

This kind of pairing describes my cooking style quite well: I have one foot in the Burgundian terroir and the other in the curiosity that never ends at national borders.

What inspires you the most in your kitchen these days? An ingredient, nature, travel, other arts, or simply moments from everyday life?

Everything inspires me: encounters, art, travel. I breathe cooking. As a child, I wanted to be an archaeologist and dig up hidden things that no one else sees. In some ways, that's exactly what I do every day: I go to local producers and artisans, I observe and look around. A graffiti on a wall or an old rap song can touch me in the same way as a new vintage of wine or a piece of pottery. This curiosity is my driving force.

You grew up witnessing your parents build Aux Terrasses long before you took over the restaurant. Looking back, what is the most valuable lesson your parents taught you, not simply about cooking, but more about hospitality and welcoming?

I think my parents, almost unintentionally, passed on to me a love of a job well done and humility. My parents bought this former stagecoach station (historic inn – ed.) in 1979, when I was just one year old.

I grew up surrounded by pots and pans on weekdays and on weekends on my grandparents' farm. We were a family accustomed to hard work and proud of nutritious root vegetables. To this day, my father's chicken with mushrooms and pâté en croûte are on the menu as recommended dishes.

Before returning home, you worked in Geneva and London, two very different gastronomic environments. Beyond the techniques you learned, how did these experiences shape the chef and person you are today?

They were part of my journey as a young chef. They allowed me to learn English and work with people of different nationalities and customs. It was a truly transformative experience.

After my training in the hospitality industry in Poligny, I started working at my first job, La Tour Rose in Lyon, under the direction of chef Philippe Chavent, in 1996. Then my journey led me to Geneva, then London, and finally in 2004 – making a full circle – to Roanne, to Michel Troisgros.

These were all very different houses, but each taught me to step outside my comfort zone and see how other cultures and kitchen teams work. This openness is something I try to keep alive in my cooking today.

Aux Terrasses has evolved over many generations while maintaining its deep Burgundian roots. How do you decide what is worth preserving and what is worth recreating for today's guests?

In six months, we will open the “cave à manger”, a wine bar-style unit within the building, in order to bring my father’s dishes to life. In parallel, the goal is to further perfect our fine dining restaurant.

It's a bit of a two-way street: while offering a simpler, more accessible space where improvisation and family heritage can flourish, we also maintain a space dedicated entirely to the cooking that's closest to my heart, offering an open-ended tasting menu. This two-pronged offering is our solution to preserving the soul of the house while constantly moving forward.

You and your wife Amandine run Aux Terrasses together. In your experience, what has been the greatest strength of building the restaurant as a couple and what have you learned from each other over the years?

Without Amandine, Aux Terrasses would not be what it is today. She gives me maximum space in the kitchen and always motivates me to keep building and taking things further. Amandine joined this adventure as an agricultural engineer, after a short period at the Sibuet hotel chain. Nothing predestined her to this career, but she is a real talent in hospitality: in 2015 she even won the Omnivore Award for Hotel of the Year.

He was the one who planned the complete renovation of the building in 2012, with one clear goal in mind: to welcome our guests as if they were in our own home. I bring the spark of madness, and he brings calm and order: this is the balance that makes the house stand today.