Interview: Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten dishes

Every month, for one week, Jean-Georges Vongerichten travels the world visiting his many restaurants (19 and counting). In Shanghai to drop in on his namesake restaurant, the world-renowned chef sat down with CNNGo for a discussion on matters culinary and otherwise.

CNNGo: You’ve been here so many times. Is Shanghai still exciting for you?

It’s exciting to see the team here and bring the new recipes and new ideas. Traveling keeps me fresh. It’s like a drug! [Laughs.]

CNNGo: With so many restaurants now under the Jean-Georges brand, do you still personally create all the recipes?

 Yes! I have the best job now. My partner and I develop recipes everyday. That’s what we do. We’ll say we are going to do sweetbreads one day, we’ll do 20 combinations, and then pick maybe three to four to use in the restaurants.

CNNGo: How are you adjusting to the current recession?

The Shanghainese really want to be pampered, there’s no question about it. They want to be recognized, they want great service and the food has to be great.— Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Now you need to look at what’s wrong. Sometimes you have to cut staff. I’m watching it very closely. I know that the whole team is counting on me to pay their rent.

Times are hard. We even had someone come into the restaurant in New York and try to bargain on a bottle of wine!

A lot of chefs are not business guys, but I say if you don’t have a business head, you can’t have a restaurant. I watch my numbers everyday for all my restaurants -- the average check, the margins.

CNNGo: Are you planning anything special for the Shanghai Expo?

We are working on something. We absolutely want to be involved. I think it’s very unique and I want to be here. It’s bigger than anything, it’s bigger than the Olympics.

CNNGo: Would you like be in the American or French Pavilion?

I’d like to be on the Chinese Pavilion! I feel more Asian in my heart than French. I’ve spent more time away from France than in France. I’m a citizen of the world. My son was born in Bangkok and my daughter was born in New York.

CNNGo: Do you have a sense of the dining trends in Asia in general?

It’s similar to New York. The direction is toward intimate, smaller places. Maybe the economy dictates that. I think the world has become a little more casual now, so it’s a bit different.

Jean-Georges in Shanghai is a three-star restaurant, but not like in France where a three-star restaurant is a temple of gastronomy and no one’s talking in the dining room.

CNNGo: Another Michelin-three-star chef, Martin Berasategui, has just opened a restaurant in Shanghai. Any advice for him?

The hardest part when you open a restaurant away from home is consistency. The service is very hard here. I’d say find the perfect front-of-the-house person. The Shanghainese really want to be pampered, there’s no question about it. They want to be recognized, they want great service and the food has to be great.