Skip to content
Left arrow
FOUR Magazine logo
Search icon

Christian Sinicropi

Chefs
|
16 Jul 2020
|
4 min read

Born in Cannes, this French chef is passionate about his Provençal terroir. Inheriting his culinary prowess from his mother, Christian brings his Mediterranean roots and revelry to his food at 2-Michelin-starred La Palme d’Or at the legendary Hôtel Martinez in the French Riviera.

Thanks to his Tuscan mother who ran her own small wood-fired pizza business, Christian was immersed in the world of good cooking and good eating from a young age. Proud of his Mediterranean roots, he celebrates them wholly in his cooking. Using local ingredients and produce of the highest quality carefully selected from artisan farmers, producers and breeders in the region, the chef brings flavor to the forefront.

Christian began his professional culinary journey in 1989 after earning a French vocational training certificate as a cook. He took his first position as an apprentice chef alongside Christian Willer at Hôtel Martinez, and then joined the team at Michelin-starred La Côte at Hôtel Carlton working under Sylvain Duparc as second commis chef.

In 1993, the young cook moved to the stunning beachside town of Biarritz to work with at Meilleur Ouvrier de France Jean-Marie Gauthier in the luxe Hôtel du Palais. Soon hereafter, his career catapulted as he gained experience at numerous renowned Michelin-starred restaurants including 2* La Belle Otero in Cannes, Antoine Westermann’s 3* Buerehiesel in Strasbourg and Alain Ducasse’s 3* Louis XV in Monaco.

In 2001, he returned to Hôtel Martinez and once again formed part of Christian Willer’s team. For several years he worked alongside Willer before the chef named Sinicropi as his successor in 2007. Now boasting 2 Michelin stars, 4 Toques and 18/20 in the Gault&Milau guide, Christian Sinicropi’s culinary genius has blossomed at La Palme d’Or.

As Executive Chef of not only the gourmet restaurant, but of the entire Hôtel Martinez, the Christian channels his creativity and style into the gastronomic artistry present at each of the establishment’s dining venues. Described as genuine and rustic, his cuisine is framed by an artistic and poetic vision where each of his original gastronomic plates are a beautiful ode to Provence in all her glory.

Every part of the dining experience is important to Sinicropi, and so he has put great care into designing the tableware with his wife Catherine and brand e=sc2. After studying the ceramist craft at Écoles des Beaux-Arts with his wife, the couple began producing their own ceramic creations, from cutlery to plates and decorative items, for use in the restaurant to complete his holistic vision for La Palme d’Or. The pair also collaborate with many artists to bring unique works of tableware art to the restaurant.

Located on the first floor of the hotel overlooking La Croisette, La Palme d’Or encapsulates the majesty of the locale. With interior décor by Sybille de  Margerie, the restaurant is the ultimate homage to the Cannes Film Festival. The gold-clad space overflows with glamor, from the flooring etched with stylized palms to the bronze statues, celebrity portraits, ambient lighting and breathtaking views.

The innovative menu, which is presented in the shape of a cube, is based on the principle of movement. The philosophy is anchored in sharing the beauty of living things while exploring new realms in cuisine. Throughout the menu, each ingredient is embraced as being in a state of constant change.

FOUR Questions about Christian

Tell us more about the concept of ‘movement’ and how is it central to the menu?

The cuisine of chef Sinicropi is so inventive and audacious that it can be savored in a “Movement”; a special menu which offers a unique tasting experience of the same Product (or family of products) cooked in three different ways and served in three services (and sometimes more) in specially crafted ceramic plates… This is a complete culinary identity in every sense of the term.

How does he choose which three ways to cook the same ingredient; does he often come up with more?

The executive chef’s philosophy can be summed up in a few words: “I selected seasonal products most of all from the region, boasting rustic, rich and authentic tastes. This explosion puts our senses on red alert and brings out our primal instinct for true taste, which is the essence of pleasure for body and mind. With this in mind, our guests discover a map of combined features, including the product, textures, measures and tastes. This is a fluid, rich initiatory journey through gastronomy, across my cuisine, my region and my Mediterranean.”

