THE WORLD'S BIGGEST MUSEUM
Good morning, sir.
I'll follow you.
Thank you.
If Paris has been the most visited city in the world for over a century,
it's probably due to its architecture, to Baron Hausmann…
We owe it to its grand museums, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay,
but we probably also owe it to its grand luxury hotels.
This series is currently dedicated to the luxury hotels.
I would like to invite you to discover the most Parisian of them all:
The Plaza Athénée.
Let’s go!
Hello, so you're Jerôme then? - Yes, exactly.
You're a concierge here. How many are you?
We're eleven Golden Key concierges.
HEAD CONCIERGE
What does that mean?
It’s an association which gives us worldwide recognition.
Apparently, a concierge never declines a client's request.
Is that true? - It is.
Once you've passed this door, you're in a magical place
where all your requests must be granted.
There are 600 people working here and they'll do whatever it takes
for the stay to be as beautiful and pleasant as possible.
How many rooms are there?
There are 191 rooms, including 47 suites.
Apparently, there's a Royal Suite in this hotel
at 20,000 euros per night? - Indeed.
It’s magnificent. It's a Royal Suite on the fifth floor.
It's splendid, the most beautiful in Paris.
Have you ever had outlandish client requests?
There was a princess who came back every year
and she had some reptiles in her room.
Snakes. One night, she woke up and realized
she was out of food for her snakes.
So, she called the night concierge who managed to find her some mice
at about 3 AM.
Thank you, Jérôme. Let’s start dreaming.
Is the Grand Gallery over there? - Yes.
Right, I'm off to talk about history.
Hello, François Delahaye. - Hello.
You're the general manager of this hotel.
Was it built at the beginning of the century?
It was built in 1911,
after the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées was built.
Later, thanks to the fashion world...
GENERAL MANAGER
… when Mr. Poiret first settled at the Rond-Point des Champs Elysées
and in 1947, when Christian Dior settled there too.
Everyone says that this hotel is the most Parisian
of all the grand hotels in the capital.
Is it a catchphrase, a marketing strategy or reality?
No, it has existed for a very long time.
We were lucky enough to have five restaurants and two bars,
which made it very popular amongst politicians and the world of fashion,
making it the place to be for any Parisians
who like to be seen.
So, it generates an atmosphere of liveliness.
It's really good to own this concept and say it.
It's a really magnificent showcase
for the heart of Paris. - Exactly.
It's true that these stones reflect
the top models of the beginning of this third millennium,
but also Jackie Kennedy and…
Our whole heritage of famous people since 1911,
but also new ones like Puff Daddy and 50 Cent
who represent the new generation.
Leonardo di Caprio, Beyoncé,
are all giving out a message of modern times.
So, there are 191 suites and rooms in this luxury hotel
and the two top floors, the 7th and 8th, are completely Art Deco
and I love it. - Hi, Christine.
Hello, Eric.
So, you're a chamber maid? - Yes, indeed.
Just one question:
Are there any specific requirements
for making up beds in luxury hotels? Or is it what I would do at home?
No, it’s a bit different.
CHAMBER MAID
Will you show me? - Yes, of course.
So, it’s all about the angle?
Yes, you need to lift this,
slide your hand in here,
before tucking it under.
In reality, Christine has been short-sheeting beds for years.
What a privilege, ladies and gents, we're in the kitchen of a 3 star hotel.
We're on the ground floor of the hotel.
There are three kitchens and this is the three star one.
Hello, Christophe Moret. - Hi.
So, you're a spiritual descendent of the maestro Ducasse?
You followed him for years and worked in some of his restaurants?
I've been lucky enough to work for Alain Ducasse since 1990,
in stages, I'm now in my 14th year.
CHEF
You do know that, for professional reasons,
before you start cooking, I have to taste the truffle?
I expected that, I'm peeling it for you.
This is not a moment of pleasure,
It's out of obligation.
What a tough job.
This is an explosion of taste...
and crunch. It's a good one.
I got it from the market this morning.
What are you making?
We'll be making a Pithiviers with black truffles and foie gras.
It's one of the more traditional recipes of this restaurant.
I have this tool, a truffle mandolin.
Ladies and gents, a truffle mandolin!
So, we slice the truffle 3 mm thick,
so that it stays crunchy.
Three millimeters? - Yes.
That's some serious slicing!
Oh wow! - It looks good.
The aim is to make a truffle rosette
in a circle like this.
That's about right.
Next, we'll be blitzing all the leftovers
which don’t look as good as the slices
and putting them into the accompanying Périgueux sauce.
Before and after. - Yes.
Before and after.
The Egyptians had already understood that.
These dishes are memories of territories.
That's a nice way of putting it, Christophe.
