Chef Robin Dorgler

If I say Robin, you will probably think of Robin Hood, or perhaps Robin Williams if we stretch the pronunciation a little.
But here, I am speaking of another Robin, originally from Strasbourg, who truly deserves to be known. Gifted with undeniable culinary talent, overflowing creativity, and a warmth that softens everyone he meets, Robin Dorgler granted Musarthis an interview this March, between two services.

In a convivial atmosphere, within a bubble of joy and sharing, I spoke with this young French chef who makes us dream—and salivate—through his culinary poetry on Instagram.

What inspires you when you create a dish? Your travels?

Yes, often, when I think about creating a dish, it’s because a particular encounter comes back to me, or a beautiful memory of a dish I was able to prepare somewhere. Usually, when I traveled, I would stay for a year: I’d spend about nine months working in a gastronomic house, and then the remaining three or four months I’d spend traveling around the country. The idea was to knock on the back doors of small restaurants and see if they would let me spend a day or two with them to learn the local cuisine—brasseries, street food, and so on.

I draw inspiration from those memories, which are not only gastronomic but deeply human, filled with warmth and conviviality. To create a dish, I look back on a travel memory or start from an ingredient I want to interpret and transmit. For example, right now, we’re working with Loumi lemon.

I’m not familiar with it. Could you tell me more?

It’s similar to the black lemon from Iran, but this one comes from Oman. I find a product that speaks to me and then try to tell a story through a dish, a recipe built around that ingredient.

So, to sum up, Robin, when you create a dish, you start either from a memory, a shared human moment, or a special ingredient?

Yes, a special ingredient—but especially one that can’t be found in Alsace. People come to me, or to Miro, to eat cuisine they won’t find anywhere else. I always try to give it an original twist. I don’t cook classic cuisine.

Indeed, people come to you for a gustatory escape.

Both gustatory and physical, because Miro is in the middle of a forest, by the water, and yet only 15 minutes from Strasbourg. Suddenly, you find yourself in nature, in calm. I hope you’ll come visit soon.

I’ll make sure I do, Robin! (laughs). So your cuisine is really a blend of cultures.

The four countries that influence me the most are France, Argentina, Japan, and Canada—but there are also touches from Peru or Chile.

No Indian influence?

I’ve been to India, but I didn’t spend enough time there to be influenced by that cuisine or to draw real inspiration from it.

I love Indian cuisine, that’s why I ask.

I love it too, but for now, I don’t take much inspiration from it.

Are there any ingredients you avoid?

I pay attention to fat and sugar… those addictive ingredients that can have consequences if used too heavily.

No gluten-free?

Of course. Since I have a grandmother who can only eat gluten-free, I know how to adapt to that. I make vegetarian menus, but not vegan menus, because I don’t know enough about it and it doesn’t really fit my philosophy of cooking.

Does art influence your cooking?

Yes, very much! I love going to exhibitions, and I’ve noticed that my plating is often influenced by artists’ styles. For a while, I was very inspired by Kandinsky and Mondrian, and all my presentations were very linear, echoing their artistic expression. Then, when I was inspired by Miró, things started going in all directions on the plate. (laughs)

Gone is the old image of chefs as tyrannical and all-powerful figures; today, chefs like Robin Dorgler are talented, approachable, and attentive to their teams. Robin Dorgler’s restaurant, Miro, has been recommended by the Michelin Guide for several years now. If you have the chance to visit, you will quickly realize how much the guest experience and human values lie at the heart of it all.

I deeply appreciated my authentic exchanges with Robin: we laughed a lot, while keeping our conversations meaningful. What struck me most was his creativity imbued with multicultural influences, rooted in Alsace yet merging seamlessly with other creative arts and culinary artistry. Thank you again, poetic and creative soul… Thank you, Chef Robin Dorgler.

(Laughs.) I see.

I am also very influenced by painting, but also by sculpture. I try to reflect on matter, on the way it can be shaped. For example, I once tried to create a dish with celery, integrating it into a kind of sculpture. The celery is cooked inside a clay crust and placed directly into the fire. These are inspirations that come from sculpture, from architecture…

What style of music interests you most?

I really enjoy electronic music, jazz, as well as folk and disco. In fact, we organize a festival.

Tell us more, Robin!

It’s called the Miro Festival. Once a year, for three days, we welcome artists and chefs from all over the world. In the mornings, chefs give cooking classes on stage, and from 4 p.m. onwards, musicians and performers play in the park.

That sounds like a really cool event.

Yes, it’s very cool and very human. We usually have between 2,000 and 3,000 people over the three days. It takes place on the last weekend of June, this year from June 27 to 29.

When you create a dish, do you think about mental health, and if so, how?

Mental health is very important to me, and I mostly address it in terms of my team’s well-being. I want my team to enjoy themselves when they work on a menu or a dish, and also to embrace my philosophy of cooking. I’ve worked in big kitchens in Paris, but often no one explains why a certain direction is taken. You’re just told to execute instructions and then go home. I try to make my team part of the projects.

It’s really important for you that your team feels good, both mentally and physically. That’s wonderful.

Yes, it’s very important to me. I want my team to feel good in the kitchen and to connect with each project. I worked a lot in my life because I loved it, but I truly want my team to have a balanced life between work and personal time. At Miro, we have three and a half days off per week, which allows my team to have a life outside the kitchen.

Their well-being matters.

What also really caught my interest about you, Robin, is your love of music, which also influences your cuisine. I was very curious to know how you integrate music into your cooking.

I integrate it in several ways. For example, we organize an annual event called Culinary Symphony. I’m a big fan of old Disney films, and the concept goes like this: you sit at the table, and a dish arrives—you have to guess which Disney film inspired it. It’s a sort of blind test, because we play music from the Disney film as a clue. Last summer, we did it with Aladdin or with Interstellar, where I created a dish around corn.

So you combined music, cinema, and cuisine.

Exactly.

Thank you for this wonderful moment!

Gourmet restaurant of Chef Robin Dorgler
mirostrasbourg.com

Miro Festival – Music & Food
MIRO FESTIVAL

Photo credits: Simon Pagès (vonpages.fr) / MiRO