Michel and Sebastien recently published [Le Goût du Jardin], an amazing  book about their beautiful garden. Herbs, flowers, vegetables, fruits, seeds, trees are presented just like an herborium, with dazzling photographs on every pages.

Ever since he started to cook, Michel developed a passion for plants. He has created his garden over many years, bringing home seeds and plants from all over the world, from Latin America to Asia, Europe to Africa. It is no coincidence that his signature dish, the Gargouillou, is all about herbs, flowers, vegetables, seeds that grow in a garden.

Each day around dawn, Michel and Sébastien gather at the garden with the kitchen staff  to pick fresh herbs, flowers and vegetables that will be served at the restaurant on that day. The menu evolves according to this daily gathering, and the garden is a constant source of inspiration for the chefs.

The book presents the garden along the four seasons. illustrated with many beautiful photographs that reveal the Bras’s fascination for the vegetal world.

Sébastien describes the book as their garden’s history and story:

“We wanted to tell the story of our garden along the seasons, as the four seasons in Aubrac are very different.We start by the meticulous preparation work done in winter, then the blooming in spring, the flowers in summer, the fruits in fall and so on. The book presents the garden chronology and also provides some ideas for potential recipes. Because this is how we work, creating recipe according to our daily gathering.

This is a very personal book as it opens the door of Michel’s private garden. At the same time, this garden is at the core of our cuisine.

We can have up to 190 varieties, which provide an incredible range of colors, flavors, textures, tastes where we go each morning to pick inspiration for our daily menu. 

A beautiful example of a gathering from one single morning 

The other interesting thing in this book is the idea of a collection. We all love to travel, Michel and Ginette, Véronique and I, and we always search for new seeds, plants to collect, to bring back and grow in our garden. Our garden is filled with plants from all five continents, which are used to create our cuisine that is served right here, in Aubrac.

This is a book that reveals a great deal about our universe!” Sébastien Bras.

[BRAS Le Goût du Jardin] Published in French by Plume de Carotte publishing,France