Samuel Gaspar, chef at Château d'Audrieu and Jean Petrich, head of Vergers de Ducy

When you arrive at Château d'Audrieu, between Caen and Bayeux, it's impossible to resist the charm of this 18ᵉ century building, listed as ae monument historique, its vast 25-hectare park, its path through the forest, its vertiginous tree-top cabin room or its two donkey mascots Nono and Marguerite. But the magic of its gourmet restaurant, Le Séran, lies as much in the majesty of the setting as in the cuisine of its young chef Samuel Gaspar, who since his arrival at the dawn of 2023, has done his utmost to showcase the incredible terroir of Normandy. His meeting with Jean Petrich, manager of Vergers de Ducy on the Domaine de la Flaguerie, just a few minutes from the château, and a producer and processor of cider apples, has given rise to a beautiful complicity and some wonderful cooking stories.

Jean, what is the history of Domaine de la Flaguerie?

Jean Petrich: This is my family home, where I grew up. Although I've always kept a foot in the business run by my parents, I really came back four years ago when I took over the reins. At the height of the Covid period, my professional life was coming to an end and I wanted to come back to support my father, whose 90th birthday we've just celebrated. The land next to our house was originally leased to farmers, until the early 80s when my parents took it over. In the mid-80s, they decided to devote it entirely to a cider apple orchard and processing.

How did you meet?

Samuel Gaspar : I arrived here at the beginning of 2023 after ten years in Paris (at Le Taillevent, Le Burgundy, Le Prince de Galles and Le 39v, editor's note). This is my first chef position. I'd just arrived at the château when Jean showed up one day with his calvados. I was already won over by the beauty of the packaging, but I was also surprised by the elegance and aromatic range. I knew calvados brut as rustic, but I discovered something completely different. Between the fruity side of young vintages and the complexity brought by ageing, the woody side. And Jean speaks very well about his products. In Normandy, there's an incredible range of expertise, but those who have it aren't always the best at communicating it. And the climate, sometimes difficult for humans, is extraordinary for the land.

charlie Gémien

Is having chefs taste your products a very special moment for you?

J.P.: Of course. At first, it was even intimidating, but now that we've got to know each other, it's much better! (laughs) I really enjoy the time we spend together with Samuel. I'm happy with the work we're already doing in the orchard, but I want to listen to what he has to say. And if we have a classic range, we also have a premium range of ciders and calvados. We want to shift the image of calvados, take it off the digestif shelf and put it back at the center of the table, bring it into mixology and gastronomic pairings, and introduce it to rum and whisky lovers and a younger clientele.

S.G.: I call him at 10 a.m., and two hours later he brings me back a 10-litre can of vinegar. It's a simple, obvious relationship. I love this feeling of immersion: what I put in my kitchen is produced right around me. And for the customer, it's a pleasure too, to know that what's on the plate comes from right next door.

For a chef, it must be quite a change after 10 years in Paris, to be able to visit his producers within a few minutes' drive...

S.G.: It was my challenge and my desire. in Paris, I dreamed of the big brigades, the toques blanches, the "oui chef", the exceptional products and resources. But when you arrive in the kitchen in the morning with ingredients already in crates and products from all over the world, you don't have the same connection to the land. We chefs are the executors of the product. When I arrived here, I dreamed of building close, intimate relationships with my suppliers. It's a more personal vision of cooking. My bread is baked 4 km from the château by a small two-person company. My creamer comes every Tuesday to deliver and collect his crates from the previous week. From time to time, he doesn't have any butter because one of his guys is sick or production is insufficient. We know where the products come from and, above all, we know how they're made.

Did discovering Jean's products spark off real creativity?

S.G. : When I tasted pommeau (a blend of apple juice and young calvados, editor's note), I immediately said to myself that it could replace port or Madeira in cooking. There's a sweetness to it that we love in sauces, which works wonderfully in onion soup. Cider vinegar has also replaced all the other vinegars I found here when I arrived in the kitchen: sherry, balsamic, red wine... the only deviation I make from Jean's products is a balsamic-style apple vinegar made locally.

J.P.: I don't know how to make it yet (laughs).

S.G. : I poach white fish in cider that I heat to 45°, which adds fruit and a little acidity. I reduce the apple juice for a long time, then stop it cooking with a little butter, which gives a caramel with a strong apple taste. Liquids are the basis of the cook's work, but cooking in water is pointless. Our juices and our cooking are done with vinegar, cider, calvados and so on.

Jean, have you ever tasted any of Samuel's dishes using your products?

S.G.: Of course he comes to eat (laughs).

J.P.: I remember a plate of morels, with raspberries and burrata, where ice cider replaced the classic vin jaune. It's very impressive to witness the transformation of what you make with your hands. There was also a terrine of foie gras with ice cider, absolutely magical.

Sea bass dish with ice cider, candied salsify

What does this contact inspire in each other?

S.G.: Jars of foie gras marinated with different Jean alcohols is something I'd like to develop and market.

J.P.: Our relationship with each other feeds our approach at the estate. We're constantly looking for ways to improve, in terms of quality, processes and a more virtuous environment. Anything that can contribute to these improvements is welcome. Without trying, we won't know, and given our good relationship with Samuel, we're not afraid to try together. For example, our Calvados range starts at 6 years old. I'm thinking of younger Calvados, to find more vivacity, which might inspire Samuel. Together with Samuel, we're going to define its typicality. When I have a product to develop, I want informed opinions like his.