French Chef Profile - Maxime Kien
Chef Maxime Kien
So if you had the opportunity to work in kitchens around the world, would you take it? Would you stay at home in the city, town or country, you know? How do you decide when you're on a career path that's moving up to work in your own restaurant or somebody else's? Is it about your choices or what fate delivers to you? I'm not sure. But I do think that for some people, what guides them is their passion. It's not just our ambitions or chances.
Chef Maxime Kien now lives a life that some of us might envy in New York. But one thing I noticed, and I think you will as well, when I was chatting with him is that his passion for food, and specifically French food is a driver for him. And I'm sure he's influenced all the people he's worked with and who know him.
Chef Kien’s food hero was his dad who was a very good chef. He studied culinary arts in Burgundy, where the family's originally from, and made his way to work in Monaco in the south of France. His dad then moved to Menton where Chef Kien was born. Sadly he was taken too young and passed away in a motorcycle accident when Chef Kien was 6 years old.
Raw Bar at Boucherie New York City
Growing up in Menton Chef Kien says was so different from now. It was a quiet time where you were able to get on your bicycle and pretty much be gone for the day and come back home when the sun was going down.
Able in winter to get in a car and drive for an hour and go to the ski slopes and have fun and in the summer a walk of 15 minutes to go to the beach was just idyllic.
In the episode of Fabulously Delicious I discuss with Chef Kien his love of Menton and the Cote D’Azur, his career path and the passion that he has for French food. We also find out what it’s like to live in New York now and run the acclaimed Boucherie restaurants for The Group NYC a fabulous group of restaurant businesses.
Chef Kien also talks about dishes like Socca a traditional French chickpea dish and Ratatouille and Salade Nicoises to name a few dishes. If you love French food you will love the chat I had with Chef Kien.
You can listen to the full episode with Chef Kien wherever you listen to podcasts.
This was the topic on Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast and you can listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple Podcasts on the links above or wherever you listen to podcasts.