"How many chefs lock themselves in their egos, convinced that they have created something unique? Let's be honest, we are not inventing anything. We transform, we sublimate, but the base has always been there."
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“How many chefs lock themselves in their egos, convinced that they have created something unique?” With this stark statement, chef Isabelle Arpin issues a provocation to the entire gastronomic world. At a time when chefs compete for originality by storytelling and dishes with scenic presentations, she claims a return to substance: cuisine as a dialogue with tradition, not as an exercise in style. At Auberge du Leignon, where she works with Dominika Herzig and Aurélie Karaziwan, the approach is clear: no excessive staging, no obsessive search for the unprecedented. “Everything we cook is rooted in the past-let's be honest, we're not inventing anything,” Arpin declares to Food & Sens. “It's not about inventing, it's about understanding, transforming and sublimating what already exists.”
Far from ego, close to essence
In the contemporary culinary scene, ego often overpowers the dish. Chef-celebrities, TV formats and social networks have turned cooking into a spectacle, pushing many professionals to seek originality at all costs. But for Isabelle Arpin, this rush for novelty is an illusion. At Auberge du Leignon, the showmanship of cooking is rejected. Here, gastronomy is an act of respect for the product, a dialogue between the cook and the raw materials, without forcing it. “Our work is not to create to amaze, but to nourish in the broadest sense of the word, ‘ explains Dominika Herzig. ’Every dish must make sense, not just look good.”
Complementarity, not protagonism
Behind the success of Auberge du Leignon is not a single figure, but a team working in perfect synergy. Isabelle Arpin and Dominika Herzig embody two different but complementary energies: one more reflective, focused on the essence of the dish; the other dynamic, attentive to the customer experience. "We don't function without each other, ” they affirm. “I am in the 'go,' Isabelle is in the analysis. This balance allows us to stay true to our vision."This complementarity is also reflected in their approach to cooking: not an exaltation of the chef's individuality, but a collective construction. “Without the producers, without those who work the land, without those who know how to process raw materials, there would be no dish,” Arpin recalls. "We have to stop idealizing the chef as a solitary artist. We are artisans, working with and thanks to others."
Sharing, not exclusivity
If many restaurants play on secrecy and exclusivity, at Auberge du Leignon they practice sharing. "We don't believe in secret recipes or inaccessible techniques. We want the kitchen to be a continuous dialogue,” says Dominika Herzig. This translates into continuous interaction with producers, artisans and other chefs through collaborations and encounters that enrich everyone. The famous “dinners fours” organized by the Auberge are not marketing operations, but occasions for sincere discussion. "We are not interested in performance, but in exchange, ” Arpin stresses. “Gastronomy is not a challenge to those who invent the most, but an opportunity to learn from others.”
True success: to remain authentic
In an industry obsessed with visibility and instant success, Isabelle Arpin and Dominika Herzig advocate a different vision. “Today it seems that if you don't have a trendy restaurant and thousands of followers, you don't exist. But the truth is that real success is measured in the long run,” Herzig says. For them, the future is not about mass openings or replicable formats, but solid roots. “Ten years from now we will still be here, under our trees, with two donkeys and a glass of homemade cider,” they joke. And in an increasingly digitized world, they are convinced that gastronomy will remain one of the last bastions of human craftsmanship. “No algorithm will ever replace the emotion created by a sincere dish.”
