Chef Jean-Luc Tartarin, a well-known figure in Le Havre, passed away at the age of 59

We were shocked to learn of the death of Jean-Luc Tartarin at the age of 59. The prince of Normandy gastronomy had been boasting four toques for fifteen years in his restaurant on Avenue Foch in Le Havre, and we had been following him practically since his beginnings.

An early career in culinary excellence

Trained at the fine Ecole du Parc in Duclair, at Gilles Tournadre's in Rouen and then at Gilbert Plaisance's in Veules aux Galets, he began his revolution at the end of the 80s, setting up shop at Manoir de Rétival, above the Seine in Caudebec. That's where we discovered him, and that's where everything started to happen, with the first awards and great promises. Jean-Luc combined a fertile, personal imagination with the technical rigor to which he encouraged all his teams. Cooking, fish preparation, product selection - his passion and exacting professional standards have guided his entire career.

A passion intact right up to the end of his career

After Le Manoir, we found him near the casino in Forges les Eaux, then at Armand Salacrou's villa in Le Havre, before settling in 2008 with Annabelle in this beautiful house of sober, elegant comfort. Here, he was able to give free rein to his creative genius and his understanding of marine cuisine. Jean-Luc was a hard worker, but above all a lover of life, good things and good times, like those we could spend at his place, rethinking the world, today's gastronomy and tomorrow's cuisine.

Gault&Millau offers its heartfelt condolences to Annabelle and her family.