I started my business ten years ago. I was looking to work with heirloom plants and true-to-type seeds to reveal the breadth of nature and vegetable varieties. My approach is based on cultivating diversity: for example I currently grow some fifty varieties of cherry tomatoes, many varieties of eggplants and tomatillos and about eighty varieties of chili peppers. I also practice selective breeding.
I pursue diversified market gardening but my reputation is indeed built on my chili peppers. My initial offering included barely ten varieties, but as word of mouth spread and I received a growing number of requests from chefs, I began growing a wider range. Chili peppers are a bit like tomatoes; there are more than ten thousand known varieties, with an extraordinary diversity of shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. They are an entire world to explore!
Ten years ago, French restaurateurs were generally happy using Espelette chili pepper. As international cuisines became more and more popular, especially Mexican cuisine in recent years, people have become increasingly enthusiastic about chili peppers. Today it is a global phenomenon, both in fine dining and popular culture.
Studies have shown that terroir does not impact the spiciness of chili peppers. In terms of flavor, I recommend choosing chili peppers grown in organic soil if you want vegetables with character. Chili peppers are, however, sensitive to the climatic dimension of terroir: they are not suited to too-cold temperatures. Fine Indian summers allow me to extend the chili pepper season to October, or even November.
It really depends on the variety in question. Chili peppers begin like vegetables and finish like spices. A bell pepper is a chili pepper. It is a sweet pepper that we use like a vegetable, in contrast to a very strong chili pepper, like the Carolina Ripper. My specialty is the biquihno, a small Brazilian pepper in the shape of a bird’s beak that can be eaten raw because it is mild or moderately spicy. I grow several color variations. It looks great in food and is perfect for the fine dining establishments with which I work!
Absolutely! It is a question of finding the right amount and balance. Chefs are careful not to overpower their dishes with chili pepper. It is the same for wine, so that the taste of chili pepper does not mask the aromas.
