Alan Geaam is the only Michelin-starred chef in France to offer Lebanese cuisine. He welcomes us to his palace of delights, the Alan Geaam Restaurant, in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, to tell us his story and his vision of tomorrow's world of gastronomy.
What was it about your childhood and career that inspired your love of cooking?
My cooking is where France and Lebanon meet. First and foremost, to say thank you to my mother who gave me the desire to be a chef. And also to tell my story. I grew up in the north of Lebanon at the height of the civil war. When I was a child, I was always next to a bowl in which my mother was cooking. I remember the smell of spices, the way she cooked with a lot of love and emotion... My mother was much loved by people. She always invited everyone to come and eat at our table. When I was a kid, I used to say to myself "one day I want to be like her, to be loved by people and to please others". At the same time, we were watching Monsieur Bocuse and Monsieur Robuchon on television. I was seeing French cuisine for the first time – it was completely different from Lebanese cuisine. I had the feeling that I was looking at a work of art rather than cuisine, and I promised myself that one day I would go to Paris and conquer it! In 1999, I arrived in France with a rucksack. I didn't speak French, I didn't have a visa and I didn't know anyone. I was alone with my dream of becoming a chef. My first job was on building site scaffolding. That was the first job that got me off the streets. Then I was recruited as an evening dishwasher in a restaurant. I worked sixteen hours a day, seven days a week and gradually worked my way up the ladder.
What did you want to bring to the world of gastronomy by opening your restaurants?
I bought my first restaurant, the Auberge Nicolas Flamel, in 2007, learning about cooking from books. I didn't have any training, and it was hard for me to come to terms with my background. I always hid behind French cuisine with a Japanese or Italian influence, because it spoke to everyone. I didn't take any risks. That was until 2017, when I bought this place, the Alan Geaam Restaurant, when I decided to call my restaurant "Alan Geaam" – Alan Geaam who has no training, who has not worked for the great Alain Ducasse or Yannick Alléno, but who still has the right to be a self-taught chef of Lebanese origin and to succeed. I used to see the Michelin world on television. I never imagined that one day I too would be a Michelin-starred chef. But it's the work, the will, the determination, never giving up, that got me here. The day when, sitting in this restaurant under construction, I said to myself "How long am I going to hide behind a story that doesn't belong to me? How long am I going to use ingredients that don't belong to me?" I finally said to myself, "That's fine, that's my story. This is Lebanon. Lebanon in Paris. It took me eighteen years to find my identity here in France. And the day I came to terms with my history, I started to feel a very, very strong emotion in my cooking, and the star came directly afterwards, six months after opening this restaurant.
And today?
People increasingly want vegetarian cuisine. In January 2024, I opened the first 100% vegetarian Lebanese bistro: Qasti Green. "Qasti" means "my story" in Lebanese. My story, in green! We'll be serving over thirty very tasty vegetarian dishes. That's the challenge!
What does it mean to be the only Michelin-starred Lebanese chef?
I carry on my shoulders the responsibility of being the only Michelin-starred chef of Lebanese origin. It's a great message for young Lebanese chefs. It shows that you can do it without training, without a vocational diploma. I started from scratch. I started out as a dishwasher, then worked in the building trade, until I was awarded the star. I also have a responsibility to bring my culinary culture back to Paris, to be the ambassador of Lebanese cuisine in France and to show that it's also an elegant and refined cuisine.
Is your culinary identity reflected in your range of drinks?
For some years now, we've been doing a lot of research in Lebanon, in the mountains, in the villages, to bring back something other than hummus and falafel. There are a huge number of exceptional products, excellent wines from very good winemakers that we select to share with our customers. We also create non-alcoholic drinks using all these flavours - rose water and orange blossom, for example - which work very well in cocktails.
What would you most like to see in tomorrow's world of gastronomy?
I grew up next to a souk and I think that today we need to go back to the beginning of history, to the period when the producer grew his tomatoes or beans through to the height of the season and then sold them at the market. We should go back a bit. Let the land rest peacefully, without chemicals, without pushing production to harvest more and more. These are the principles of a market gardener. These are the principles of a cook. And that's really the only thing I want today.
Photo: Emanuela Cino
