Pierre Garrigues

I was born in the Capitole quarter of Toulouse and I have been eating cassoulet my whole life. Toulouse is not Paris — it is the capital of Southwest France, and its cuisine is heavier, more generous, and more honest than anything you find in the north. Cassoulet, duck confit, foie gras, the saucisse de Toulouse that bears the city's name — these are the dishes of a region that took food seriously before cuisine became fashionable. I know which brasserie on the Place du Capitole does cassoulet the way it has been made in this city since the 14th century and which cave à vin under the Halle de la Daurade has the best Cahors wine.