Hélène Darroze
Hélène Darroze
As a fourth-generation chef, cooking was always going to be in Hélène Darroze’s blood. Now at the helm of two Michelin-starred restaurants (one in London, one in Paris), she divides her time between the two to create inimitable dishes inspired by her southwestern roots and pushes the boundaries of what fine French cuisine can be.
Being at the helm of one of London’s most accomplished Michelin-starred restaurants is hard enough – to run it whilst simultaneously looking after restaurants in France is even tougher. However, Hélène Darroze makes it look easy, ensuring the experience at all her restaurants is seamless, with incredible cookery inspired by where she grew up at the centre of it all.
Born in The Landes, a region of southwestern France below Bordeaux, it seemed Hélène was destined to be a chef. Her family owned and operated a Michelin-starred restaurant, and she spent her early years absorbing the hospitality lifestyle without even knowing it. 'Apparently I cooked my first apple tart when I was six, although I can't remember it very well,’ she says. ‘I was always baking cakes as a child, and whenever my parents had company I would do the pastry. I loved the energy in the kitchen at my family's restaurant, especially in the mornings when the producers, farmers and fishermen would come to the back door with their ingredients. I was so curious about everything.'
Despite being in the thick of Michelin-starred cooking, Hélène was encouraged to follow an academic path instead of a life in the kitchen. 'I was always a good student, so I studied business and then went onto university, as that was what was expected of me. I never really thought about being a chef – that was more expected of my brother – but after finishing at university I got a job working as an assistant to Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV in Monaco.'
Whether it was luck or destiny, Hélène found herself back in the world of Michelin-starred cooking, although she planned to stay in the office doing administrative work rather than rattling the pans. After learning about her background and family restaurant, however, Alain Ducasse encouraged her to help out in the restaurant. Over the next three years she divided her time between the office and the kitchen, learning not only how to run a restaurant but also how to cook at a three-star level.
'Everything was about precision,’ says Hélène. ‘I learned so much during my time there, questioning everything right down to the plates. Ducasse is from my region, however, and he had the same ideas as my father back home when it came to respecting the produce and focusing on authenticity. They had very similar roots when it came to cooking.'
Hélène eventually decided to return home to help run the family restaurant, but under strict instructions from Ducasse to ensure she worked as a chef rather than anything administrative. This came as a surprise; while she had three years’ experience helping out in the kitchen, Hélène didn’t feel she was ready to work as a chef full-time. Her father was enthusiastic about the idea, however, and Hélène’s talents were confirmed when she retained the family restaurant’s Michelin star.
After the family restaurant closed in 1999, Hélène decided to move to Paris to open Restaurant Hélène Darroze. Success came quickly; her first star was awarded in 2001, with a second soon after in 2003 (which she retained until the 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide). This rapid rise to the top in the world’s gastronomic capital made Hélène a star of the Paris food scene; it wasn’t until The Connaught hotel in London approached her in 2008, however, that she became well-known in the UK. Enquiring whether she’d be interested in opening a restaurant at the hotel, Hélène was at first apprehensive – but a look at the grandiose dining room soon changed her mind.
'I was completely surprised when they asked me,’ she explains. ‘It was never my idea or goal, and initially I didn't want to consider it because my home was in France. But they convinced me to come and take a look and I instantly fell in love with the space. I didn't know much about London at all, having never worked here before, but I could feel this real energy about the place that I felt Paris was perhaps lacking in at the time.'
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught opened to great fanfare, and within three years had gained two Michelin stars (and gained its third in 2021). It was no easy feat – Hélène divided her time between the two restaurants, living in Paris for one week, London the next, with her two adopted daughters in tow. Now that the restaurant is over ten years old and well established she doesn’t spend quite as much time going back and forth across the Channel, but the focus on precise, expressive cookery is still certainly there.
‘These days we focus on looking for small producers here in the UK, which has been quite hard at times,’ she says. ‘Obviously being from southwest France means I get a lot of ingredients from there, as that's what has shaped my culture and style of cooking, but we're always discovering more produce from the UK. British cuisine has changed a lot in the past ten years, and there are always new producers popping up. We've focused on improving technique a lot since we opened, and made sure the produce, the flavour in each dish and the maturity of the whole experience at the restaurant has increased.’
Heading to a three-starred French fine dining restaurant located in one of London’s swankiest hotels means there’s a certain expectation on the sort of food that’s on the menu. While certain aspects of that can be found at The Connaught – the most luxurious ingredients, classical techniques on show and impeccable service – don’t assume that Hélène’s cooking is focused on traditional southwestern French flavours. While her personality shines through in every dish (Espelette pepper – a bright red spice from southwest France and northwest Spain used extensively in Hélène’s cooking – is placed on the table instead of black pepper, for example), there are plenty of international influences too.
'My first international influences came from Italy during my time with Alain Ducasse, as we were so close to the country, and I spent lots of time there too. But then I started going further afield to places like India. I don't get to travel as much as I'd like but whenever I do I try to learn and pick up new techniques as much as possible.'
As a result, Hélène's cooking offers a truly unique interpretation of French fine dining, with international ingredients and flavours accentuating incredible produce (which she has always prioritised over everything else). While France will always be her home, London has acquired a world-class restaurant thanks to Hélène's tie-in at The Connaught – and as fans of fine food, we can't thank her enough.
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