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Credit : Florian Touzet
Originally from the south of France, Aurore Bonami grew up in the midst of Mediterranean flavors, where simple, generous cuisine tells stories of family and sharing. With a background in photography and gastronomy, she combined her two passions to explore the transformation of materials, be they ingredients or images. As resident chef, she loves to experiment and collaborate, drawing inspiration from local products and artisanal know-how.
At Sessùn Alma in Marseille until May, Aurore Bonami invites us to discover a cuisine rooted in the terroir, where textures, memories and seasonal produce compose a delicious and authentic symphony.
In what way does your background in photography and cooking influence the way you create? How do you see the connection between these two worlds?
I am instinctively driven to transform an existing material. When I take photographs, I use my camera to transform what I see and tell a story. In the kitchen, in much the same way, I use tools and techniques to transform raw ingredients into a dish that evokes a story or a memory. For me, the idea of transformation is the fundamental connection between all artistic practices, whether in photography or in the kitchen.
Chef residency is a real phenomenon these days. What is your take on it, and what does it offer you as a chef?
I love this format because it offers real freedom. It enables young chefs to try their hand at the complexity of the function of chef while being supported by an established team and location, which I consider to be a luxury. I find that it gives me the opportunity to settle down, for a given time, in a kitchen where I can concentrate on the way I translate my ideas and share them with those who are part of the restaurant's life: the locals, the regulars, the curious, but also my friends and relations whom I catch up with during a residency. The format is popular today because it's beneficial to restaurants: it breathes a constant dynamic of novelty and freshness into an environment where routine and daily pressure can quickly become overwhelming.
How important are textures in your cooking? Do your ties to the Mediterranean influence the way you work with produce?
Absolutely. Today, I realize just how fortunate I have been, over and above the good weather and proximity to the sea, to have grown up in this Mediterranean region where so many incredible products are accessible all year round. Each season is filled with delicious memories: citrus fruits in winter; fresh peas, asparagus and broad beans in spring; the smell of fig trees and sweet, juicy fruit in summer; the last tomatoes followed by warm chestnuts in autumn. These memories also evoke textures: the comforting softness of winter, the crispness of spring, the lightness of a summer salad. I would say that Mediterranean cuisine is my main source of inspiration. It's characterized by a blend of cultures that coexist and intermingle, giving rise to a cuisine where flavors and know-how mutually enrich each other.
Marseille and the surrounding region have a strong identity. How do you capture this terroir and what do you try to express through your dishes?
I love Marseille. The energy and soul of this city are reflected in dishes that remind me of my childhood. I spent many Sundays with my family, particularly in Belle-de-Mai, where my grandmother lived. I remember holding my nose as I walked through the kitchen on pieds paquets days, the rituals of the pizza truck for a moitié-moitié, the dense Chantilly from the Royaume de la Chantilly, and the sea urchins served as an aperitif.
Marseille cuisine inspires me with its simplicity, its honest and generous tastes, and above all the idea of sharing. For me, it's the definition of a good dish and a good time. I hope to convey this authentic spirit in my culinary creations
Sessùn Alma is deeply rooted in its territory. How do you feel about the opportunity to interpret this terroir through your cuisine?
Working with local products and producers is very important to me, and I am delighted that this value is shared at Sessùn Alma. My aim is to highlight the work of local artisans and producers through my cooking. I find the support Sessùn gives to these artisans particularly inspiring, whether in the kitchen or through the selections on offer in the store.
It's an opportunity for me to further my commitment to local, respectful cuisine, which values the know-how of the men and women working the land around us.
What is the starting point when you imagine a dish: an ingredient, a texture, a memory?
My starting point is often going to the market. I get really inspired by the colors and the layout of the stalls. I like the idea that, if you follow the seasons and the palette of colors, associations emerge naturally. It’s also an opportunity to talk to producers about their products and recipes.
Right now, I'm working on a project to create a book that collects all these recipes, in collaboration with another photographer, Pauline Gouablin. It's a lengthy editorial project, but for me it's an opportunity to take things a step further by spotlighting all the know-how that exists within the farming world. This project focuses on gestures that have been handed down for generations, and which tend to disappear in the face of industrialization. Being aware of the labor that goes into producing food and cooking underlines the fact that every product is precious, and that it's important to use every ingredient from top to bottom, just as our grandparents did. This appreciation of each of the products I use often gives me the key to creating a dish, by crafting variations from a single ingredient.
Which local ingredients or products particularly inspire you at the moment?
We're in the heart of winter, which is a bit of a dry spell for crops, but I love the way nature offers us citrus fruits to brighten up the season. I was fortunate enough to work at Lemon Story, in the Var region of France, where rare citrus fruits such as yuzu, Buddha's hand and caviar lemon are grown. These fruits have a fascinating variety of flavors and aromas. I developed some techniques to preserve these citrus fruits all year round, as they often add a magical touch to a dish or dessert, because of their acidity, scent or bitterness.
If you had to sum up what your residency at Sessùn Alma was all about, what would you like people to remember about your time here?
I hope that this homecoming to Marseille will be an opportunity to bring back memories of the dishes prepared by my mother and grandmother, and to rediscover the simple pleasure of cooking. I'd like the people who sit down at Sessùn Alma to leave with the memory of a dish that touched them through its flavors or textures. I'd also like them to rediscover, through my cooking, a culinary memory dear to their hearts, and to relive moments of joy via their taste buds.
Discover Aurore Bonami's look
