Accor acquires Paris-Society which continues its development
This is last week’s economic-gluttonous event, which remained almost secret, even if it’s our colleague the echoes announced it Wednesday evening for the first time: Accor, which has held 38% of the capital of Paris-Society since 2017, has just acquired 100%. Laurent de Gourcuff’s company, which manages both festive restaurants (in Paris, Megève, Courchevel and Saint-Tropez) and events, has been valued at 330 million euros. Management remains under the responsibility of 46-year-old Laurent de Gourcuff himself, who will continue to develop the group. Its uniqueness: betting on unique places, with exceptional locations and grandiose terraces, such as Want dominating the Champs-Elysées, Bonnie in the heart of Paris, and above the Seine, Giraffe in front of the Eiffel Tower, Mr Blue andt Children at the Tokyo Palace, Gigi above Avenue Montaigne and his suspended in Courchevel at more than 2500m altitude, Without to forget Coco at the Opera et Russian house Avenue Raymond Poincaré. Let’s not forget in passing nightclubs such as Castel and projects in the hotel sector such as the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay in the Chevreuse valley or the Vauban Citadel in Belle-Ile-en-Mer, the latter two historic and prestigious elements acquired by the Savry group of private hotels. The next step in Paris-Society’s development: a new wave Moroccan restaurant, Mima, at the top of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA). Expected opening: next December. And, again, under the gastronomic responsibility of the group’s executive chef, Julien Chicoisne, ex Les Fermes de Marie with Nicolas Le Bec and Drugstore Publicis with Eric Frechon.
Laurent Gardinier President of Relais & Châteaux
Laurent Gardinier © Dominique Cabrelli
We told you few weeks ago : Laurent Gardinier, the only candidate to succeed Philippe Gombert, was elected by his peers to the presidency of Relais & Châteaux, during the chain’s very recent congress in Venice. At 55, this former Sciences Po, owner of a DEA at Dauphine, the youngest of three brothers, engaged in restaurants and luxury hotels (Taillevent, 120 de Taillevent, Crayères in Reims), also present in caviar (“Le Comptoir du Caviar” ) without forgetting the orange groves in Florida, obviously has the qualities required for such an assignment and the time to devote it. His sense of gastronomic diplomacy – he holds a position of vice president at the Grandes Tables du Monde – could also work wonders to bring together two, if not competing, at least parallel, institutions in an identical sector, that of gourmet luxury. Especially since his vice president of Relais & Châteaux, who succeeds Olivier Roellinger in this position, is none other than the French-Italian-Argentine 3-star Mauro Colagreco, voted best chef in the world by the 50 best, and owner of three organically grown gardens, in Menton and its surroundings, destined to supply his thirty establishments with precious vegetables and aromatic herbs, who will continue to insist on the eco-sustainability of the restaurant chain. Laurent Gardinier’s mission: to restore the somewhat tarnished image of what was once called ” the most beautiful channel in the world » and which, for a decade, was somewhat in the background.
Mauro Colagreco and the pink onion of Menton © GP
MOF 2022: the promotion of anti-stars
Tom Meyer © GP
This year, eight chefs have won the prestigious title of MOF for 2022. They are, in alphabetical order: David Alessandria, from Bernex (Haute Savoie), chef at La Prairie in Clarens (Switzerland), David Boyerborn in Saint-Junien in Haute-Vienne, once starred at the Château de la Cazine in the Creuse, then at 110 de Taillevent, he was executive chef of Anne-Sophie Pic, and who is now restaurateur and home chef in Limoges, Louis-Edouard Gachet, former Chèvre d’Or of Eze and very recent executive chef of the Couvent des Minimes of Mane in the Alpes de Haute Provence, Guillaume Goupilalready starred chef at Le Baudelaire in Le Burgundy in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, then became that of Stéphanie Le Quellec at La Scène in the same arrondissement, Yann Maget in Paris, sous-chef at Le Bristol, under the guidance of the three-star Eric Frechon, Tom Mayerbrilliant young Parisian chef of the Granite restaurant, part of Stéphane Manigold’s Eclore group, Jerome Schilling, two-star chef of the Lalique restaurant at the Lafaurie-Peyraguey castle, and finally the Japanese Kenichiro Sekiya, chef of the Joël Robuchon castle restaurant in Tokyo. Not starry stars, but discreet and rigorous chefs, who worked hard for this very technical final which took place in Grenoble and saw the commitment of thirty competitors, under the critical gaze, in particular, of Alain Ducasse, Régis Marcon and Guillaume Gomez.
