Chef Victor Mercier invited to La Table des Chefs

From 9 November, the Michelin-starred Parisian chef Victor Mercier will be resident for the winter season at La Table des Chefs in Reims, where the best French produce meets a taste of the world. A residence combining talent with commitment.

Now entering its second year, La Table des Chefs from Maison Mumm offers a deliciously innovative, hedonistic experience. In the heart of Reims, the greenery and beautiful architecture of the Maison Mumm former private townhouse welcomes the gastronomic avant-garde of chefs for whom food only tastes good when it has relevance.

Following Mallory Gabsi, Florian Barbarot, Kelly Rangama, Tom Meyer and Hideaki Sato, it’s the turn of the young Victor Mercier, a Michelin-starred chef and a former Top Chef finalist, and recently named one of the world’s top chefs by the Best Chefs Awards, to leave his mark on the premises by devising a menu that reflects his style. A style marked by passion and conviction.

A TASTE FOR HAPPINESS, A COMMUNITY OF VALUES

At the age of 34, Victor Mercier is the shining embodiment of the new generation of signature cuisine. He is one of the rising stars in an inspired and inspiring cuisine, in which the dishes explore new sensations, unexpected combinations and surprising, delightful emotions. A signature cuisine which, for Victor Mercier, is also the work of a committed artist.
Fresh out of school, he discovered his true vocation by chance during a dinner at a top gourmet restaurant. He then learned the trade and travelled the world, from Meudon to Copenhagen, via bistronomy in Australia, and reached the final of Top Chef season 9 before opening his own restaurant in Paris, FIEF (Fait Ici En France). Here, he displays his “cuisine of the senses” – loquacious and local, a blend of passion and commitment, respectful of the environment, artisan producers and sustainable agriculture. A cuisine in tune with the times which was quickly rewarded with a Michelin star and is now taking
up residence in Reims, at Mumm’s La Table des Chefs. A gastronomic encounter between a major champagne house and a contemporary cuisine, which Victor Mercier sums up with a neat formula: “A taste for happiness, a community of values.”

DELICIOUSLY LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL

The walls of La Table des Chefs private townhouse are covered with photos that tell the story of Mumm’s travels. A sparkling odyssey of a champagne house open to the world. Victor Mercier took inspiration from this living memory to create the six sequences of a menu that blends the local with the international

“I LIKE WORKING WITH EVERYTHING. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN AND THE SEA, THE FARMYARD AND THE FOREST. I DON’T RESTRICT MYSELF AT ALL, EXCEPT FOR MY OWN TASTES.”

The confidence of a chef which, in Reims, is revealed through a culinary journey in which each product carefully sourced from the best of France is given a surprisingly exotic twist. The tour of the plate suddenly becomes a tour of the world. French spices and turmeric take the route to the Indies, in a highly veggie Lentil Dahl with carrot foam. Scallops are enhanced by Meyer lemon and an explosive roasted celery sauce. Kohlrabi, mint, coriander and French peanuts offer a gourmet setting for the raw cuttlefish Pad Thai, followed by another land and sea combination of brill, sea urchin, chard and potatoes, in an insatiable green butter sauce with champagne and rose geranium. Next, turnips and prunes scented
with blackcurrant pepper accompany the delicious pink duck from Maison Burgaud. And lastly, we have the Breton finale of gwell (fermented milk) with pollen, bergamot, sudachi, burnt lemon and bitter almond.

SETTING THE TABLE, CHOOSING THE CHAMPAGNE

“A MEAL WITHOUT CHAMPAGNE IS LIKE COOKING WITHOUT SALT. I WAS LUCKY TO VISIT THE MAISON MUMM CELLARS AND I WAS AMAZED AT THE HISTORY, THE WORK, SUCH INCREDIBLE SKILL AND SO MUCH EMOTION! FRANCE CAN BE TASTED IN EVERY GLASS.”

Victor Mercier’s wonderful cuisine is brought to life by Raimonds Tomsons, a friend of Mumm since 2017, who has chosen the champagne pairings. As with every residence, the 2023 best sommelier in the world dives into the world of the G.H. Mumm wine library to select the bottles that will complement the menu’s six sequences.

“VICTOR’S COMPOSITIONS GENUINELY SURPRISED ME WITH THEIR ALMOST SPONTANEOUS, INSTINCTIVE NATURE. THEY REQUIRE SPECIFIC WINE PAIRINGS.”

To match the spicy Lentil Dahl, he chose the intensity of Mumm Blanc de Noirs 2018. The wonderful
aromatic complexity of Mumm 2016 for the Pad Thai. To accompany the Scallops, the seduction of a Mumm RSRV 4.5, the elegance of the RSRV Blanc de Blancs 2015 with the brill, the gourmet RSRV Rosé Foujita for the duck and the freshness of Mumm Cordon Rouge for the breath of fresh air that is the dessert of gwell, pollen and bergamot.

Reservations are now open at La Table des Chefs and space is limited:

Open for lunch on Monday and from Thursday lunch until Saturday evening
https://www.mumm.com/fr-fr/la-table-des-chefs-mumm/?avp=0
For more information: latabledeschefs@mumm.com
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ABOUT G.H. MUMM

G.H. Mumm – named after its founder Georges Hermann Mumm – has been choosing Pinot Noir to define the style of its champagnes since its creation in 1827. For almost two centuries, its expertise has been entirely dedicated to revealing the rich nuances of its signature grape variety. From the iconic Mumm Cordon Rouge to Mumm Blanc de Noirs, G.H. Mumm is an expert in selecting and blending the best terroirs to express the diversity of Champagne’s Pinot Noir grapes. G.H. Mumm champagnes are distinguished by their demanding quality standards and singular aromatic personality: intense freshness,
fruity generosity and elegant structure, achieved after 2 to 5 years aging in the cellars in Reims, France.