10
INTERVIEW
TheCairoMarriott hotelwelcomes a
newexecutivechef onboard, Chef
PhillipeBossert; an international
chefwithaglobal perspectiveand
anundeniablepassion for culinary
art. Inan intimate interview, Chef
Phillipeopenedupabout his
storyandhis simpleyet effective
equation toconquering future
challenges…
You startedat suchayoung
age, tell uswhat sparkedyour
fire..?
It all startedwhen Iwas 16yearsold.
I used towatchmy father cookand
was sofilledwithcuriosity; specially
watchinghimbring in freshproduce
fromour garden that comes
together tocreateawholesome
meal. I tookan internshipat
L’Aubergede l’ill, a3-MichelinStar
establishment inAlsace, France.
Thereand for thefirst time, I
experiencedall theactionbehind-
the-scenes. Iwas instantlyhooked.
By theendof the internship, Iwent
home tomy father and toldhim
“Iwant tobeachef”.
Whatwas your first stepping
stone into theculinaryworld?
When I beganworkingwithan
owner chefwho taughtme so
much. Iworkedwithhim for 7years
andhe sentme toworkat another
restaurant during that time to learn
moreandexperienceadifferent
environment. Healwayspushedme
but I loved it and I learned somuch.
Thanks tohis support andbelief in
me, I becamea sous-chef at just 21
yearsold.
Since thenyouhave traveled
theworld…howdid that affect
your career?
It totallyopenedmeupand
sculptedmy skills. Iworkedwith
renownedchefs fromdifferent
cultures andworkenvironments.
I haveworkedat 3-Michelin stars
restaurants aswell as stand-alone
restaurants andhotels. That allowed
me toexperiment andunderstand
whatworks forme, as achef.
Thereweremanychallengesbut I
learneda lot andhad fun. I recall an
experiencewhen I had tochange
theentiremenuevery threeweeks
and itwas crazybut I learneda lot.
I had toget out ofmycomfort zone
andbecreative. I havealsohad
theprivilegeof cooking forBoris
Becker, Vladimir Putin,QueenSirikit
Kitiyakar of Thailand, andPrince
Michael of Kent.
Didyouexpectmovingand
working inEgypt, tobeabit of
achallenge?
It’s always anewchallengewith
everydestination, so I didexpect
that. However, I found that the
Marriott teamhere inCairoare so
professional andveryeager to learn.
Usually, I get a fewpeopleworking
withmewhoare reallypassionate
and focusonmore than just the
CHEF
PHILLIPE’S
CULINARY
REVOLUTION
