A natural cook

Proust’s Parmentier

Jonas Bolle’s casual look is typical of his generation. No sartorial superfluity: white tee-shirt, sneakers, jeans and red socks… the only sign of eccentricity without seeming to be. He could even give the impression of being the somewhat boring ideal son-in-law. And yet, the world of stoves bubbled up inside him from an early age. Every Wednesday, this former underachiever (who never bothered to work) would go to his grandmother’s house to do dictation and cooking. The recipes would outlive the homework. “There was only one condition to this family agreement: if I passed the dictation, I could cook. Those were the first principles of the carrot before the donkey. He still remembers the intense happiness he felt when tasting a shepherd’s pie he had made himself. “That dish is my Proust’s madeleine. Those days spent at my grandmother’s side were the beginnings of my professional orientation.

Just as the 10-year-old boy admires the famous singer or the top sportsman, Jonas dreams of donning the chef’s outfit. For his birthday, he wants to go to the home of Michelin-starred chef Anne Majourel. “Whether it’s the knotting of the napkins, the millimetric sequences of the ballroom team or the decoration of the dishes, I’m discovering the world of haute gastronomy for the first time”.   To learn about all the facets of the profession, his parents encouraged him to take part in internships in the merciless world of catering. In September 2011, he heads to the Vieux-Bois restaurant at theÉcole Hôtelière de Genève.

Military discipline

Young Jonas learns all about the quantities involved in production cooking, the facets of the semi-professional restaurant and the beginnings of molecular cuisine. “Unconsciously, I’m soaking up these three gastronomic varieties to make my own sauce”. In his third year of apprenticeship, he entered and won the  Jeunes Talents Escoffier Suissesat the age of 17. The winner was awarded the privilege of a one-week internship at theHôtel de Ville restaurantin Crissier, in preparation for the international competition. “Before this experience, it was difficult to imagine the level of demands of such a prestigious establishment. You have to experience it once to understand its almost military rigor. As much as I admired such an environment, I knew I didn’t want to evolve in this milieu”. In the presence of chefs Thierry Marx and Régis Marcon, Jonas won the international final.

Despite his sudden fame, he chose to join chef David Tracol’s small kitchen at the restaurant La Fontaine. Together behind the stove, they perfected their apprenticeship.  and product control. Then, eager to discover the world, he went to India to stay with an eco-feminist who ran a permaculture farm. “I discovered that there’s more to this planet than the West. It’s so enriching to discover other cultures. After a detour through the United States, it was time to return to Swiss soil. After turning down a position with Guy Savoy, he set down his knives alongside chef Muhamed Muratovic at Le Bleu Nuit. “I learned an enormous amount from him. There’s no such thing as monotony with him.

Today, free to fully express his gastronomic potential, it is with undisguised enthusiasm that he officiates behind his open kitchen, nestled at the back of a room whose pastel-colored ceiling fresco recalls the skies of Claude Monnet. The future looks bright for the young chef, who has just scored a 14 in the latest edition of GaultMillau.