Interview: Jazz à l'Hospitalet Festival

Owned by Gérard Bertrand since 2002, the Château de l’Hospitalet hosts the Jazz Festival every year .

Set in 1,000 hectares of grounds, this 5-star hotel offers 40 rooms and 28 suites. To delight guests and food lovers alike, there are three restaurants: l’Art de Vivre, a 7-table fine-dining restaurant; Chez Paule, featuring wood-fired cuisine; and Hospitalet Beach, located on the waterfront in Narbonne. L’Hospitalet is, above all, a welcoming destination where hospitality, fine dining, and a commitment to sustainability come together.

A former professional rugby player, Gérard Bertrand has, over the years, become an international leader in biodynamic viticulture. Today, his entire wine production is certified organic, and his wines are exported to more than 160 countries.

Check out the interview with Laurent Chabert, chef at the three restaurants at the Château de l’Hospitalet.

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Interview - Laurent Chabert, Executive Chef at L'Hospitalet

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Could you introduce yourself in a few words?

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Laurent Chabert:
I am Laurent Chabert, Executive Chef at Château de l’Hospitalet since 2014. Originally from the Allier department, I began my apprenticeship in my home region before working as a sous chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Val d’Isère. I then continued my career in Corsica, at two Michelin-starred restaurants.

Today, I am the Executive Chef at the fine-dining restaurant l’Art de Vivre, as well as at two other establishments: Chez Paule, which serves regional cuisine cooked over a wood fire, and Hospitalet Beach, which is open during the summer season. These three restaurants are part of the Gérard Bertrand group.

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As a head chef, what matters most to you?

Laurent Chabert:
What matters most to me is building relationships with producers and showcasing their products in each of our restaurants. It’s a daily task that I’m passionate about.

The ingredients we use come mainly from the region, and more specifically from the Aude department. For certain specific ingredients, we go a little further afield, but never more than 100 km from the restaurant.

Today, we work first and foremost to enjoy ourselves and to delight our customers. Recognition is important, of course, but it’s just the icing on the cake. Our goal is to offer the best possible experience and to become a culinary landmark in the region.

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The Château de l'Hospitalet: The Mediterranean Art of Living

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Can you describe the Château de l’Hospitalet to us?

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Laurent Chabert:
When Gérard Bertrand purchased Château de l’Hospitalet in 2002, he wanted to create a place that reflected the Mediterranean and French way of life, particularly as a way to introduce people to his wines.

Today, we welcome guests from around the world thanks to the renown of Gérard Bertrand wines, which are distributed in more than 160 countries, as well as the reputation of our fine-dining restaurant.

The Château de l’Hospitalet is also a 5-star hotel with 40 rooms. As for dining, we’re almost fully booked every evening, especially at the restaurant L’Art de Vivre, which has only 7 tables. You often need to make a reservation several weeks in advance.

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The Jazz à l’Hospitalet festival just wrapped up. Can you tell us more about it?

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Laurent Chabert:
This year marked the 19th edition of the Jazz à l’Hospitalet festival. Over the course of six evenings, we welcomed approximately 1,400 guests each night.

The event takes place in three separate areas:

• the castle grounds for dinner,
• the castle courtyard for concerts,
• and finally, the back of the estate for the after-party and the various bars set up for the occasion.

It's a unique event that combines fine dining, music, and a warm, friendly atmosphere.

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Food and Drink During the Festival

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A gourmet meal was served to the guests. How do you design these menus?

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Laurent Chabert:
At the start of every year, I begin thinking about the dishes that will be served during the festival. Since we use only fresh, local ingredients, we have to plan ahead for which produce will be in season during the summer.

All the dishes are prepared that very morning for the evening service. Then, I work with the sommelier and Gérard Bertrand to create harmonious and refined food-and-wine pairings.

After all that creative work comes the logistics. During the festival, we serve more than 140 tables of 10 people each, with individual plates and different menus every night. This year, that amounted to:

• 50 servers,
• 44 people in the kitchen,
• and 5 sommeliers.

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MyLocacuisines Kitchen Appliances

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How did you hear about MyLocacuisines, and why did you choose to work with us?

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Laurent Chabert:
I discovered MyLocacuisines while searching for equipment rentals. We’ve been working together for 5 to 6 years now.

At first, we rented fairly basic equipment, but over the years our needs grew, and we began renting more equipment. Starting in February or March, I get in touch with Jessy, a sales representative at MyKLocacuisines, and then we gradually work out the details: equipment, quantities, delivery schedule, and so on.

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When you contact the teams, do you already know exactly what you need?

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Laurent Chabert:
Usually, yes, I know exactly what equipment I need when I call. But this year, Jessy recommended some specific VCC sauté pans to us, and they turned out to be extremely useful. That was excellent advice.

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Did you have any specific expectations or concerns regarding the equipment?

Laurent Chabert:
The main concern is always the same: that the equipment won’t work properly. But today, we trust MyLocacuisines because we’ve never had any problems with the equipment they’ve delivered.

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Did the equipment allow you to work under the same conditions as in a traditional kitchen?

Laurent Chabert:
Yes, absolutely. We were able to work exactly as we do in our usual kitchens.

In particular, I’m able to cook my fish at low temperatures while maintaining the same level of quality as in my permanent restaurants. We’re looking for ovens that offer a high degree of precision, and LocaCuisines’ ovens perfectly meet that requirement.

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If you had to sum up your experience with MyLocacuisines in a few words?

Laurent Chabert:
First and foremost, I’d say: professionalism and responsiveness.

Whenever we have a rental request, the LocaCuisines team always finds ways to support us. That’s exactly what we’re looking for in our line of work, where everything moves very quickly and we sometimes have to handle last-minute requests. Fortunately, they’re there to provide us with quick and effective solutions.

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