Chef Baptiste cooks with instinct, precision and a deep respect for timing.
What fascinates him most is not the height of a season, but its closing moments. The Japanese word Nagori captures this feeling of quiet nostalgia for ingredients about to disappear, and it is an idea that strongly influences his cooking. In Provence, this might mean working with strawberries at the very end of their season, when their flavour becomes denser and more expressive. He pairs them with Mediterranean bonito, or transforms them into a hibiscus-infused ice, letting contrast and restraint do the work.
Introducing Chef Baptiste
Chef Baptiste did not follow a traditional path into the kitchen. Originally working towards an international career in hotel management, his relationship with food shifted while living in Dubai, where he opened a cooking school and began working with people from a wide range of cultures. It was there that he started to see food not just as technique, but as a shared language shaped by place, memory and emotion.
On returning to France, he went on to lead the cooking school of Cyril Lignac and later became a culinary consultant for programmes such as Top Chef and MasterChef. For more than ten years, he has also worked as a taster for Top Chef, helping to identify emerging chefs by assessing both their cooking and their character. This role refined his palate and sharpened his instinct for balance, precision and clarity on the plate.
“I learned cuisine by tasting. By analysing dishes, understanding balance, and asking why something works or does not. It is an incredible tool when you want to cook with accuracy rather than excess.”
Recipe | Cherry Chérie salad, fig leaf oil and purple basil
A seasonal summer recipe by Chef Baptiste
Ingredients for four people
Garnish
- 400g of multicoloured cherry tomatoes, kept whole and peeled
- 250g of Provençal cherries, whole and pitted
- 12-16 leaves of purple basil
Fig leaf oil
- 200ml of grapeseed oil
- Three large green fig leaves
Seasoning
- One small garlic clove, very finely chopped
- Three tablespoons of fig leaf oil
- One tablespoon of fresh chervil, roughly chopped
- One pinch of Espelette pepper
- One to one and a half teaspoons of colatura di alici (optional)
Method
- Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of iced water. Lightly score the skin of each cherry tomato. Immerse them in boiling water for ten seconds, then transfer immediately to the iced water. Peel carefully, keeping the tomatoes whole, and refrigerate.
- Rinse and pit the cherries, keeping their shape intact, then refrigerate.
- Wash and dry the fig leaves thoroughly and roughly chop them. Heat the grapeseed oil to around seventy degrees Celsius, warm but not simmering. Pour the oil over the fig leaves and blend immediately. Leave to infuse for fifteen minutes, then strain finely to obtain a clear, fragrant oil.
- In a bowl, combine the finely chopped garlic with the colatura di alici if using. Add the fig leaf oil, chervil and Espelette pepper. Mix, taste and adjust as needed.
- Place the peeled tomatoes and cherries in a bowl, add the seasoning and mix gently to avoid damaging the fruit. Leave to rest for five minutes at room temperature. Add the purple basil at the last moment, either whole or torn by hand.
Provence as a setting for private dining
Provence shapes the way Chef Baptiste cooks in a very direct way. With such a strong sense of place and such generous produce, there is little need to overdo things. His cooking responds instinctively to the landscape around him. In the Luberon, the warm ochre tones naturally lead him towards fire, embers and gently smoked flavours. In the Alpilles, where vegetables are central to the land, his plates become more plant-led, often finished simply with a matured olive oil from the Vallée des Baux.
Dining with Chef Baptiste is designed to be shared and experienced, not staged. He likes to give context to what he serves, explaining choices in a natural way, without turning the meal into a lesson. Salmon never appears on his menus, but trout does, and there is always a reason behind that decision. While some preparation happens in his kitchen in Eyragues, once he arrives at the villa the kitchen stays open. Guests are welcome to watch, ask questions or join in if they feel like it. He also offers a masterclass-style format, where cooking, conversation and an aperitif come together in a relaxed, informal moment. As a private chef, he becomes part of the rhythm of a stay rather than a one-off event. He takes that role seriously, approaching each experience with generosity, care and close attention to the people around the table.
Our experience team can arrange a private dining experience with Chef Baptiste, tailored to your villa, your group and the season.
À bientôt,
