Q & A with JULIEN MAISONNEVE : EXECUTIVE CHEF AT CRYSTAL PALACE FOOTBALL CLUB
Julien Maisonneuve , 43 , is the new executive chef at Crystal Palace Football Club . He is bringing a Premier League pedigree to Selhurst Park after an illustrious and varied career in England and France , which has spanned more than two decades . He worked at the two-Michelin starred restaurant Les Cedres , run by Jacques Bertrand ; was head chef at Restaurant Tom Aikens ; executive chef at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel ; chef de partie at Oliver Peyton ’ s Mash ; and head of food and beverage with Bruno Loubet . He also worked for events catering company , Admiral Crichton . Here he discusses his new role with Crystal Palace :
You ’ ve had a long and varied career in the industry – what attracted you to the job at Crystal Palace ?
The variety . It ’ s a bit of everything I have done in my career so far : fine dining ; brassiere ; event catering . There is a great opportunity to improve the quality of the food at football matches . More people are foodies now and they expect good quality . It is not just about the fine dining experience , it ’ s about all the food we serve at Selhurst Park – a burger bought from a retail kiosk should be an excellent burger . That ’ s the philosophy I want to bring to the football club .
What is your brief as executive chef ?
The brief is down to me . The idea I have is to focus on local , sustainable food . I have lived in England for 20 years and always worked with local producers , whenever possible . It ’ s very important to me to know about the food I ’ m using . I want to produce quality food , which is as local as possible . My fish supplier , Upstream Seafoods , is based in Croydon . My butcher will help me find farms in Kent and Surrey , where I can source our meat . I want to promote local producers . Premium quality is as important at food kiosks as it is in the boardroom – of course , there is a different price premium , but the principle is the same . You work with your suppliers and , because of the volume you are ordering , they can help you on price . That means a burger might cost 50p more , but it is a much better product than what you might normally expect at a football ground because I know exactly what has gone into that burger .
What is the scale of the catering operation on matchdays ?
There are 25 chefs for hospitality catering and 25 for retail on a matchday . We have 60 people in the boardroom and around
350-400 covers in the hospitality boxes – my aim is to have to fill it all the time . I want Selhurst Park to be known as somewhere you come to see a good Premier League team , watch an amazing match and have a great dining experience . It ’ s a package , a fullon experience . I want to change the concept for the hospitality boxes . At the moment , we have four set menus for the season , but I want to serve the same food in all the boxes – it will be a buffet , which changes for every match . You won ’ t see the same food twice . I want to work with suppliers to bring in the best seasonal produce at the best price . It is very simple – it is all about the produce .
And will you be doing anything different on non-matchdays ?
I want to make the events very personal . We can offer everything from fine dining to a more relaxed buffet . If it ’ s a private event , it should be created especially for you . Tell us what you want and we will create it for you . We offer a full range of dining experiences on matchdays : Michelin star in the boardroom ; brasserie in Speroni ’ s ; event catering in the hospitality boxes ; a chef ’ s carvery in Legends . We can offer any of these styles . A football stadium is a unique venue for an executive chef because it allows you to use all those different skills – I can draw all my previous experiences , which makes it a great challenge . I like to push myself all the time .
Will you also be involved at the training ground ?
We have two head chefs : one for the stadium and one for the training ground . The players need to follow a very specific diet , but I want to get involved and work with the nutritionists to bring in different types of food , as long as the players are allowed them . I want them to be excited . It can get boring for the players because their diet is limited , but I ’ m hoping to increase their food offering . I hope to make them happy !
How would you describe your role ?
It ’ s my job to make sure my chefs know what to do and that I give them the tools to do the job . It ’ s not about me , it ’ s all about the chefs and I want to help them and develop them . I have been lucky enough to work with great chefs , such as Tom Aikens and Bruno Loubet , who have helped me in me my career and I want to do the same for my staff . Give them the tools , give them the passion and the authority to do the job .
What do you hope to achieve in the role ?
I want people to rave about our food . I want people to come earlier on matchdays because they love eating here . This is a great challenge and I ’ m very excited about it . I want to broaden the food we offer here , not just burgers and fries . In time , I would like to bring in new pop-ups and street food around the ground . The timings are tricky because people don ’ t want to miss any of the action - the logistics need to be spot on - but that ’ s the future , offering more variety . We also need to offer healthy eating options , that ’ s important too . This year will be about finding my feet in the role , but with plans for the stadium redevelopment , which will bring more supporters to Selhurst Park , it is a very exciting time to be joining Crystal Palace .
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