My Philosophy
A son of Normandy both by birth and in his soul, Gilles Tournadre opened his restaurant, "Gill," just a stone's throw from the cathedral of Rouen, the city where he grew up. "My first love," he says, "is cooking. I am both a gourmet and a gourmand, and I am curious. I was raised around the wonderful aromas of my mother's and grandmother's cooking, and this passion has never waned. On the contrary - it is my life! I have a symbiotic relationship with the gastronomy of my region - I bring it to life on my menu and in my choice of products.

Two Eras, Two Cuisines
I really like to 'recreate my Normandy' from April on, since tourists come looking for regional specialties. So then I put back on the menu classics like turbot or brill in cider, pigeon and duck à la rouennaise, but with a new approach, lightened and reworked in my own way.

In homes in Normandy, brill, for example, was traditionally poached with shallots, and then fish stock, cream and calvados were added. Personally I prefer it cooked in a skillet and served with apple and onion chutney. I make a fish jus with cider, still add cream, and then as the dish is served to the customer we pour a little frothy cream over the fish which runs into and blends with the flavours of the jus. To put a personal mark on our cuisine, we have to distinguish ourselves and not just settle for a cooking style identical to every regional inn. We keep this menu on until September or October. Afterwards we have to live with the locals who are looking for something different from the classics of their childhood, recipes kept alive by mothers and grandmothers. I sometimes bring a little olive oil into this 'butter country' to add a bit of sunshine to the plates. In winter I really like preparing long-simmered dishes, braised casseroles. We adapt to the weather and to seasonal products.

Towards Products of Excellence
Ten or twenty years ago our eating habits were different. We ate meat maybe twice a week. Now people demand it every day. Production has to increase to meet the demand, and in the end there's a price to be paid. It's unfortunate because we are killing our livestock. Poultry has become extremely popular, but when you see chickens in the market which are barely 41 days old and which are heavier than free-range chickens between 112 and 140 days, you have to wonder! I live 40 km from the ocean, so I am able to diversify my ingredients. There too, you have to consider quality, taste and texture. A fish caught out at sea and one caught near the coast may have the same name, but their flesh does not have the same smell or consistency. I like working with wonderful ingredients. I would rather buy a nice whiting off a small boat, caught on a line, than an imported turbot.

To have beautiful ingredients on my table and to work with seasonal products - that is my philosophy. You will find no strawberries in my kitchen during the winter, even if you can obtain them twelve months of the year. Then what would we do in July' A good September tomato, even if a little green and misshapen, which has the scent of the earth and the sun bears no comparison to a February greenhouse tomato, perfectly shaped and identical to a dozen others. We must not lose the pleasure of rediscovering flavours at the peak of their season. It is my philosophy to work with fresh produce by following the rhythm of the land. In my restaurant a root vegetable can become something festive when the first cold snap comes: turnips boulangère with fresh truffles, caramelized turnips with allspice. Exceptional products come from small artisanal producers who need to advertise their skill, often as innovative as it is traditional; their survival depends on it, and we as restaurateurs need to help and encourage them to improve continually. I admire these people who are driven by their passion to develop quality products. Like me, they are helping to carry on traditions and guaranteeing the authenticity of regional flavours."