What will you be serving at Jag this Christmas season?

On Dec 24, we will be presenting a Christmas special découverte menu — La Balade du Végétal. Diners will enjoy a repertoire of seasonal vegetables through 17 plates. With wild foraged herbs from the Savoie Alps, each dish will be enhanced by handpicked premium proteins.

What were the traditional Christmas foods you grew up with?

Dinner on Christmas Eve was followed by breakfast, lunch and dinner on the 25th. It was a special time when most of our family gathered at the dining table. My mum would cook wild pork, turkey, white sausage, escargot, foie gras, smoked salmon and oyster. She’d cook the meat with vegetables and make dishes like gratin, soup, purée, and salad. It was always a feast during Christmas.

My mum would cook wild pork, turkey, white sausage, escargot, foie gras, smoked salmon and oyster. It was always a feast during Christmas.

What is your favourite festive food memory from back home?

For us, foie gras was always a special treat. In the past, it was usually only served during Christmas and New Year. The festive season was always filled with excitement and anticipation when it came to enjoying foie gras. At the end of the Christmas feast, we’d also share a soup. My mum made an incredible Savoy cabbage soup one year, and I still remember how good it was.

Related: The most indulgent Christmas log cakes & desserts for parties

What about celebratory drinks? You make a special liquor for the season, we hear.

We used to have hot chocolate by the wood fire when I was a kid. That was special. We still do this now, but we add some nice rum to it. We also enjoy hot wine with orange and cinnamon in France.

In my family, liqueur de vieux garçon made from the maceration of fruits was a tradition for celebrating the end of winter. Summer is the season for making the beverage, while December is the month for consuming it. We would collect different fruits during three seasons, such as cherries, raspberries, and blueberries in June, figs in September, and apples and pears in October until end November. After a month or more of maceration, we’d share this drink with family and friends for Christmas and New Year’s. Every year we’d enjoy different flavours, depending on the fruits we collected.

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