Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1020281
150 T a l k a b o u t a n u n u s u a l l i f e p a t h : B o r n i n Lubbock, Texas, but raised in the Périgord region of France, Sebastien Archambault has returned to his country of birth after more than 40 years, to serve as the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek's executive chef. While he has helmed some of the finest kitchens in the world — including Corsica's Restaurant Le Pirate, where he earned a Michelin star — his warm personality and reverence for simple, authentic ingredients make him a beautiful fit for one of our city's top restaurants. What makes Archambault tick? Let's just say it ranges from fast cars to French baguettes. FIRST KITCHEN MEMORIES. At about five years old, I was doing an apple pie on a little wooden table with a Texas flag. I remember it very well. I was always helping wash lettuce, peel potatoes. At 12, I had my first station in my parents' restaurant: frog legs sautéed with butter, garlic, and parsley. It was simple, but I love doing that. I love the camaraderie in the kitchen, the ambiance, the fire. THROWBACK DISH. In the summers in Périgord, my grandmother would cut the tomatoes at 10:30 in the morning, season them, and let them sit for an hour and a half. I would go with my grandfather to buy a fresh baguette and rub it in the tomato sauce while it was still warm. To remind people of something they love is important to me. VITAL INGREDIENTS. For me, it's tomatoes, mozzarella, and olive oil. This is my go-to dish when I've finished my service and I want something. And basil, of course. And I love butter. TOP FOOD CITY. I was lucky enough to go to Tokyo, and it was an amazing discovery of variety and freshness. It's a different world. New York City blew me away by the richness of the mono-product shops. So if you want to do a full dinner, you have to go to maybe four or five shops — but you experience the best of what they do. And Paris, for me, is not just about the food, but the buildings, the ambiance, the feeling … TEXAS VS. FRANCE. The region I'm from in southwestern France is very rich food-wise — the farms, the foie gras, the beautiful mushrooms. It is a rich farm way of living, and the people are very close to the earth and very proud of their region. Here in Texas, everyone is proud to be a Texan and of what that represents. There are a lot of values that are very similar. AMERICAN FOOD YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. The French dip! I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it. I had to Google it to find it was invented in America. But it's good! YOUR SPICE. The Espelette pepper. It is a little chili from the South of France. I use it to finish dishes right at the end, so when you bring the dish out to smell, it adds this little coating of flavor — a little heat. YOUR COCKTAIL. I like the gin and tonic we are doing on the [Mansion's] terrace. For wine, I like cabernet sauvignon or a beautiful red, and in the summer, rosé from Corsica. They are light, beautiful, the color is amazing — they are the best. ON THE ROAD TO CHEFDOM. I love antique cars. Old American muscle cars are beautiful. I drive my '76 Corvette every day from Frisco. It's so cool. FLAVORS OF HOME BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK Chef Sebastien Archambault Texas Red Wattle pork belly Lump crab with avocado and yuzu-olive oil dressing Heirloom tomato salad