Memories of territories.
It's important.
We're lucky to have a fine culinary heritage to hand down.
This is the soul of French cuisine.
The soul of French cuisine? - Chicken stock.
Chicken stock?
It's the basis of French cuisine.
With this stock, we can make risotto, cook our vegetables,
make sauces and lots of other things.
And retrieve the vegetables? - Yes.
You can really smell the truffle in this one.
So, this local dish is legendary.
And it's served at a table
which is symbolic of French excellence,
and people come from all over the world to taste this Pithiviers
which peasants made 50 years ago.
The chef tasted it 15 times to get it right.
I know he enjoys tasting it,
he then comes around to correct us.
He's our mentor
and we need to listen to him and learn.
Thank you very much for this moment of generosity.
I will taste it again because I suppose
the TV cameras are rarely here. - No, it's a secret area.
The kitchens are just around the corner in the "Aquarium,"
a small, very private salon
with Alain Ducasse and Paul Bocuse.
There's talk of classifying French cuisine as UNESCO world heritage.
Does this make any sense?
In terms of our history, who we are today
and to improve our future existence, it's a good idea.
I thought that heritage was more to do with stones,
old ones like the Château de Versailles?
The heritage of French cuisine is Paul Bocuse,
he's not made of stone, even if he is a rock.
Paul Bocuse, do you believe that French cuisine can be our heritage?
It's not all to do with old recipes.
France is a huge vineyard, a huge garden.
We are surrounded by the Northern seas, the Atlantic Ocean.
It's fantastic.
It's the most blessed place in the world.
Only our country has these advantages.
Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse, is it true that, together,
you have more notoriety than Tintin and General de Gaulle?
Are you aware of it? - We haven’t measured it.
Certainly for Paul, but I have a few years to go.
We are now more or less in recession,
must French Cuisine reinvent itself or will it enter a phase of recession?
It needs to comfort, reassure.
Do you agree with that?
We put the pan on the table,
lift the lid, it's steaming and we can have two servings
and enjoy it. - It smells good.
For how long have you held 3 stars? - 45 years.
That's all. - That's all.
Nearly half a century. We need to celebrate.
Even if I don’t cook today, I was the one to think it up.
I transmitted it to my collaborators who train noon and evening.
They're better than I am as they're now seasoned professionals
and we're good coaches who train them daily.
Some of the dishes will become part of our heritage.
It’s important.
A good cassoulet, beef bourguignon,
navarin of lamb, or a veal stew...
Why not?
Identifiable dishes made with bones.
Welcome to this land of luxury and dreams.
We're in a very cozy, tender space,
a gourmet restaurant.
This room was designed by famous designer, Patrick Jouin,
with very contemporary and very surprising furniture,
made of Corian and leather. I love these beautiful details.
Hey presto! A little tray table to put your things on.
This totem is dedicated to all the words
used in various French recipes.
Take a look. One peels, cores, cuts,
slices, chops, crushes, minces, grinds, wraps in lard,
pricks, rolls, stuffs…
How beautiful is the French language when it describes cuisine?
Hello. One pair of trousers, size 1, please.
Anything else? - Two jackets, size 2.
Anything else?
Two aprons, two towels and two neck scarves.
I'm with Ambre.
Ambre is the hotel's first ever young female groom.
She's 18 and a half years old and is known as the "groomette."
Every day, a play takes place here
and plays mean costumes.
So, let’s go and meet the person who has reigned
over the hotel costumes for decades: the seamstress.
I've been head seamstress for the past 34 years now.
I started in November 1975.
HEAD SEAMSTRESS
Right now, I'm sewing a button back on for this young man
as we're also responsible for the uniforms and repairing them.
There are about 2,000 uniforms in stock
as there are many of us in this beautiful hotel.
Esthetics are important
and you need to be sure that the uniforms are always
impeccable.
We work in a prestigious environment and working here is a pleasure.
Patrick-Henri has been concierge here in this hotel
since 1962.
Almost half a century. - Yes, not far off.
I can hardly believe it.
Thanks, that's very kind of you.
Has the role of concierge or the clientele changed in 45 years?
The system has changed. 35 years ago,
the clientele came in on luxury liners,
the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mary
and they'd stay much longer.
Today, the clients are different and younger than before.
You must have seen a lot of celebrities on that carpet.
Oh yes, the door never stopped revolving.
I saw a lot of very beautiful women
and famous men:
Jack Nicholson and Travolta,
Farah Fawcett, Kim Basinger,
James Stewart,
Gary Cooper, I even got to meet Gary Cooper.
And Hitchcock too. He would come here, it was his hotel.
Are there any memories you'll never forget?
Oh yes. Many things I’ll never forget.
