Michel “Michoco” Chiche tends to go where his culinary expertise is needed.
A native of France, Chiche has gained a worldwide reputation as an expert in the luxury pastry world over the past four decades, predominantly (in more recent years) working as a task force chef at some of the most prestigious kitchens, country clubs and hotels across the globe and a creator of bespoke, extraordinary crafted confectionary showpieces.
This season, just as he did last year, he’s taking up a residency at La Goulue Sur Mer in Southampton. And he’s bringing his best pastry game with him.
“Pastry is an exact science,” the Miami-based chef says. “When you respect the recipe, the discipline, the technique, something magical appears. From basic ingredients like sugar and flour, you can create beautiful and memorable desserts.”
And while Chiche’s resume is filled with a long list of intentional, planned out gigs at some of the planet’s most celebrated and renowned hotels — the Waldorf Astoria, the St. Regis, the Beverly Hills Hotel — he stumbled upon his latest role at the Southampton restaurant unexpectedly.
“I came to work at La Goulue by coincidence. I was originally hired for a temporary task force assignment to replace a chef who never arrived,” he says. “While there, I created desserts that became very popular with the customers. The owners, Joe [DeCristofaro] and Anthony [Punnet], appreciated my work and asked me to stay.”
Chiche’s tarte tatin, chocolate mousse and kitkat. (Photos by Emily Toy)
During his tenure at La Goulue, the almost-year-old Hamptons outpost of the renowned New York City-born restaurant mainstay, he has successfully cemented classic French pâtisserie at the heart of the eatery’s dessert offerings.
“French pâtisserie is built around technique and control,” Chiche says. “The goal is often elegance through structure, texture and flavors. For his pastry program he takes familiar, traditional French patisserie and applies a refreshing, modern twist. Favorites include his take on a tarte tatin: recreating the comforting upside-down apple-based tart classically cooked in a skillet and then served by the slice as an individually composed dessert. His chocolate mousse contains a small square of chocolate sponge — what he calls “a little surprise” — and is topped with lighter than air, coffee-infused foam. His piece de resistance, the Kit Kat, contains a crunchy hazelnut wafer base filled with a light, chocolate mousse. Its sits on a pool of vanilla creme anglaise and is adorned with small pearls of chocolate, topped with a trio of raspberries and thin, chocolate circular cutouts.
“Dessert is a very important part of a meal because it is the last note that stays with you as a souvenir of the dining experience,” he says. “People often remember the first dish and the last one — which is dessert. A great dessert leaves a lasting impression and completes the meal with emotion, flavor and beauty.”
La Goulue Sur Mer is located at 210 Hampton Road in Southampton. To learn more about Chef Michoco, click here.
