air
Justine Pruvot
"I cook vegetables because I think it's the purest thing. You don't hurt anyone. As I get to know the producers, I can source amazing products. So why should I go to the sea? Or hunt animals?"
Born in the Champagne province in France, Justine Pruvot has settled into a life (and career) in Marseille, where she combines cooking and craft through her work as a chef and her tableware project Touillet. While in Athens as guest chef in our Café Society pop-up series, we sat down with Justine to discuss the relation between aesthetics and cooking, the biggest takeaways from coming up in the kitchens of Michelin restaurants, and why plant-based cooking is first and foremost a political choice.






HOS: Any life lessons working in kitchens altogether?
JP: Yes. Patience! Something that I don’t have in my personal life. But I can be patient in the kitchen. Things take time, when you do fermentations, you have to wait, time is precious.
HOS: It’s meditative.
JP: Exactly.
HOS: As they say, first learn the rules and then you can break them.
JP: Exactly.
HOS: What is your take on the nomadic nature of chefs nowadays?
JP: I think it’s an amazing thing. But it’s hard to for both sides because every time you are somewhere new, you have to adapt to that environments. To create something that didn’t exist. It is really challenging. However, at the same time, it opens up opportunities and you meet a lot of people. I think it’s really wonderful to be able to show your cuisine everywhere. That’s also why I wanted to be a cook. I wanted to cook from anywhere in the world, because I think to be traveling and working at the same time and learning about another culture – that’s the best.
HOS: You like this idea of not being stationed in one place.
JS: I love to adapt. I am someone that doesn’t like routine. I love when it changes. Maybe someday I will have a place, but it would not be a restaurant. It would be something where people can sleep and eat, perhaps.
“My mind feels like a depository of references. When I see a tomato, for example, then I am thinking about a painting that I saw. And I try to recreate the feeling that I had when I looked at it.”
HOS: What do you think about chefs and egos?
JP: Oh my God, how do you control this? I think it can go too far. I know it’s important to communicate and, to make people want to come to eat your food. The competitiveness in the food business is real. But I don’t even understand why. Why chefs must become so big. Sometimes I want to say, come on guys, we just make food. And if it’s good, that’s great. And that’s it. We don’t need star chefs. And we should not celebrate only one person. It is teamwork.
In my opinion, the most important things are to feed people well, using good products, and to respect every single person in the chain of the process—from the producer to the person receiving the dish.
HOS: How much has social media impacted chef stardom?
JP: It’s a trend. You have so many chefs making videos on TikTok and Instagram hitting millions of views. Many of these people only cook at home. They would never be able to cook at a restaurant. It’s a different thing. On the other hand, if cooking can inspire people to cook for themselves, it’s perfect.
HOS: What is your favourite flavour?
JP: It has to be bitter. It is really weird because people don’t usually like bitter. I find it very interesting in dishes.
HOS: I am often curious about where chefs go to eat on their day off. What is your go-to place when you’ve had a very long day cooking for others?
JP: I go to my friend’s place À Moro in Marseilles. Simple Italian cuisine. And if I’m really too lazy, I would go for fast food!
HOS: What would be your death row meal, then?
JP: I would say rice with eggs and some kimchi. Simple.
HOS: Who would be your dream guest to cook for?
JP: The singer, Rosalía. I love her!
“The most important things are to feed people well, using good produce, and to respect every single person in the chain of the process—from the producer to the person receiving the dish.”
HOS: Tell us about Touillet, your tableware collection.
JP: It is a project that I started in 2023. I had this need to create work with artists – it started with plates designed for my kitchen. To present a few dishes. The process is organic, we talk about what I want to cook, what dish to present it on, and then we design it together. Some of my recipes are inspired by the objects, so it also works the other way around! The name ‘Touillet’ is my grandmother’s maiden name. She is my favourite person in the world, my muse. She is 93 years old. Every time I go to see her I feel do lucky to have her in my life.
HOS: You are also working with textiles.
JP: I badly wanted to work with artisans. They are truly talented people. With my aprons, I collaborated with Adelie De Soumagnat from studio Double Double. She’s one of the first people I met when I moved to Marseille. We worked together to create an apron that resembles a dress. My next collection is going to be with a lamp designer, Marie Jeunet.
HOS: What is your definition of happiness?
JP: Being surrounded by friends you love. And eating my favourite meal. That’s happiness for me.
HOS: Is there a destination where you most looking forward to visit for food?
JP: I would love to go to Peru. I heard that the food is amazing there.