Florence Châtelet Sanchez is transcending the boundaries of gastronomy

The holistic foodista
I meet Florence in her Geneva apartment, as colourful and sparkling with energy as her personality. The transcendental Klein blue wall transforms Florence’s living room into a meditative space. Over an excellent cup of tea, we chat away and take the time to sample a selection of her products. For Florence, the sense of taste is quintessential in the appreciation of food but even more so in the development of a self-awareness and manifestation.

The conscious perception of taste honours the first ingredient in any culinary joy: time. Taking the time to learn the flavours, to understand the origins of the products, and to appreciate their preparation methods is so important. Allow the product the necessary time to grow, mature, and refine, all while carefully respecting its profound nature – and then savour it. Florence poetically calls this moment “the time of revelation”.

This revelation is unlocked through temperature: a refined product, free from of salt, preservatives or enhancers, unveils its complex flavours when it is given the time to reach the perfect temperature, encouraging mindful observation.

The taste of truth
Observing your food awakens all your senses: inhale the aromas, listen to the crisping, crunching, cracking beneath your fork. Then as take a bite, savour the texture on your tongue, first at the front of your mouth and then as they unfold towards the back of your throat. For Florence, this is the ultimate experience, which she calls the “taste of truth”.

To truly appreciate a product’s essence, cultivating this multi-sensorial tasting practice is fundamental, she explains. When you experience the complexity and the vitality of a product, you connect with the complexity of life itself and the depth of your being. You feel alive!

For Florence, each tasting experience is like a work of art that stirs our soul. Whether it provokes pleasure, amusement or even disgust, it has the potential to nourish the spirit by encouraging an encounter with oneself.

Gastronomic scene influencer
“Respecting the integrity of a product starts with the time you give to it”, Florence asserts. As a co-producer with 16 small-scale farmers committed to slow-food practices, Florence’s Maison Dehesa bridges old-fashioned craftsmanship and avant-garde cuisine. Her innovative vision combines artisanal fermentation from Japan and Europe, creating a unique in-house expertise she calls slow-maturationTM, delivering high-end products with complex flavours and new textures. This method has inspired many of the most celebrated names in the international gastronomic world, including over 450 Michelin star restaurants in Europe, Canada and Asia since 2011.

Collaborating with the best culinary leaders such as these Michelinstarred chefs and former executives of the Michelin Guide and the Gault & Millau, Florence influences the global gastronomic scene, steering it towards sustainability and health-consciousness. Her dedication to biodiversity, animal welfare, and sustainable fishing is evident, with 90 % of her products free from additives or preservatives.

From wasted to superfood
In Florence’s vision of high-end cuisine, nothing is wasted: ingredients once discarded now become culinary stars. For example, fish offal – previously overlooked – is transformed into bistronomic delicacies. She cures the heart of Mediterranean bluefin tuna like a Katsuobushi, offering an alternative to Japan’s fermented dried bonito. Similarly, wild mullet bottarga (cured roe) boasts 75 % of the fish’s nutrients compared to only 10 % found in its flesh, revealing the nutritional richness of often thrown-out parts like bones and skin. By transforming its texture, Florence creates a soft and creamy alternative to urchin or caviar, highlighting bottarga’s versatility in recipes.

Extensive research underpins the creation of these new products. Florence is not afraid of going the extra mile – also literally. She delved into Roman archaeological archives in Bologna, unearthing the secrets of the “exquisite liquid” as Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist named it. The coveted fish sauce Garum, fermented in amphorae, an umami-flavoured condiment that ancient Rome was craving for on game meats, seafood and desserts alike. After reading the recipe of the famous Garum Haimatum in the Geoponica where emperor Constantine VII had it all written down in the 10th C, Florence enthusiastically created her own modern version of Garum and integrated it into today’s kitchen.

A new hedonism
Far removed from the Romans’ version of hedonism, though, and their overeating pleasure in between runs to the vomitorium, today’s gastronomic parties seek harmony for body, mind, and planet. Pleasure-seeking now holds a deeper, more meaningful purpose. “Tomorrow’s generation demands things that make sense”, Florence reflects. She is committed to offering insights and education to her clients, encouraging people to eat more mindfully.

This ethos inspired her to establish an intimate cocoon-like restaurant space behind the shop, where clients can taste and experience her creations on the spot. Florence serves both the customer and the product at the same time. She delights in such an open and curious clientele in Gstaad, who eagerly come in without prejudice or preconception and are happy to explore the powerful palette of tastes before taking these treasures home to elevate their family meals.

Offering the real luxury of wellbeing
Wellness – for the body, the soul and the planet – extends beyond conscious food production and consumption. Florence envisions a much broader suite of services where mental and emotional health are also taken care of. She plans to encompass integrative and functional medicine therapies as well as guided meditation in Gstaad’s serene forests.

“Feel aligned with nature, spirit, body and soul. Help clients achieve higher levels of well-being” – that’s Florence Châtelet’s mission – “and isn’t that the ultimate luxury?”

GISELA VAN BULCK

Title: Remy’s phrase in “Ratatouille”