AI Stepping into High-End Kitchens: A Shift in the Culinary Landscape
Artificial intelligence gains favor among prominent French chefs in culinary sphere
In the world of haute cuisine, the advent of AI is stirring up conversation, particularly around its role in aiding, and potentially replacing, the creative process. Here's a peek into this exciting, yet contentious, transformation:
Byline: Adam Plowright / AFP, PARIS
At the annual gathering of France's gastronomic elite for the Michelin Guide awards, the conversation was a blend of stars gained and lost, and a surprising new contender—AI.
"Artificial intelligence is on everyone's lips," Matan Zaken, chef at the one-star Nhome restaurant in Paris, shared at the event's conclusion in March.
The 32-year-old suspects that many peers are hesitant to admit the extent to which they leverage services like ChatGPT for recipe ideas and assistance.
"You'd be astounded by how many people are using it. Egos abound in the business; they won't boast about it," he candidly admitted.
Zaken champions technology, believing it holds the potential to unlock unexpected ingredient pairings and surprise taste sensations for diners.
"We must evolve with the times," declared the Franco-Israeli proprietor of the intimate, communal-style Nhome. Gone are his kitchen's tasting books; in their place are online databases brimming with food photographs, recipes, and even ingredient chemistry data.
One intriguing discovery resulting from his premium ChatGPT subscription was the harmonious blend of peanuts and wild garlic. Zaken collaborated with French digital art collective Obvious Art, who provided AI-generated food images for a private event's menu creation—reversing the typical creative process that begins with ingredients.
Not every chef shares Zaken's enthusiasm for the technological revolution in the kitchen.
"Artificial intelligence won't supplant the human touch or the palate of the cook," French culinary icon Philippe Etchebest contended, toasting a second star for his Bordeaux restaurant, Maison Nouvelle, at the Michelin event.
"Artificial intelligence can replace humans in other sectors, but in the kitchen, I don't think it will at all," Etchebest asserted.
Others argue that computers and new technology contradict the traditional, artisanal nature of kitchens—a space built on human-to-human transmission and cooking rooted in local produce and customs.
"It's not really in keeping with our business," stated Thibaut Spiwack, a young chef helming the eco-conscious, one-star Anona restaurant in Paris.
"My brilliance is in these," declared Thierry Bridron, a pastry chef and head of the Valrhona cooking school, presenting his hands at a post-Michelin awards gathering.
"There's nothing more beautiful than nature and what it produces," Bridron mused.
Whether they hail AI as a creative aid or voice reservations about automation, many chefs appear open to leveraging AI to offload tedious tasks, such as drafting emails, job ads, or meal rotas. Novel phone-based apps like Menu or Fullsoon offer more, providing instant cost and carbon footprint estimates for recipes and integrating factors like weather and local sports events to predict demand.
In the realm of gastronomy, Raphael Haumont, a food chemistry expert at Paris Saclay University, expects the most changes to manifest on the plate.
Advanced databases of food ingredients providing details about aroma and taste-producing molecules can help generate surprising new pairings, Haumont predicted.
"Perhaps the computer can discern connections that are completely unexpected. For example, chocolate and cucumber. We now know that it works," Haumont posited.
AI-aided software can also analyze millions of cookbook images while suggesting novel ways to present and craft dishes.
"It can analyze 10,000 images of plated langoustine, for instance, and say: 'The next one could look like this. Be inspired'," Haumont added.
Haumont paints a techno-optimistic vision of the future, where high-precision robots might ease the burden of monotonous tasks—for example, potato peeling—in an industry perennially short on workers.
"Who wants to peel potatoes for two hours?" he humorously asked.
- Artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, is being used by some chefs for recipe ideas and assistance, with many being secretive about their use due to the high egos prevalent in the culinary world.
- Raphael Haumont, a food chemistry expert, believes that AI can help generate surprising new food pairings, like chocolate and cucumber, by analyzing details about aroma and taste-producing molecules in extensive food ingredient databases.
