Interview with Maxime Pastor: Head Sommelier at the Louis XV – Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris

To be or not to be a sommelier 

This "job for the curious-natured", as he likes to call it, "you come to it because people before you were curious enough to want to encourage you to take an interest in it". And among the first people to introduce him to the world of wine were his parents. Generous epicureans who enjoy good food at large family gatherings strewn with bottles and dishes. He remembers the warm, happy atmosphere. And his first tastings, on his fingertips, sitting on the grown-ups’ laps. "It's also where my passion for sommellerie comes from. These shared moments, the pleasure of being together". As well as these family banquets, Maxime Pastor also remembers evenings spent with his mother watching reports on the great Parisian ‘palace’ hotels. "I was fascinated! "... And so he decided to enrol at the hotel school in Monaco. And it was during these five years of study in the Principality that the student met his first Pygmalion, Mr Serge Serrier, who introduced him to oenology. "He was the first person to give me a passion for the world of wine. It was he who, after my BTS, encouraged me to complete my training at Cagnes-sur-Mer and take a complementary sommelier qualification ". 

Returning home

A phone call from Alain Ducasse and a 'yes' from Maxime Pastor were all it took for the young Head Sommelier to return to Monaco. "This is my home, my land!  I'm proud of its history and traditions, and I owe it a great deal. Today, I want to return the favour". It's now just over a year since Maxime Pastor joined the ranks of the Louis XV – Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Hôtel de Paris, a temple of gastronomic excellence. Alongside him, equally newly appointed, are Restaurant Manager Claire Sonnet and Chef Emmanuel Pilon. A timely reunion for this trio whose paths had already crossed at the Plaza Athénée. "The Louis XV – Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris is the first hotel restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars", he enthuses.  "It is an establishment that has played a major role in putting Monaco on the international gastronomic map". So inevitably, at the start, there was a touch of apprehension. "It's all about living up to the place and its history, without letting the challenge overwhelm you. All this is obviously very stimulating. Above all, it's about having fun as part of the team and sharing that with customers. Through the cuisine of Chef Emmanuel Pilon and the sweet creations of Pastry Chef Sandro Micheli, we have so many stories to tell".

So many stories to tell...

Maxime Pastor also highlights the opening up of the wine list to vineyards that were once seen as under-rated, but which are now rightly regaining their pedigree. "We realise that people in the Loire know how to make wine, that people in the Jura, Languedoc-Roussillon and Corsica know how to make wine". Sensitivities are changing. Wines are evolving. This is the way of the cycle of sommellerie. "And it's up to us sommeliers to try, humbly, to spread happiness to the people who come to see us. For me, that's one of the great joys of this profession, along with the opportunity to make a living from my passion. It’s a priceless privilege ".

Sommelier, "a job for the curious-natured", as Maxime Pastor put it, and "a job of service" that this native of the region practises with unfailing love. "This is essential if you want to keep the flame of those who passed it on to you alive. We all owe everything to this passing-on of the flame. It is at the heart of our passion. It is even its raison d'être".