French food has always been associated with the very best in the world. While it might not enjoy the same monopoly over fine dining as it used to (we’re now inundated with the finest examples of food from all four corners of the globe), it’s still seen as the birthplace of gastronomy. These days, we know that the producers are as much to thanks as the chefs themselves, as they’re the ones rearing, growing or creating fantastic ingredients for restaurant kitchens. In Paris, there’s one company bringing together the very best artisans in France, so the city’s chefs can find them all in one place. In the past few years, they’ve been supplying a few select London restaurants too.
Since 2008, Terroirs d’Avenir has been scouring every region in France (and recently moved into Spain, Italy and Greece) in search of the very best meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, cheeses and dry goods in the world. While their operation is based in Paris, Cyrille Cheminal has been tasked with expanding into London’s restaurant scene, offering ingredients never before available to its chefs. I tagged along with Tom Duffill – the head chef at the Galvin brothers’ celebrated Bistrot de Luxe – to visit Cyrille in Paris and take a look at the produce for myself.
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The French connection: Bistrot de Luxe and Terroirs d'Avenir