This Summer, Taste French Chef Julien Dumas’ Nature-Inspired Cuisine At The Saint James Hotel In Paris

Recognized for his eco-conscious vegetal and seafood-based cuisine, chef Julien Dumas (formerly of one Michelin-star restaurant, Lucas Carton) integrates nature into the decor and menu of Bellefeuille fine dining restaurant set within the mythical five-star Saint James chateau-hotel in the 16^th arrondissement of Paris. Working with producers mindful of the environment and cultivating organic fruits and vegetables in the Saint James’ own kitchen garden, he focuses above all on the diversity and intensity of flavors. The dishes he imagines are the embodiment of a sunbeam or stars that have just landed on diners’ plates. Succeeding in surprising palates and conjuring up memorable emotions from the simplest to the noblest ingredients, he serves up lobster and cuttlefish or shoulder of veal confit with nasturtium leaves, while the plating is influenced by the Japanese art of “kaiseki ryôri” to craft a harmonious visual and taste composition. The restaurant’s indoor-outdoor ambiance is ideal for summertime to take advantage of the luxuriant garden by sitting on the terrace, or diners may opt for the foliage-inspired wall panoramas and armchairs of the interiors. I sit down with Dumas to discuss his generous and earth-friendly gastronomy.

Describe your culinary language and what makes your approach unique. How has your approach shaped the menu that you created for the Saint James Paris?

I follow my instinct when imagining dishes. My cuisine is exclusively seasonal and centered around nature. I work only with small producers who ensure a very high quality. Our aim with Bellefeuille at the Saint James Paris is to pay tribute to nature – it is the focus of the menu and it reflects the decor of the dining room.

What are some of your favorite ingredients and what kinds of dishes can we expect to be served at Bellefeuille?

I am passionate about everything in relation to the ocean, from shellfish, molluscs and fish to seaweed and herbs from the seaside. The dishes I imagine are the interpretation of a moment captured in the middle of nature, under a specific sunlight and in a given season. The menu will follow a stroll from our region to the seaside. Examples of dishes are grilled white asparagus, acacia and smoked sardines, or pigeon, cherry and mustard.

How does Bellefeuille embrace nature in its decor and in its menu?

At Bellefeuille, the indoor-outdoor line is blurred. The trees on the painted wallpaper, the choice of colors and the big Kentia palms planted in Anduze pottery vases convey the feeling of a winter garden. It was also important for us to let our guests enjoy the garden – it is unique in Paris – and we will serve them outside under the pergola as often as possible.

Why is it important to you to offer an eco-responsible cuisine? Who are your suppliers?

An eco-responsible approach to cuisine is essential if we want to keep enjoying fully all the resources of the ocean, nature and more broadly everything that contributes to our nutrition. Cuisine needs to be as simple as possible and we all have to adopt a much healthier diet. I will work around cereals, which contain vegetal proteins, to balance the animal ones and offer a fairer mix of proteins. I cultivate long-term relationships with market gardeners, fish farmers and fishmongers, whose authentic methods respect the environment.

Describe to me the Saint James’ fruit and vegetable garden.

Set southeast of Paris, close to Fontainebleau, it is a splendid place with a magical feel, where fruits, vegetables, grapes and even truffles grow. The closed domain offers a wonderful rolling landscape and a large organic vineyard on its hillside. It is a woodland area with an exceptionally rich soil, bordered by a small river that nourishes all our agriculture.

Tell me how your plating borrows from the Japanese art of “kaiseki ryôri”.

“Kaiseki ryôri” means recreating the natural environment of a product on the plate. For instance, trout in freshwater or swimming crabs under a rock.

What comprises an exceptional meal?

A meal becomes exceptional when a dish is balanced and seasoned just perfectly to take the person tasting it to a special place or a specific moment. An identity-based cuisine can create such precise worlds.