You’ll find Yannick Fayolle, Clifton Inn’s executive chef since October 2015, on Instagram @superman_chef. It’s a moniker that speaks to his kitchen chops, of course, but also hints at his other passion: natural body-building. He’s currently preparing for his second competition.
“It keeps me close to a healthy lifestyle where I can think clearly,” he says. “I like to be clear-minded.” That’s how he leads the team in his kitchen, too—clean eats, but with a little international flare. Fayolle hails from Mauritius, where he started his culinary career before working in kitchens in Switzerland and India. We asked the chef to tell us about a few of his favorite foodie things.—Caite White
Always on the bar: I don’t have one.
Special-occasion drink: I would say a good glass of Premier Grand Cru Classé à Pauillac.
Energy source: My daily workouts.
Breakfast: Smoothie with 1 cup of spinach, 1 cup of strawberries, 2 tbs. of peanut butter, 2 scoops of whey protein and whole milk.
Lunch spot: Chipotle (and I ask for extra protein).
Japanese restaurant order: I go for unagi nigiri.
Sandwich: Corned beef Reuben
Unusual ingredient: Bison tail
Healthy snack: A Quest Bar
Unhealthy snack: A beer
Condiment: Pickled carrot peel
Chocolate: Chocolate and goat cheese crumble that one of my cooks came up with.
Grocery store cookie: Of course not.
Dessert: Scoop of ice cream with a shot of Frangelico.
Beer: My Mauritian beer—the Phoenix.
Ice cream flavor: Earl Grey
Kitchen aroma: Searing thyme and garlic and curry. Reminds me of home.
Always in the home fridge: Lots of meat
Always in the pantry: White basmati rice
Bodo’s order: Everything bagel with four scrambled eggs, bacon and cream cheese
Salad bar toppings: Chicken
Cut of meat: Hare tenderloin
Fish: Red snapper. The perfect red snapper has an interesting shellfish taste to it.
Vegetable: At this moment, it would be a tomato.
Midnight snack: None
Knife: My deboner and fish knives.
Cookbooks: Bon! by Thierry Marx. It shows the purity of the ingredients.
Mentors: My dad and mom. They taught me discipline.
Dream trip: An experimental food trip in Asia.
Food city: Tokyo
Cooking clothes: Chef’s jacket
Kitchen shoes: Skechers
Cooking music: Dubstep and deep house
Food-related tattoos: The one on my forearms. It’s a Thai philosophy: Food is art.
First food memory: Quail eggs and tropical fruits
Best meal ever: I was on a boat barbecuing a fresh snapper and lobsters.