The worst day of my life will be when I retire
because I you can't imagine how much I love this hotel.
I have a passion for this hotel.
I'm happy to go to work in the morning.
It's a real pleasure. I'm happy.
You youngsters who don't know what to do.
Your parents are saying doctor, or engineer,
but you can also become a mixologist like Thierry.
What's a mixologist?
Mixology is the science of cocktails.
PLAZA BAR MANAGER
Mixing various tastes and aromas to create a unique cocktail.
TO BE CONSUMED WITH MODERATION
Our customers were looking for this in prestigious establishments,
with quality products and services.
Did Patrick Jouin design it all, including this sculpted glass counter
which lights up when you place a glass on it?
Yes.
It's a very specific design for those times.
Ten years ago, luxury hotel bars were part of the tradition.
We wanted to keep up with both tradition and innovation
while respecting the place's heritage
by keeping some of the old, classified woodwork
and Patrick brought this contemporary furniture here.
What's this? - This is a Fashionazz,
to be drunk like an Eskimo,
with the same degree of alcohol as in a classic cocktail.
The only Eskimo in history to contain alcohol?
Right now, yes.
What about this one? - It's a Pina Colada.
I’ve never felt comfortable with chop sticks,
do you mind if I use my fingers for the sushi?
So, this is pineapple?
Yes, chilled pineapple, a rum reduction and coconut powder.
This guy is crazy. He should be locked up.
This 1930's decor is exceptional.
It was inspired by the dining room of the Normandie steamer,
with a classified chandelier and a classified compass rose.
It's magnificent and quite an unusual place in Paris.
Let's move on to the pastry chefs now.
Let me introduce you to Jean-Marie, Nicolas, Jerôme
and Christophe Michalak, the Plaza's chief pastry chef
in charge of how many? - 20 pastry chefs.
There's a real competitive mindset
because you were the world champion pastry chef in 2005.
And then we have young newcomer, Jerôme de Oliveira,
who was world champion in 2009.
The veteran and the up-and-coming.
It's pretty rare to have...
It's great. It’s the first time
that there have been two world champions in the same hotel,
WORLD CHAMPION PASTRY CHEF 2005
We're proud and shared this adventure as a team, as a family.
I will let you try a little cake with a very appropriate name,
the Nirvana.
So Christophe, what is it exactly?
It's cocoa shortbread topped with a chocolate biscuit
and light chocolate and blackberry tea cream
with a kind of very light cream or, let's say, a light jam
made from blackberries.
What a great taste tester!
In just one mouthful.
So, are you in Nirvana? - I'm in Nirvana.
I can taste an exceptional balance of sweet and sour.
What are those shiny nuggets? - Pieces of biscuit
wrapped in ruby red food powder.
We're just having fun.
Look, it looks like a beautiful ballerina, a dancer.
We called her "Religieuse Madame,"
a classical marriage of blackcurrant and violets.
And this is Red Power?
Yes, we're having a bit of fun again.
Shall we try it? - Go for it.
I'll start by the middle. - Exactly.
Oh boy, it's smooth.
It's always very good.
This is my favorite.
Was this the Red Power? - Yes.
How old are you, Jerôme?
Sorry.
Caught in the act! I'm 23 years old.
Did you ever think you'd get to work in this kind of environment?
WORLD CHAMPION PASTRY CHEF 2009
No, I'm from Lyon and dreamed of working with chef.
With Jerôme, this year, we proved again,
that in European and world championships,
French patisserie always comes out on top.
That's very flattering
and it needs to continue.
I worked with Pierre Hermé and succeeded in transmitting some of my knowledge
to this young generation who still have a lot to bring to the profession.
That's the most exciting part of the job.
You take a lot of inspiration from the moment, the seasons,
the street and fashion.
We're lucky enough to work opposite the Avenue Montaigne,
the center of fine fashion.
We try to make things sexy and elegant.
They say you're a pastry genius. How do you live up to that?
Well, I’d like to thank my team,
because you never get anywhere alone.
But geniuses are recognized over time.
I might still be a bit young right now.
If they're still calling me a genius in 20 years,
I'll be very proud.
FOR WERNER WITH MY WARMEST AFFECTION AND THANKS
We're now coming to the end of this show
which you can watch again on our website:
www.france3.fr, The World's Biggest Museum
Of course, the haters will say that, in these times of recession,
talking about luxury is a bit indecent.
Let's not forget that these luxury hotels have a lot of hidden talent,
probably one of the best French tables,
right here, two world champion pastry chefs,
excellence in hotel quality,
a lot of small professions.
In fact these hotels are the epitome of French excellence,
the memory of our territories.
And that's precious. See you next week.
Subtitles: Babel Subtitling - babelSUB.be