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The ice cream man cometh
By Sam Riley |
January 7, 2009, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ICE cream is a retail therapy for Frenchman Frederic Mortier who is a connoisseur and creator of premium gelato, writes Sam Riley.
Every day, Frenchman Frederic Mortier urges people to enjoy an indulgence, or as he describes it in his classically French way, "a small pleasure."
Mortier's hedonistic delight is ice cream and for him only the best will do.
The part-owner of Amorino premium gelato stores, Mortier researched the art of making ice cream in his kitchen in Lyon, France.
"I like cooking and I thought ice cream was something I could master," he says. "I bought an ice cream machine and read books and started to experiment. I had my whole family eating ice cream and I fed them ice cream to the point where they said 'stop'."
Amorino has three Shanghai stores in Carrefour outlets. The chain has outlets across Europe, including more than 20 stores in France.
It makes premium gelato, an Italian-style soft ice cream, on-site from fresh ingredients. Ice cream makers wear chef's hats and work in immaculate kitchens where customers can see them at work.
To hear Mortier talking about ice cream is to be reminded of a sommelier describing wine.
Each detail must be precisely right for the finished product to be perfect, and Mortier is exacting. Fruits are tasted for sweetness so they are ideal for his sorbets that contain 60 percent fruit.
Describing the process of making ice cream, he says it is at its best when it is freshly churned and before it is then frozen and stored.
To prove the point, he offers a delicious coconut gelato as it pours from the ice cream-making machine.
"Food is about your ingredients, passion and time, and getting to the culture of something, and trying to understand the process and the background of a food," he says when asked makes a good ice cream maker.
For Mortier, the son of a Lyon car salesman, retail runs in the blood.
He describes his earliest childhood memories as being in his home, which was attached to the car lot, and watching his father do business.
"I was selling cars from the side of the road when I was a teenager and retail is in my DNA, I like the daily challenge of retail," he says.
In keeping with the family history in retail, Mortier's wife Margaret also owns her own flower shop. Mortier has spent much of his career taking on some of the biggest challenges in retailing, heading up development of Carrefour both in China and Japan.
In 1990, Mortier spearheaded Carrefour's move into Japan and spent five years establishing the French department stores there.
He also guided the chain's development in China where its Shanghai stores are the most successful in Asia.
As Carrefour's development director, Mortier arrived in Shanghai in 2001 and oversaw expansion into southern and eastern China.
He worked for the retail giant until 2004. Looking for a change, he moved back to France but says he missed the pace and dynamism of business in Shanghai.
"Business was a bit slow for me, like booking meetings," he says. "In Shanghai I was used to ringing someone and meeting them the next day. But in France it takes a while. The worst experience was seeing a guy flipping pages in his diary to arrange a meeting, and it was January. He said, 'How about March 5'?"
Mortier moved back to Shanghai in 2006, where he managed the move of the Costa Coffee into the city. As development director, he opened 20 Costa Coffee stores citywide.
He came to know the owner of Amorino in China and the pair went into business together. The only outlets so far are in Shanghai.
After a career spent in retail, Mortier says he still gets a buzz from that daily interaction with the public.
"Retail is about the environment you are creating. People come here for a moment, to enjoy something and have a moment to remember.
"It is a little pleasure, and for 30 yuan (US$4.40), as a customer I can have a piece of Italy. If I am an expat, I can go home for a moment and if I am Chinese I can travel for a little while and I can share a moment and share a culture."
Frederic Mortier
Nationality: French
Age: 41
Profession: Retail entertainer
Q&A
Description of self:
Warm-hearted, entrepreneurial and life-loving.
Favorite place in Shanghai: I love discovering new places but the view of Pudong from the Puxi side always reminds me of how much potential the city has.
Strangest thing seen in Shanghai: I was walking down a little old lane at the back of the JW Marriott that specializes in selling all types of animals. There were fish and all types of pets, but the most impressive were the stores selling crickets. And this is all downtown, right next to a five-star hotel. It is a very weird place, a time capsule, really.
Worst experience in Shanghai:
Driving. It's a regularly bad experience for most people.
Motto for life:
Create new things, undertake new things and always imagine and discover.
Things that could improve Shanghai:
More green pedestrian areas and more cultural events.
