La Chassagnette's chef de cuisine, Armand Arnal, hails from the south of France. After six years working in the kitchen of Alain Ducasse’s Essex House in New York, he found that this region of fields, marsh and rice paddies, with its herds of Camargue horses, enthralled him. Against this backdrop was a magnificent vegetable garden, a former sheepfold, tables under an arbour, and a pétanque strip, which became in 2008, Armand Arnal’s playground.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? To be surrounded by the people I love.

What is the purest thing you have ever tasted? A warm tomato just cut off during a summer day.

What is the best thing you can do with your hands? I think it would be to cuddle.

What do you love most about what you do? I love it when people enjoy what I cook.

What do you consider the most overrated ingredient? Kobe beef.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever been taught? How to harvest wild plants.

Is there anything you don’t particularly care to eat? A lobster.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A lobster.

Are there any mentors or food heroes you would like to thank? My grandmother, Pierre Hermé, Alain Ducasse, Michel Troigros.

What are your favourite books or cookbooks? That’s a tricky question, there are so many: The Silver Spoon, La Cuisine Provençale and cookbooks by Alice Waters.

What do you make from scratch? Almost everything.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you are doing? I would probably be an interior designer.

How do you like to spend your day off? I like to spend my day off travelling, looking around, walking on the beach, sitting in a restaurant.

What does success mean to you? Not much.

What is your current obsession, the thing you think about at 3am? What can I do to give even more than my best for my restaurant?

What are the qualities you most admire in others? Kindness.

Can you tell us something we don’t know about you? It’s a secret...

Which three words best describe your cooking style? Vegetal, spontaneous and harmony.

If you could eat only one thing today, what would it be? Wild red rice from Camargue.

What do you see when you think of the cuisine of your own country? I am proud of its roots, which are essential to create a more modern and delicate “cuisine”.

Which producer or supplier really brightens your day? A fisherman.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I would just say...harmony.

Which talent would you most like to have? I would love to know how to play music.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? My impatience.

What do you think the food of the future will look like? A food that brings emotions, a food that respects its own and local environment, a food that respects its own roots.

Do you have a motto or mantra? Nothing is more constant than change.

What is your number one sustainability tip or trick? To be respectful of the products we work with.

Armand Arnal, La Chassagnette