David Boyer © GP
Antoine Pétrus the return
Antoine Pétrus and his MOF medals © AE Thion
It had disappeared from our radar screens. Now he is preparing for his return. Antoine Pétrus, double MOF – sommelier in 2011, service butler in 2018 – had left Paris for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, then experiencing almost a year of silence. The Mère Germaine restaurant – doubly a four-star hotel and a gourmet counter – had taken a safe distance, which, despite the changes of chef, kept its star. The one we met at the Lasserre, then at the Clarence, finally, with the Gardinier brothers (“ my relations with them were filial. I still love them”, he says), had joined the “Maisons et Terroirs de Provence” group, setting up a cellar of over 20,000 bottles, with more than 1,500 references, opened three wineries (in Paris, Lourmarin and Brussels), supervised six wine estates from Condrieu al Luberon, more than 120 hectares, taking care of the financial and administrative tasks of the group, but also of communication and orientation. He is currently a consultant, whispering in the ear of big bosses about possible vineyard acquisitions in Provence and the Rhône Valley, advising colleagues on the development of restaurant projects ranging from brasseries to three-stars. He continues to produce his own wine in Switzerland, in Martigny in Valais, and closely follows a micro-cellar in the heart of Marseille. We should find him on the left bank of Paris very soon, if New York or Avignon don’t hold him first.
Marc Veyrat at Costa 2000
Marc Veyrat © GP
We you reported last week : Marc Veyrat, who passed the baton of his house in Manigod to his younger sister Elise, has returned to Megève. His new headquarters: the Côte 2000 Rothschild chalet, located on the heights of Mont d’Arbois. The residence, managed by Benjamin Patou’s Moma Group, whose walls still belong to the Edmond Rothschild Heritage group, will offer a good-natured version of the great Marc’s cuisine under the name “Rural by Marc Veyrat” as Porte Maillot in Paris, at the Palais des Congrès, as well as a more festive version in the afternoon, from 5pm until the slopes close, under the banner of “Marc Veyrat’s Schuss”. Finally, in the evening, from 7pm, he will present refined but always Savoyard cuisine in a subdued atmosphere, such as stew with truffle emulsion, white tomme du jour with black juice or fish and mountain lakes. Opening from 15 December.
Amaury Bouhours pulls out all the stops at Le Meurice
Amaury Bouhours © GP
The Merice hotel ? It was somewhat forgotten among the great restaurants of the capital, which now only open in the evening, alas. The party leader has changed, even though the card signatory is the same. Under the clutches of Alain Ducasse, in the kitchen is the young Amaury Bouhours, 33 years old, thin as spaghetti, who succeeded Jocelyn Herland, who in the meantime has left the Plaza Athénée. Le Meurice is always a slightly different place. The clientele is very “fashion week”, young and in step with the times. The kitchen ? Fun and in step with the times, certainly Ducasian, with its enlightened homages to tradition, but also its measured audacity, its hints of lightness, without neglecting the ability to offer each dish in a vegan or vegan version. A celebratory meal here? Start with a bang with the cute amuse-bouche, like the ethe kohlrabi and geranium mousse, the crunchy salsify pie, the smoked egg and caviar brioche, not to mention the fried chicken leg chips. There is also Renaud Sigrist’s N°3 Quiberon oyster with its gin granita, then root vegetables with pear, spruce, leaf juice, but also almost raw scallops dipped in their own juice, with leek, herring and andouille from Guéméné or, again, this recreated piece of classic courage which constitutes the superb hot pâté of partridge and foie gras, with its bitter salad. We will tell you about it very soon.
Adrien Trouilloud in Chambery
Adrien and Julie Trouilloud © DR
We had lost track of Adrien Trouilloud after his departure from Lasserre. This too discreet young Savoyard, who worked for the Ducasse group, in particular at the Rech avenue des Ternes, under the guidance of Jacques Maximin, returned to his native lands, opening, with his wife Julie, a generous restaurant called Pinso, where he offers his light version of traditional cuisine with exotic touches from elsewhere, from Italy or Lebanon. Thus, baba ganoush with pomegranates, parsley snails in shell with Colonnata bacon, beef kebbé nayé with grilled pine nuts and radishes or roasted cauliflower with smoked paprika and halloumi before the Norwegian Chartreuse omelette and walnuts. A chef to rediscover…
