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Consultant chef

Restaurants, hotels, caterers, pastry shops

Recipe spec sheet

Vitello tonnato

Illustrative example

Excerpt, 3 of 14 lines
For 10 portionsQuantityCost
Veal topside1.200 kg€28.80
Tuna in brine0.200 kg€3.20
Caper berries0.120 kg€2.64
Cost per portion
€4.62
Minimum price, excl. VAT
€15.40

Menus, spec sheets, food costs, teams. Based in Tours, I work mostly in Touraine, the South of France and Switzerland.

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Where does your kitchen stand?

Restaurants, hotels, caterers, pastry shops: every project starts from a specific situation. Here are five.

  • “I’m opening in a few months.”

    I build the menu with you, write the recipes and spec sheets, size the production and train the team before the first service.

  • “My menu is running out of steam.”

    I start from what already works for you, your produce and your suppliers, and move the menu forward without losing what your guests come back for.

  • “My food costs are slipping.”

    I go through your recipe spec sheets dish by dish: quantities, waste, purchase prices, selling prices. We see where the margin goes, and we fix it.

  • “My team needs clearer systems.”

    Clear spec sheets, a written prep list, defined stations: I hand it all over by working alongside your team, in the kitchen.

  • “I want a proper pastry offer.”

    Plated desserts or pastries to take away: I create an offer that fits your equipment, your team and your production pace.

What you receive

Working documents that stay in your kitchen after I leave. This is what a recipe spec sheet looks like.

Vitello tonnato

Recipe spec sheet, starter, 10 portions

Close-up of the plated vitello tonnato, seen from above: veal sliced in waves, dots of sauce, sliced caper berries, olive powder, rocket oil and shoots, on a pale stoneware dish.
Reference plating

Illustrative example, indicative figures

Portion
About 150 g
Prep
The day before
Plating
90 s per plate
Allergens
Egg, fish
Ingredients for 10 portions, indicative figures
IngredientQuantityUnit priceCost
Slow-cooked veal
Veal topside1.200 kg€24.00/kg€28.80
Aromatic vegetables0.300 kg€3.00/kg€0.90
Salt, pepperTo taste
Tonnato sauce
Egg yolks3 pc€0.30/pc€0.90
Grapeseed oil0.250 L€5.00/L€1.25
Tuna in brine0.200 kg€16.00/kg€3.20
Anchovies in oil0.030 kg€32.00/kg€0.96
Capers0.030 kg€18.00/kg€0.54
Lemon1 pc€0.45/pc€0.45
Finishing
Black olives, for the powder0.150 kg€12.00/kg€1.80
Rocket0.080 kg€14.00/kg€1.12
Extra virgin olive oil0.150 L€11.00/L€1.65
Caper berries0.120 kg€22.00/kg€2.64
Pea shoots0.050 kg€40.00/kg€2.00
Total food cost
€46.21
Cost per portion
€4.62
Target food-cost ratio
30%
Minimum selling price, excl. VAT
€15.40

Method

  1. Trim and season the veal topside, then cook it sous vide at 60 °C for 5 hours with the vegetables. Chill quickly and keep cold.
  2. Whisk the yolks with the oil, then blend with the drained tuna, anchovies, capers and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, keep in a piping bag.
  3. Dry the pitted olives in the oven at 80 °C for 3 hours, then blitz them to a powder.
  4. Blend the rocket with the olive oil, heat to 70 °C, strain and chill at once.
  5. At service: slice the veal thinly, lay it in waves, pipe dots of sauce, add the sliced caper berries, the olive powder, the rocket oil and the shoots.
See the method
  1. Trim and season the veal topside, then cook it sous vide at 60 °C for 5 hours with the vegetables. Chill quickly and keep cold.
  2. Whisk the yolks with the oil, then blend with the drained tuna, anchovies, capers and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning, keep in a piping bag.
  3. Dry the pitted olives in the oven at 80 °C for 3 hours, then blitz them to a powder.
  4. Blend the rocket with the olive oil, heat to 70 °C, strain and chill at once.
  5. At service: slice the veal thinly, lay it in waves, pipe dots of sauce, add the sliced caper berries, the olive powder, the rocket oil and the shoots.

Illustrative example, indicative figures. This sheet shows the format: for your venue, every sheet starts from your recipes, your suppliers and your purchase prices.

