Post-Nouvelle French

You’ve worked in dozens of Michelin-rated restaurants throughout France. What made you want to come to Shanghai? My mentor Alain Ducasse has always kept in touch with the chefs he’s worked with. I used to get letters from him every few weeks asking if I knew any chefs who wanted to go to Asia. Eventually I thought–why not me?

How many people were you up against for this job? I think a few [laughs]. I came to Shanghai to prepare some tasting menus for the restaurant manager. He hired me immediately. Jade was also looking for more traditional French dishes at the time. I like to think that my food is modern and traditional French, but with my little twist. It’s very important to have your own take on food, even if it’s traditional, or you might as well be working in someone else’s kitchen. And traditional food can still be very creative.

Has it been difficult to communicate with your Chinese team? I can’t say that it’s been easy, but many of them had also worked with Paul [Pairet], so they were used to hearing my French-accented English!

See Chef Giraud in action at Jade on 36. But make a reservation--the restaurant is still packed from weekday to weekend.