Advice to newcomers:
Spend time really getting to know the country and don't come here with any preconceived ideas. Be humble.
Every day, Frenchman Frederic Mortier urges people to enjoy an indulgence, or as he describes it in his classically French way, "a small pleasure."
Mortier's hedonistic delight is ice cream and for him only the best will do.
The part-owner of Amorino premium gelato stores, Mortier researched the art of making ice cream in his kitchen in Lyon, France.
"I like cooking and I thought ice cream was something I could master," he says. "I bought an ice cream machine and read books and started to experiment. I had my whole family eating ice cream and I fed them ice cream to the point where they said 'stop'."
Amorino has three Shanghai stores in Carrefour outlets. The chain has outlets across Europe, including more than 20 stores in France.
It makes premium gelato, an Italian-style soft ice cream, on-site from fresh ingredients. Ice cream makers wear chef's hats and work in immaculate kitchens where customers can see them at work.
To hear Mortier talking about ice cream is to be reminded of a sommelier describing wine.
Each detail must be precisely right for the finished product to be perfect, and Mortier is exacting. Fruits are tasted for sweetness so they are ideal for his sorbets that contain 60 percent fruit.
Describing the process of making ice cream, he says it is at its best when it is freshly churned and before it is then frozen and stored.
To prove the point, he offers a delicious coconut gelato as it pours from the ice cream-making machine.
"Food is about your ingredients, passion and time, and getting to the culture of something, and trying to understand the process and the background of a food," he says when asked makes a good ice cream maker.
For Mortier, the son of a Lyon car salesman, retail runs in the blood.
He describes his earliest childhood memories as being in his home, which was attached to the car lot, and watching his father do business.
"I was selling cars from the side of the road when I was a teenager and retail is in my DNA, I like the daily challenge of retail," he says.
In keeping with the family history in retail, Mortier's wife Margaret also owns her own flower shop. Mortier has spent much of his career taking on some of the biggest challenges in retailing, heading up development of Carrefour both in China and Japan.
In 1990, Mortier spearheaded Carrefour's move into Japan and spent five years establishing the French department stores there.
He also guided the chain's development in China where its Shanghai stores are the most successful in Asia.
As Carrefour's development director, Mortier arrived in Shanghai in 2001 and oversaw expansion into southern and eastern China.
He worked for the retail giant until 2004. Looking for a change, he moved back to France but says he missed the pace and dynamism of business in Shanghai.
"Business was a bit slow for me, like booking meetings," he says. "In Shanghai I was used to ringing someone and meeting them the next day. But in France it takes a while. The worst experience was seeing a guy flipping pages in his diary to arrange a meeting, and it was January. He said, 'How about March 5'?"
Mortier moved back to Shanghai in 2006, where he managed the move of the Costa Coffee into the city. As development director, he opened 20 Costa Coffee stores citywide.
He came to know the owner of Amorino in China and the pair went into business together. The only outlets so far are in Shanghai.
After a career spent in retail, Mortier says he still gets a buzz from that daily interaction with the public.
"Retail is about the environment you are creating. People come here for a moment, to enjoy something and have a moment to remember.
"It is a little pleasure, and for 30 yuan (US$4.40), as a customer I can have a piece of Italy. If I am an expat, I can go home for a moment and if I am Chinese I can travel for a little while and I can share a moment and share a culture."
Frederic Mortier
Nationality: French
Age: 41
Profession: Retail entertainer
Q&A
Description of self:
Warm-hearted, entrepreneurial and life-loving.
Favorite place in Shanghai: I love discovering new places but the view of Pudong from the Puxi side always reminds me of how much potential the city has.
Strangest thing seen in Shanghai: I was walking down a little old lane at the back of the JW Marriott that specializes in selling all types of animals. There were fish and all types of pets, but the most impressive were the stores selling crickets. And this is all downtown, right next to a five-star hotel. It is a very weird place, a time capsule, really.
Worst experience in Shanghai:
Driving. It's a regularly bad experience for most people.
Motto for life:
Create new things, undertake new things and always imagine and discover.
Things that could improve Shanghai:
More green pedestrian areas and more cultural events.
Advice to newcomers:
Spend time really getting to know the country and don't come here with any preconceived ideas. Be humble.
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