  • Recipe spec sheets

    One per dish: quantities, cost per portion, method, plating, allergens.

  • The menu

    Dish names, descriptions and selling prices worked out from the costs.

  • The organisation

    Prep lists, stations and production schedules, written down.

  • The handover

    Sessions in your kitchen with your team, until the new routines stick.

How I work

Four stages, in this order. How long each one takes depends on your project.

  1. First conversation

    One call, about an hour

    You tell me about the venue, the current menu, the team and what is not working. I tell you plainly whether I can help, and how.

  2. Immersion

    One to three days in your kitchen

    I come into the kitchen during prep and service. I look at the produce, the purchasing, the stations and the real pace.

  3. Creation

    From a few days to a few weeks

    I write the recipes, the spec sheets and the organisation, then we test them in your kitchen until they hold up in service.

  4. Handover and follow-up

    During your services, then after launch

    I train the team on the new dishes and methods, during service. I stay reachable after launch to fine-tune.

Four ways to work together

Every project is quoted individually, after a first conversation.

  • Assessment

    On quote

    An outside look at your kitchen: menu, spec sheets, purchasing, organisation, service. You get a written report and clear priorities.

    Typical length One to two days on site

    Discuss this

  • Menu

    On quote

    A new menu or a rework of the current one: recipes, trials with the team, spec sheets and food costs for every dish.

    Typical length Depends on the number of dishes

    Discuss this

  • Opening

    On quote

    From the first menu to the first service: recipes, spec sheets, stations and production planning, team training.

    Typical length Depends on your opening date

    Discuss this

  • Pastry workshop

    On quote

    A pastry offer designed around your equipment and your team, and sessions to pass on the techniques.

    Typical length One day or more

    Discuss this

Winter menu 2025 for Maison Amour, Tours

A few plates from that menu, photographed on the pass. The wording overlaid on the photos is the menu’s own.

From the menu

  • Foie gras terrineAged rum, spiced popcorn, banana chutney.
  • Bluefin tuna sashimiFlame-seared, leche de tigre, passion fruit and peanuts.
  • Labneh and roasted carrotsHeritage carrots roasted with honey and gentle spices, dukkah, olive oil.
  • Duck breast tatakiDuck breast, roasted cashew, tarragon mayonnaise and habanero chilli.
See it on Instagram
Duck breast tataki held above the pass, with the menu wording overlaid: duck breast, roasted cashew, tarragon mayonnaise and habanero chilli.
Labneh and roasted carrots in a dark bowl, with the menu wording overlaid.
Foie gras terrine, spiced popcorn and banana chutney, with the menu wording overlaid.
The chef in a cap, whisking in a bowl, in the kitchen at Le Repère.
At Le Repère, Guadeloupe. Photo: @carlasegues

I still cook for private tables: my advice comes straight from service.

Private dinners, stays, events, a four-hands service: I’m still at the stove. What I suggest to you, I do myself, under very real constraints of time and cost.

Before that, years across fine dining, pastry and restaurants, in France, Switzerland, Guadeloupe and the South.

The chef’s background

Your questions

On site or remotely?

Mostly on site: a menu and an organisation are built in the kitchen, with the team. Part of the work can be done remotely, such as writing spec sheets, reviewing a menu or following up after launch.

Do my recipes and figures stay confidential?

Yes. Your recipes, spec sheets, purchase prices and margins stay with you. I can sign a confidentiality agreement if you wish.

Do you travel?

I am based in Tours and work mostly in Touraine, the South of France and Switzerland. Elsewhere, depending on the project. Travel costs are shown in the quote.

Do you work with the existing team?

Yes, that is the starting point. I do not replace your head chef: I work with them and the brigade, so that the methods hold once I have gone.

How much notice do you need?

It depends on the project. An assessment can often be booked fairly quickly; a new menu or an opening needs more lead time. It is best to get in touch as soon as the project takes shape.

How much does it cost?

Every project is quoted individually, after a first conversation, depending on its length, the location and what you receive.

Duck breast tataki from the Maison Amour menu, seen from above: cashews and dots of tarragon mayonnaise on a dark plate.

Let’s talk about your kitchen

Tell me the kind of venue, the town and what you want to change. I’ll reply myself.

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