They are mum and stepdad to Guillaume Galliot, executive chef at the three-Michelin-star Caprice restaurant, located some 10,000km away, in Hong Kong’s Four Seasons Hotel.

Their garden is responsible for producing a stunning array of sun-kissed tomatoes, 200kg of which make the long journey to Hong Kong to be crafted by Galliot into contemporary cuisine paying homage to his homeland.

“I believe in finding prestige in even the most humble ingredients, transforming them into unforgettable dishes,” he says. And what could be more humble than tomatoes picked straight out of his own mother’s garden?

To find out more about their provenance, I travel to Tours. In the Deschamps’ garden there are about two dozen rows of neatly arranged vines planted in the dusty soil covered in dried grass. Metal canes provide support, which is necessary with some varietals because of the substantial, heavy fruits they produce.

“In total we grow about 25 varieties. We plant them around the 10th of March, from seeds we have kept from previous years,” says Jacky. “We start to harvest them at the end of July – by late September, they’re less flavourful than at the beginning of the season.”

Myriam adds that they have always gardened. “Well, at least since we retired. We didn’t have much time before,” she laughs. “We started about 10 years ago, little by little. It’s a real passion. Now our tomatoes go [all the way] to Hong Kong!”

She explains the story behind their journey. “One day […] Jacky made up a lovely plate of some of the freshly harvested varieties of red, green, golden tomatoes,” she recalls. “I thought I’d send a photo to Guillaume.”

He responded immediately: “Amazing! Send me some!”

Myriam says that when Galliot was little, his paternal grandparents grew tomatoes and he would help them with the harvesting.

There must be a magic touch, a secret to the incredible flavour and texture of these tomatoes?

“There’s no secret – just experience,” she says. “We generally have good, gentle weather here. Every year we mix in manure through the soil and organic fertiliser.”

Jacky has also crafted a home-made irrigation system that waters the tomatoes for an hour every two to three days. I ask him if he was an engineer by trade?

“No, a banker!”

The couple grow a variety of other produce, including multiple types of salad leaves, red pops of chilli, leeks, green beans, strawberries and more.

But only the tomatoes make their way to Hong Kong, and I’m here to taste them in situ.

Soon, I have an extraordinary techni­­colour spread laid out before me on their dining-room table. The only accompaniments needed are salt, pepper, olive oil and bread.

Oxheart striped are hefty, late-season tomatoes. Jacky takes one and slices it through, the fruity golden flesh more like a mango. Inside are faint stripes, with clear red streaks at the base.

Charlie’s Green is an American heir­loom varietal. Almost sour, the firm emerald-green flesh retains its rigidity but has a lingering sweetness.

Then there’s ananas, aptly named for the French word for pineapple with delicious tropical sweet notes. Jaune Saint Vincent has a more acidic back note and depth to it, while Allemande Dorée – meaning German gold – is sweet and fresh.

Galliot’s mother smiles as she sees me loving this tomato degustation.

“It’s very special to eat something that has grown thanks to your own efforts – it tastes different. We only ever eat our own tomatoes – we never buy them. Same for green beans, we only eat those from our garden.”

She explains how the flavours change throughout the season. “When they’re really ripe, they just melt beautifully. You don’t need a knife to cut them.”

Myriam and Jacky only succumb to adding other ingredients when there’s some good quality fresh mozzarella available – with basil leaves from the garden – for an elegant Italian-style tricolore salad.

A glass of crisp Vouvray – produced nearby – is next to materialise. It is the perfect accompaniment as Jacky shares some of his home-made wild boar and venison terrines.

I ask how the tomatoes are able to reach the kitchens of Caprice in such good condition and discover that it’s thanks to one of Galliot’s local fournisseurs.

“We take them to one of his local suppliers who sends him a variety of produce from the Touraine region, including pigeon from Racan,” Myriam explains.

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Once these beautiful fruits have made it from a home garden outside Tours to the gleaming kitchens of Caprice, Galliot treats them with the reverence they deserve. These are, after all, his mother’s tomatoes.

Each year, he crafts new dishes to celebrate them, bringing the taste of the land where he grew up to one of Asia’s most renowned French restaurants.

“I’m so happy and proud to once again celebrate tomatoes from my mum’s garden on the menu at Caprice,” says Galliot. “This is my terroir, so it’s a very special connection with the ingredients that she and Jacky grow so carefully. The result is beautiful flavour and perfect texture – a French summer on a plate.”

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Last summer, for his dinner menu he crafted a stunning dish of marinated tomato with burrata cheese, a tomato sphere and micro basil leaves. Elegantly layered, every bite bringing Loire Valley sunshine.

On the lunch menu, diners could opt for the sublime Riviera Tart, a delicate rectangle of pastry topped with three types of his mother’s tomatoes.

From this year’s harvest, on the menu from late July or so – depending on the condition of the fruit and the dates of special delivery – Galliot is again working on creating something special for his diners.

“It’s an interesting match between the tomato and strawberry – the start of tomato season and the end of strawberry season,” he says. “It’s nice to play with these two fruits together in the way we are going to make it. Eventually we will replace the strawberry with figs as well.”