The first state dinner at the White House since Donald Trump took office was held on an evening in late April to honor the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte. For the occasion, the state dining room glittered with gold cutlery, gilt-rimmed China and glasses, sprays of white flowers amid tampered candles lighting up 13 tables set to welcome 120 or so guests—an “intimate” affair compared to the dinners for several hundreds during the Obama administration.
Among the tuxedo-clad members of the French delegation, there was one guest whose taste buds were particularly attuned to the menu to be served. Guy Savoy, chef and owner of the three-Michelin-star restaurant bearing his name on Paris’s left bank, self-described “passeur de goût,” was one of 14 members of the official French delegation.
The evening’s menu was proudly American with a slight French accent, including a goat cheese gâteau, tomato jam and buttermilk biscuit crumbles, followed by a rack of spring lamb, burnt cipolline soubise and Carolina gold rice jambalaya. An Oregon-grown Pinot Noir by a French winemaker accompanied the lamb, followed by a California Crémant with the nectarine tarte and crème fraîche ice cream.
“My role was to represent French gastronomy,” says Savoy. “As for any state visit, the French president brings along captains of industry and culture to promote France. Since cuisine is a key factor in many traveler’s choice of France as a destination, Mr. Macron, who, along with his wife, is extremely attached to French cuisine, invited me.”
As for President Trump, “I didn’t have the opportunity to [speak with] the American President," he says. But he did get the chance to speak with the Vice President’s wife, Mrs. Pence, who "speaks French well and is a fan of Monet and his house in Giverny near Paris.” He described the visit, which was filled with pomp and protocol, as extremely moving. “You find yourself at the White House, seated at a state dinner among eminent personalities, sharing an excellent moment—the cuisine, the company, the atmosphere—a sort of wakeful dream.”
It would be hard to imagine a better ambassador for French gastronomy than this chef of simple Burgundian origins, whose signature dishes include artichoke soup with truffles and a mushroom brioche. In addition to his Paris restaurants, the chef’s galaxy includes Guy Savoy Las Vegas in Caesars Palace, where his frequent visits allow him to keep a finger on the pulse of American cuisine.
“So, so much is happening here now,” says Savoy. “I remember when I first visited 40 years ago, the only place where we could find interesting products was [in] New York. Today, my menu in the Las Vegas restaurant is exactly the same as in Paris, and I have no difficulty finding the same quality of products as in France, whether its sweetbreads from California, or wild mushrooms from Oregon.” In addition, “I love the fact that at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning it's possible to go to a Las Vegas store and find the finest wines from Piedmont, France, or California—all this in a place that’s in the middle of the desert!”
Despite what many lament as a growing influence of American food in France, Savoy claims that the influence of France on American cuisine today is much stronger than the contrary, with a marked evolution among U.S. producers toward French-style diversity and quality. “What has made France the ‘pays de la gastronomy’ is the savoir faire of its men and women, honed through generations of observation to discover how to produce Bresse poultry, or to vinify a Montrachet and Chateaux d’Yquem wine.”
“For me gastronomy needs no passport,” says Savoy. “Imagine saying that only Austrians and Germans can truly appreciate music!” No one has a monopoly on la bonne cuisine.
Upon his return to Paris, this tireless chef knew a little more about the French President, Emmanuel Macron. “He never stops—I was very impressed. I didn’t think a president of the Republique could work so hard,” comments Savoy. “Every time I meet someone who works that much, I feel a little less alone.”
Photo of Guy Savoy via Facebook.
