Morzine’s newest catering company has a new philosophy. Fine dining food, however you like to eat it, anywhere. That includes like-side lunches and high altitude dinners, all expertly prepared by Sharif Gergis from Guerrilla Dining.
Describe your style of food in 6 words…
Wow that’s tough to do! My cooking style relies heavily on an understanding of food science, and the sourcing of extremely high quality ingredients. I’m constantly studying ways to intensify the gastronomic experience of my guests by sourcing the best produce I can get my hands on and then maximising the flavour of each ingredient through the use of traditional and modern techniques. So with that in mind the words I would choose are; Dynamic, Informed, Scrupulous, Unctuous, Meticulous and Delicious!
What’s the concept behind Guerrilla Dining?
Guerrilla Dining is a Private Chef / Catering service offering customised dining solutions in Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. We pride ourselves in providing the highest level of cuisine in a package designed to suit the specific tastes and budgets of our clients. Having naturally come to the end of my time at La Ferme du Lac Vert I wanted to continue cooking at a high level and originally intended to open a fine dining restaurant in Morzine but I struggled to find a suitable premises. I came to the realisation that there was a demand in the area for high end private catering as well as a lack of restaurants serving anything other than traditional Savoyard cuisine. I therefore decided to create a company that offered guests the possibility of creating a personalised “restaurant at home” experience which would fulfil the desire of many expats/holiday makers for high end cuisine in the comfort of their own homes or holiday accommodation. Having worked in chalets for years I was also aware of the ski holiday provider’s need for reliable Chef cover throughout the season and so decided to include that as a service. I was also aware of the large number of cash starved seasonaires in resort who seek out delicious hearty food at reasonable prices. Not wanting to alienate that market I decided to offer a “Smoked Comfort Food” delivery service whereby customers can choose from a large selection of slow smoked cuts of meat to be delivered hot to their door alongside a choice of sides, all for a very competitive price.
Weddings are now a big deal in the local area. How do you help and bride and groom plan their wedding menu?
Liaising carefully with clients is central to all the services we provide. For most people a wedding is the biggest event they will ever plan and good communication is particularly important. We work very closely with La Ferme du Lac Vert which is a beautifully restored 19th century farmhouse with 11 en-suite rooms perfectly suited as a wedding venue. Every wedding menu we do is different and we pride ourselves in being able to offer practical and affordable solutions to accommodate the specific desires of the wedding party. Typically I will meet face to face with the bride and groom, I’ll have prepared some tasting samples and menu plans to get the discussion started then we’ll open a bottle of Champagne and start making plans. Our attitude is that anything is possible.
Your comfort food deliveries sound amazing. What kind of dishes can we expect?
I use a digitally controlled smoker to slow cook large pieces of locally sourced meat to carefully selected combinations of time and temperature. We also use specific types of wood for smoking different meats according to what we feel best brings out the specific characteristics of each meat. The result is a flavour and texture you most likely will not have experienced before and that you simply wouldn’t be able to recreate at home. We’ll deliver straight from the smoker to your door for the cost of a takeaway pizza. For full menus please see the “Smoked Comfort Food Deliveries” section at www.guerrilladining.fr.
If you could dine in any restaurant in the world, where would you go?
I would have loved to have eaten at El Bulli back in the late 90’s when Ferran Adria was irrevocably redesigning the world of gastronomy. It was without doubt the most creative, the most unique and the most desired restaurant that the world has ever seen. Sadly it’s now closed to the public but the influence of Feran Adria can be seen in many of the worlds best restaurants today. If I was looking for the highest level of gastronomy available now I’d have to book a table at Ryan Clift’s Tippling Club in Singapore, but if you asked me which is my favourite restaurant in the world I’d have to say is St John’s Bar and Restaurant in Smithfield London. It’s a hearty nose to tail restaurant serving simple honest old fashioned Brittish dishes; Blood Cake and Fried Egg, Roasted Pig’s Head and Devil Lamb Kidneys on Toast. They have the most fantastic dining experience there because the focus is somehow deflected from the food itself which is as unpretentious as it is delicious allowing you to focus on the company around your table and a good bottle of Burgundy.
Find our more about Guerrilla Dining on their website, or email Sharif directly on eat@guerrilladining.fr. You can also view sample menus and food galleries and follow Guerrilla Dining on Facebook.
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