Chef Alain Braux Thanksgiving interview
November 24, 2015
Republication of my recent interview on CreativeRoom4Talk
Name: (Chef) Alain Braux
Where do you live:
Austin, Texas, United States of America.
Known for:
I am a chef/nutritionist/teacher/writer and “bon vivant!”
It’s a simple yet complicated question for me as I have followed different and parallel careers during my professional life. For all of my professional life, I was/am a French chef. A food nutritionist consultant and a Food and Health author. I am also a culinary school Food as Medicine teacher. I’ll skip the odd jobs I was involved with over the past 46 years I have been active – so far. As you can see, I have been and still am a busy fellow.
Currently working with:
I have been a professional French chef all my life but I am retired from that life now. Currently, even though the government thinks I am retired from active professional life, I am still very busy. I am the owner of A Votre Santé – To Your Health consulting, helping clients with assorted food allergies (gluten-free, dairy-free, allergen-free) and lifestyle diseases through healthy diets.
At any time, I can be found writing an article on food and health for my website, consulting with a client; teaching a class of culinary students at the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Artson how to cook for heart disease, diabetes or cancer; preparing for and interviewing a guest for our podcast radio show, the Low Carb Paleo Show; working on my next book; or testing a new recipe for my blog or my class. As you can see, I am not quite ready to stop working and I am happy about it.
When did you realize that you were going to work with this?
About my chef career: When I was a teenager, due to family circumstances, my mom became a single mom with 3 kids. I was the oldest one. So, as she went out to work, I was in charge of watching my younger brother and sister and cooking dinner for them. When my mom chose to take me out of school and put me to work to earn money to support our family, I had a choice between being a motorcycle mechanic or a pastry cook. I was good at both but I preferred having flour and sugar under my fingernails than grease so I chose a pastry cook apprenticeship as it was done in those days. 45 years later, I am a Certified Executive Pastry Chef, a Certified Master Baker and a multiple award winner in pastry decorating competitions.
About my writer’s career: A few years ago, due to my professional career at the time – I was teaching baking and pastries to culinary students – I gained weight and my cholesterol went through the roof. As a nutritionist, I used my own knowledge to change my diet, lose weight and lower my cholesterol levels through the Mediterranean diet. I wanted to share my knowledge with other and after a few unsuccessful seminars, I decided to write my first book, How to Lower Your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food. Later on, I discovered I was allergic to gluten, so I wrote my second book, Living Gluten and Dairy-free with French Gourmet Food. Three more books came after that. My passion is food as medicine and I try to teach the public about this through my books.
If you could choose one place only to live, where would that be and why?
As you know, you cannot always do what you want (family, career, friends, church, etc.) but if I could, I would move back somewhere in Europe into a small mountain village where I would be surrounded by their beauty and breathe fresh air daily. I have always loved mountains and hope I will be able to fulfill my wish one day.
How would you describe your creativity?
When I was a pastry chef and was given a creative challenge and would study my elder’s work (master pastry chefs all over the world) and get inspiration from them. There is also a lot of techniques to learn in our profession and I learned them from my teachers and chefs. I am trying to transmit these to my students as well.
As a writer, I love to teach and transmit my knowledge to others. I want to help people understand that pharmaceutical drugs and Western medicine are not always the only solution to our health problems. Our ancestors knew better. They ate better food, worked hard and were strong people without the poisonous medicines we have now. Through my books and my students, I hope to teach the world that food can be our medicine and keep us healthy the way we all have the right to be.
How and when did you start to work with this in a serious manner?
I started my apprenticeship 46 years ago in my home town of Nice in France. I started writing in Austin, Texas 6 years ago.
What do you do at the moment?
I am working on my next book about Food as Medicine. I am teaching my culinary students how to cook healthy food for their future clients. I am also answering these questions
A recommendation for those who think about starting and running a creative business?
Wow! This is such a long and complicated question to answer but the very short version is: follow your passion. Passion and your own creativity will help you survive life’s challenges. I you love what you do, you will overcome. Over the years, I have had great and not so great jobs and bosses but I never lost my love for food and creativity. My passion carried me through it all and I am thankful to have found it. Other people are not so lucky and will never find theirs and instead get a job just to pay their bills and end up miserable.
