For this four-hands dinner, Benoît Witz welcomes chef Théo Sanchez around a shared ambition: placing the tree at the centre of the plate. Their menu is built around five emblematic trees of the Provençal landscape, where wood, leaves, blossoms, fruit and young shoots become the ingredients of a cuisine shaped by transformation, maturation and fermentation, revealing unexpected flavours.
Moving away from a culinary tradition that often focuses on fruit or the noblest part of the plant, the two chefs explore the tree in its entirety. Roasted, smoked, candied, dried or fermented, its different components reveal a palette of flavours that harmonise beautifully with carefully selected ingredients.
Medlar, quince, mulberry, fig and apricot trees have inspired this five-course culinary journey.
13 August Menu
The Medlar Tree
Langoustine cooked in medlar wood butter, dashi made from roasted medlar leaves, Maillard medlar wood broth, medlar umeboshi purée, medlar kernel soumbala, young medlar shoot roots.
The Quince Tree
Quince wood-smoked eel, Provençal quince prepared three ways — fermented, fresh and candied — quince aioli, samphire salad, dried quince blossoms, quince broth.
The Mulberry Tree
Half quail stuffed and smoked over mulberry wood, white mulberry salad, pickled red mulberries, mulberry leaves blanched in ash, pan-fried mushrooms, concentrated mulberry and poultry jus.
The Fig Tree
Cheeses matured with figs and fig leaves, fig wine balsamic, fig jam and bread made with dried fig leaf flour.
The Apricot Tree
Crumble made with apricot kernels, apricot blossom granita, green apricot matured through fermentation, honey-caramelised apricot.
Meet Théo Sanchez
After working in Michelin-starred and fine dining restaurants across France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden, Théo Sanchez has developed a contemporary culinary approach centred on fermentation, heritage ingredients and the preservation of artisanal know-how. His work brings together gastronomy, art and symbolism.
Founder of the gastronomic events Ooway and the fermentation laboratory Prima Athanor, he explores the connections between food, culture and transformation. Drawing on French, Nordic, Mediterranean, African and Japanese influences, his work is guided by a deep respect for flavour, the transmission of traditions and the expression of terroir.
Now based in the south of France, he divides his time between creating fermented products, organising culinary events and sharing his expertise through an approach where research, technique and poetry converge.
