Here comes the General – Leon Foissy Rocksalt

Leon Foissy is the General Manager at Rocksalt and has an impressive resumé having worked at Balfour Winery, The Swan Brasserie in West Malling, Cunards and the two Michelin Star restaurant La Palme d’Or in Martinez in Cannes, France.  Now working with Executive Chef Marcin Szelag for Rocksalt, the two have a wonderful relationship with food and friends who dine there.  With Leon’s experience in the hospitality industry, and awareness of the trends in the market, his role is ensuring that customers feel as though they’re visiting a home from home when they walk through the doors.  Folkelife met with Leon to experience his welcoming touch.

Leon: “I moved from France to London where I met my wife but it took a while to find the right spot for me.  We moved out to Kent and I joined The Swan Brasserie in West Malling, but then Covid hit, and I had to do what everyone else did in hospitality – stop working.  I ended up as the manager of a branch of Lidl, because I can’t just not work.  Then after the lockdowns, I started working at Balfour Winery and got headhunted for Rocksalt.  

“I had been here a few times with family, and had always enjoyed our experiences.  When I saw this opportunity I thought ‘that’s the one!’ and haven’t looked back.”

working with marcin

Leon: “Marcin Szelag is our Executive Chef here at the Rocksalt Group and it’s a pleasure to work with him.  His approach to service is spot on, and the etiquette with which he delivers his menu is exactly what we want in terms of excellence and standards to work to.  I also want to bring a personal approach that shows the team are confident in interacting with our guests to make friends for life; to treat our customers as guests in our own home.”

There’s a firm friendship on show from Marcin and Leon in the restaurant.  Leon had heard of Marcin’s reputation and was excited to work for him.  This is translated by Marcin’s gentle humour of ‘his aura shining so bright that Leon needed blinds to look at him in the same room’.  The two jest together, but are clearly excited to be working with each other.

Marcin: “I think Rocksalt is in very strong hands with Leon as General Manager.  Our approach is similar and we both have good exposure as to what is happening in the hospitality scene.  So we can keep up with the trends, and introduce new ideas to Rocksalt from what we see happening in London.  

Leon:”It’s clear since Rocksalt opened in 2011 it has had an influence on the food scene here in Kent.  We had one dish on the menu which was a buttermilk huss with a Moilee style curry.  It’s not what you would expect from classic French cooking in a fish restaurant but bringing influence from around the world, whilst still working with local ingredients is very important to us. 

“I truly believe that it’s our role in the bar industry to elevate people’s palete and help them discover new flavours through cocktails, spirits and liqueurs.  It’s important to think that our customers will be taking these flavours into their own kitchens having experienced them with us.  We have regular customers returning for a meal we had on the menu last year of a French influenced curry dish with mussels, this has proved so popular it’s now a regular on our menu.”

accessible fine dining

Leon: “It’s also important to me that everyone gets to experience what we do here at Rocksalt.  During the week, in the lower season, we have our midweek menu which offers two and three course options at very reasonable prices. We also have a late set menu on the weekend, and a Sunday set menu, also at a very affordable price, throughout the year. Family is important to us too, so there are menus for the under 12s too.  We can be the fancy restaurant you go to for a special treat, but we are also here to excite you into trying new seasonal dishes at reachable prices.“

driving the competition

Marcin: “When Rocksalt opened in 2011 there were few other restaurants of this calibre in the local area.  Now, the food scene has flourished in Folkestone, and further afield too.  We can see those restaurants taking on ideas from what we do, and having their own examples of the trends coming from London.  It’s exciting to watch what people are doing, and also to keep our game up to make sure there are many fine dining options in the local area.  

“This also means that we can attract skilled people to the area.  We can have new talent in the kitchen and front of house, and that’s exciting too.  Because our focus is on local suppliers, there are many new places opening up such as Owley Farm Mushrooms.  To have wild mushrooms grown in Kent is a real privilege and what Harvey is producing there is absolutely incredible.”

thinly sliced potatoes

Marcin: “We’re currently slicing our potatoes very thinly on a mandolin so they are crispy and make a bed for wild mushrooms, garlic and chicken to sit on.  They’re dusted with burnt leek powder which adds a real sense of spring to the dish.  Seasonality is important to us. But we do have to be careful!  I have heard that strawberries are just around the corner and we’ve not finished the asparagus season yet!  So I do want to meet people’s expectations and not bring produce in too early, even if it is around.”

daily menu

Leon: “We print the menu daily so that it reflects the catches the fishermen bring in to the harbour for us.  It also accommodates the fruit and vegetables we can get hold of, showing that we react and adapt to our local suppliers.

“We must mention desserts too, as they also reflect the fruit that’s being grown locally. Our crème brûlée has rhubarb from Mockbegger Farm so it gives it that sweet crunch that complements the creaminess of the crème.  We’re also bringing back the signature Rocksalt cold chocolate fondant pudding.  It’s been off the menu for a while, but it’s time for it to return.”