What is the most important thing in a workplace/studio for you?
In the kitchen, I need order, focus and precision. When I am writing, I need to be alone and surrounded by silence so I can let my imagination run free. I have a hard time understanding how some people can work surrounded by noise and chaos. I can’t.
What is your favorite film?
I am a huge film fan. There is not enough space here to tell you about all of my favorites. In general, I love watching any film that talk about food or pastries: Like Water for Chocolate (Mexican); The Kings of Pastry (American); Chocolat (American); Chef (American); Le Chef (French); The Hundred Foot Journey (American), Food Inc., Food Matters, Forks Over Knives, Hungry for Change and many more.
Who would you like to invite for a dinner and why?
Although it is not possible anymore, I wish I could invite my most influential chef/mentor, Mark, for dinner and show him how much I have progressed since I was his apprentice.
How do you like to spoil yourself?
Great food and pastries, of course but not necessarily in expensive restaurants. I keep on being amazed by young chef’s talents. Sometimes, you find the best and freshest quality food in small, not yet know restaurants run by young creative chefs before they become spoiled by success. Another way would be to live or spend time in the mountains.
What is luxury for you?
A good home-made meal with friends, even if it’s not fancy food. Food and friends make the best life combination. I do not need typical luxuries. I drive and old car. I live frugally and all my basic needs are covered. I would love to travel more and discover other countries’ culinary treasures like Anthony Bourdain does.
What is the nicest compliment you’ve received for your creative work, and from whom?
One time, one of my customers told me she could not decide to call me a saint or the devil for creating her favorite gluten-free dessert. Of course, I have decorated cakes for many famous people in my professional career but this one sticks out the most. Oh, and the actress and singer Lena Horne thanking me personally for her 300 people, 65th birthday cake in New York City. That was a special moment too.
What do you fear most?
Poverty. I grew up poor and it stuck with me. I never want to be poor again. I have worked hard to avoid that but all it would take in this country would be for me to get really sick. No socialized medicine in the U. S. and very expensive. That may be why I try so hard to stay healthy as old as possible.
What is a happy life to you?
The life I have right now. Single. Independent. Doing what I love: teaching and writing. My family, my friends, and my church. I like to joke that “happiness” is a concept that was invented by marketers to make you feel miserable. So, I am satisfied with my current life and am enjoying my “retirement”.
What does a regular day look like for you?
I get up around 7 am. Meditate. Breakfast. Read the news and get to work until about 2 pm. Take a 2 hours lunch break (unless I teach) and work for another 2-3 hours on whatever current project I am working on.
Tell us about your dream project.
My next book and the next book after that. Actually, recently I have been toying with the idea of writing mystery stories based on a private French chef/detective lady. What do you think about that? I have never written fiction before but that never stopped me before. I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie and Sir Conan Doyle. I cannot promise I will write as well but I will give it a try. Coming soon at your local bookstore
Who is your professional role model/inspiration?
My chef/mentor/teacher Mark Debailleul. He was the youngest Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Master Pastry Chef) at 26 years old at that time. Even though he was hard on me, he saw potential and pushed me to explore my limits and made a good chef out of me.
How would you describe your work style (academic field or fashion style, or both, or something entirely different)?
I see myself as a teacher, whether I am in a kitchen or writing a book. I love to transmit my knowledge to others and pass forward what I have learned from my own teachers and chefs.
Which is the one thing you can’t live without?
Books. Music. Food, water and air. That about sums it up
What inspires you?
My predecessors. Chefs, teachers, masters all over the world that took the time to teach me their skills and knowledge. Thank you all, even though some of you are gone now.
A book that has changed/made the most impression in your life?
Too many to list. I have hundreds of food, pastry and nutrition books all over my living quarters. Good thing I live alone ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving you all.
Chef Alain Braux
Original posting here: http://creativeroom4talk.com/interview-alain-braux/
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