Tell us about the menu’s Cube shape…

The menu design is inspired by dice. On each side, the guests can play discovering the different Movements.

Original, playful but not only that… This new Menu format is hands-free, like the Chef himself. When an expected product is not available in the market, or not delivered on time, or if the quality of the product is not up to the chef’s standards, there is no concession possible. “We do not cheat with the product” as Christian Sinicropi likes to say. The product in question is then immediately removed from the corresponding face of the “Cube” and replaced. This reactivity was not possible before on the pre-printed Menus and this is how the idea of the dice emerged in the Chef’s mind.

Tell us more about the crockery line designed by Christian and his wife, used in the restaurant…

The dishes used at La Palme d’Or have been developed and designed by Christian Sinicropi, and created by Catherine Sinicropi. After discovering the secret of the ceramic world, Christian started with his wife at his side to create the original plates which will be dedicated to his culinary creations. Christian and Catherine have both followed a year’s course in the famous “Beaux-Arts” (Fine Art School of Ceramics) in Vallauris, a well-known city which inspired Picasso in his own ceramic work. In 2010, they finally launched their first spring/summer collection. The chef holds dear this “Tailor-made, French craft, which is also born of a unique, regional culture…”

In his artistic quest for amazing encounters in life, Christian works to create the ceramic plates in collaboration with several French renowned artists such as Steph Cop, Alexöne, Shaka, Moya…

During the Cannes Film Festival, for the annual and exclusive Dinner of the Jury held at La Palme d’Or, Chef Sinicropi creates every year a menu dedicated to the film-making career of the President. Each dish is served in a specially created ceramic sample with the theme of a movie. We can mention as main courses “Alice in Wonderland” which has been created and served when Tim Burton was President. The dish “Taxi Driver” was served to Robert De Niro. “Jaws” was created for Steven Spielberg… The dish “Mad Max” for George Miller… and other creations were imagined to honor Jane Campion, the Coen brothers, Cate Blanchett…

Awards
  • 2 Michelin stars at La Palm d’Or
  • 18/20 and 4 Toques | Gault&Millau
La Palme d’Or 

Hôtel Martinez
73 Boulevard de la Croisette
Cannes
France
06400

Tel: + 33 (0)4 92 98 74 14
Email: info@hotel-martinez.com
Web: www.hyatt.com/hotel-martinez

 

Images © J. Kelagopian

World’s best winner 2014     |     World’s best luxury lifestyle media brand 2022

About

|

Editions

|

Contact

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

About

|

Contact

|

Editions

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

four-magazine.com use cookies to deliver an optimised experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all cookies used.
Cookie settingsaccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
__cfduid1 monthThe cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
_abck1 yearThis cookie is used to detect and defend when a client attempt to replay a cookie.This cookie manages the interaction with online bots and takes the appropriate actions.
bm_sz4 hoursThis cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
ts3 yearsThis cookie is provided by the PayPal. It is used to support payment service in a website.
ts_c3 yearsThis cookie is provided by PayPal when a website is in association with PayPal payment function. This cookie is used to make safe payment through PayPal.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

CookieDurationDescription
akavpau_ppsdsessionThis cookie is provided by Paypal. The cookie is used in context with transactions on the website.
nsidThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
tsrce3 daysThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
x-pp-ssessionThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to process payments from the site.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieDurationDescription
YSCsessionThis cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
fr3 monthsThe cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_120081375_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_83740222_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_mcid1 yearNo description
ak_bmsc2 hoursNo description
CONSENT16 years 9 months 2 days 6 hoursNo description
ec_store_chameleon_fontsessionThis cookie is provided by Ecwid and it is used to save the font utilised in the website's online store.
enforce_policy1 yearNo description
l7_az30 minutesNo description
LANG9 hoursNo description
x-cdnThis cookie is provided by Paypal and is used in context with shopping transactions on the website's store.