Lou Chapuis

My origins are very present. The cuisine I grew up was a mixture of influences, not at all traditional Vietnamese. It was more broad-based. Today, my dishes always tend towards Asia in one way or another. When it comes to Vietnam, I go for a maximum of freshness, with lots of aromatic herbs and a play on textures. Chillies and nuoc-mâm are never far away.

I find it liberating for chefs to be able to get out of their kitchens and explore different worlds. I'm grateful and delighted to be able to experience so many different things. I don't know how long it will last, so I'm making the most of it. Then again, it also has its limitations, because a cuisine builds over time, in terms of your suppliers, your products or the people you work with. It's a team effort. And it does take a certain amount of time to build something coherent. Today, I see it to have both advantages and disadvantages. I’m glad it exists, but it needs to be structured to enable everyone to do their job properly.

It's a bit clichéd, but cooking is all about meeting people. That's why I'm in this line of work: it's about bringing people together, having them meet each other, and above all, sharing. These days, social networks promote competition, but for me, cooking should be nourishing and good for people. I think my love of cooking began by sharing special moments with my family. It grew stronger after a cooking course when I was 7 in Sonia Ezgulian's restaurant. But the real turning point in my career came here in Marseille, when Julia Sammut put me in charge of her restaurant with just one year's experience under my belt. Wonderful gestures of trust and kindness, made by women with a deep passion for cuisine, for the product, for nurturing and for sharing.

I moved to Marseille 4 years ago because I wanted a change of scenery. It worked out well and everything fell into place very quickly. Marseille is an incubator, and there are so many inspiring people doing their own thing. I think 80% of the people around me are self-employed, and most of them are women. Marseille makes it possible. Financially, it's more accessible, and above all it's less overwhelming than Paris, so there's more room for not being perfect. There are fewer barriers, a little less competition, so people try things out. Of course, there's less money, but there's the sea! For me, Sessùn's values are linked to craftsmanship and raw materials. The quality of products is key to my cuisine, that's where everything starts. I work with committed producers.

That's always my starting point. And it is challenging when you do residencies in new towns or countries, because you need to soak up the local produce; that's the basics. Of course, there are certain staples that form the backbone of my cooking, irrespective of the place or the season. It's the combination of my basics and the products available that serves as the framework for my menus. The advantage is that this time I'm working at home with producers that I know.

For the moment, 2025 is still in the making. All I know is that I'm going to make the most of Marseille during my residency, because I may not see much of it this year.

I see Sessùn & Sessùn Alma as a showcase for traditional craftsmanship, with a focus on raw, sunny materials. It’s a place that gives chefs and artists the opportunity to express themselves in a wholesome environment. I'm very excited at the idea of being able to move into a kitchen for several months, with suppliers I know, in order to further develop my work and my identity.