David Zuddas
Ambitions and more…
By Laurent Feneau

With his powerful personality, David Zuddas proclaims his difference loud and clear by opting to close the doors of his starred inn so that he can concentrate on new adventures and new openings. His aim? Inventing the restaurant of the future and making his cuisine available to the greatest possible number now.

David Zuddas is the archetype of freedom in the kitchen. Having worked hard at his starred establishment for fourteen years, he's sending it all flying - almost on a whim - to follow his ambition: opening a contemporary bistrot in the very centre of Dijon. Done that, been there? It doesn't matter. He is claiming a freedom that he signs with the tip of a knife! The 'enfant terrible' of the young chef generation has even added his initials to the sign outside his new toy: " DZ'Envies c'est moi! ". In other words, a smart, no-hassle, eatery where you can enjoy inventive dishes selected from a short menu - 3 starters, 3 main courses and 3 desserts - and a dinner menu focusing on 5 or 6 recommendations without overlooking the surprise for those who opt for the 6-course version … Some have already ventured to state or write that, with the closure of the Auberge de La Charme, this chef is turning a page in the annals of gastronomy. By David's thunderbolts! "The idea isn't gastronomy - we don't give a damn! - but pleasure. The pleasure of giving into your whims at a particular moment in time. Does it matter whether or not is 'grande cuisine'? In any case, what exactly is 'grande cuisine'? ".
David Zuddas has already proved himself. With his experience at La Charme behind him, he has actually shown that he can quite successfully run a business based on his own very personal convictions. The challenge now lies elsewhere. With the irrepressible need to follow an adventure to its very end and, if possible " scare myself … ". " Here, we have doubled the number of covers with the same squad. It's a real challenge and, obviously, it means that you have to think a bit more about what you are doing ". The price of freedom? Perhaps. But, in the meantime, the need for change is infectious for somebody who only knows the bustle of the Orient Express where he worked for a whole two years.

Uncle David
" I made no bones to my team about what to expect when we moved here. I was not looking for a race to the stars but simply wanted to have fun in the kitchen ". As the result, the 7-strong team from La Charme is still there, always there when needed. A bit of the mercenary but above all of the samurai, they are now redoubling their efforts. If Fabrice Dameron, a partner in David's " zenvies " is in charge of the dining room, Mister Zuddas continues to be the tireless control tower overseeing this new culinary runway which lets you take off on a trip to Latin America, or Asia or even the Maghreb. Regardless of the destination, at stopover in Japan is almost compulsory. "I am attracted by Asian cultures but primarily by that of Japan but this is an awareness rather than an influence. Also, this approach transcends the purely kitchen domain ". Complete mastery of cooking methods, respect for textures and for the seasons, David is one of these few chefs who have been able to tame the Japanese archipelago. Avoiding copy/paste techniques, the familiar trodden and retrodden paths of fashion and also the avatars of Japanese culinary fundamentalism.
Here, we won't find any product worship or devotion to raw foods. Open to new ideas and insatiably curious, this chef is constantly on the lookout for new flavour combinations. The approach - personified by its creator - is whole, complete and experienced as total commitment.

On containers and on content…
For David, " cooking as a matter of relationships with others and honesty with oneself. Neither the form nor the content should mislead". Therefore, it is quite logical that this precept should feature in most " zudassian " creations where the container leads the guest to its content and vice-versa. In this respect, the lobster and prawn tortilla represents a model of demands. Crustaceans and vegetables in season embrace each other in an intimate exchange of flavours punctuated by a hint of pepper. A Latin approach but an execution that is typically continental French in the way that there is always a marriage of products, each maintaining its own characteristics.
To sum up, a technique that never comes free but is always appreciated. In other words, " the pleasure of transforming raw materials, of pouring heart and soul and know-how into the process for the purpose of producing and sharing a quality product ". In fact, the magic of DZ'Envies … Cravings, yes but, above all, projects! Like Jacques and Laurent Pourcel for whom he worked at the Maison Blanche in Paris, David likes to multiply projects, to widen the field of possibilities and of adventures. Without overlooking that of openings: a brasserie close to the station within the next few days, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in the new Dijon districts in Spring 2009… The list is long. As are the days of this hyperactive native of Dijon who carries out in parallel his consulting business for several Burgundian establishments. Not forgetting the hat of the president of the Génération.C*…
" Yes, and on top of that, there is the Pleyel in Paris where I go once a week as a guest chef, and the laboratory that I shall soon be opening for my research work and a book to be published in 2009 ! ", adds the broadly smiling chef a little mischievously. Undoubtedly, a lot for one man to take on but nothing less is required if he is to put new models in place, new references likely to challenge cookery and even see it move forward. Because that is clearly his intention. " The model that had been put in place during the fifties with plentiful references to culinary guides is in its death throes. Our job nowadays it not exactly the same as it used to be because people are looking to us to offer them a new dining experience without necessarily resorting to the starred establishments. It is up to us to take up the challenge without losing our way and to ensure that our establishments remain accessible to as many people as possible ". Next step: Zuddas for president? " Me, I am a chef and a businessman, no more and no less and certainly not God ", ended David.

*Génération. This is a compilation featuring a number of French chefs - including Thierry Marx et Flora Mikula -, who aim to place French cuisine as part of a developing and contemporary approach.

Top