Behind-the-scenes chefs: their recipe for success

Collaborator, masculine noun. "Person who collaborates on a common work". That's the definition in Le Robert dictionary. It says it all when it comes to those chefs who contribute to a restaurant's success without customers necessarily knowing their names. And in every case, they roll up their sleeves to bring the signature of a great chef to life behind the stove. Their talent is an indispensable ingredient in the success of their mentor chef. Long a silent presence, these indispensable figures in the smooth running of an establishment have been stepping out of the shadows in recent years...

In Paris, Frédéric Anton doesn't keep quiet about the names of his stable of talents: Kevin Garcia at Jules Verne, Mehdi Sgard at Pré Catelan, Adrien Delcourt at 18 by, Frédéric Anton at Shanghai and Gabin Bordelais at Don Juan II. "They're all loyal, serious and professional. I work with men who have grown up alongside me, who know me by heart and are capable of taking on responsibilities," reveals the great chef, confiding that he also sticks to the affinity he has with each of them. The Meilleur Ouvrier de France is keen to help his lieutenants evolve without considering that he has to take a back seat - physically speaking, during service - to them. "I organize myself to be present in all my restaurants. When I tell them, you guys are the bosses! They say, 'No, Chef, you're the boss,'" he assures us.

For her part, Aude Rambour is Cyril Lignac's long-time sidekick, having worked at Anne-Sophie Pic and La Tour d'Argent before becoming the cathodic chef's right-hand woman. Rarely featured in the media, the chef from Le Pouliguen took part in the documentary "Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire de toi", released in cinemas earlier this year, about Cyril Lignac's career and the obstacles he had to face. His case is not unique. Here are some other executive chefs or seconds to whom great toques owe (also) their success.

Ricardo Silva & Thierry Marx, at Onor

Ricardo Silva is also responsible for the success of Onor (3 toques). Armed with his benevolent smile, Ricardo Silva brightens up his mentor chef's latest table. Originally from Portugal, the chef became Thierry Marx 's working partner when the Japanese gastronomy fanatic took the helm at the Mandarin Oriental in Paris two years ago. It's 2011, and Ricardo Silva has begun a long and valuable collaboration. Becoming his associate for the Onor restaurant, the executive chef takes part in his visionary partner's culinary experiments, through a research workshop that Thierry Marx has set up alongside another invaluable collaborator, chemist Raphaël Haumont.Although he has been following in Chef Marx's footsteps for the past thirteen years, Ricardo Silva first cut his teeth in his own country, in the magnificent Algarve region, at Vila Vita Parc. He then consolidated his experience in London, working with Pierre Gagnaire at his famous Sketch table.

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Tamaki Kobayashi & Anne-Sophie Pic

Of course, there's the hyphen represented by Japan to seal the closeness of the two women. Anne-Sophie Pic's passion for Japanese culture is no secret, while Tamaki Kobayashi is originally from Japan. His presence on the Pic restaurant brigade (4 toques) is a matter of course. Tamaki Kobayashi arrived in Valence as an apprentice as part of her apprenticeship at the prestigious Tsuji Hotel School in Osaka. Since 2020, she has been assistant chef at Anne-Sophie Pic's gastronomic flagship. "We work with Anne-Sophie Pic with mutual respect and cultivate an otherness that we share with the teams," explains the chef, who also confronts her culture with that of her chef mentor to extract inspirations developed within the test kitchen. Throughout Kobayashi's career, the Pic signature has been a common thread. While the Japanese chef perfected her CV with Pierre Gagnaire, at Joël Robuchon's Japanese table and at Maison Vérot, she has constantly punctuated each of her experiences by returning to Anne-Sophie Pic each time. For example, in 2009, when Anne-Sophie Pic arrived in Lausanne (Switzerland), Tamaki Kobayashi didn't hesitate to join the Beau Rivage Palace team.

Laurène Barjhoux and Manon Fleury, chez Datil

If you're a fan of fine tableware, you'll no doubt remember this collaboration between Habitat and Thierry Marx from ten years ago? She's the designer! In a previous life, Laurène Barjhoux was a tableware designer. In 2018, her career took a completely different turn when she obtained her CAP in cuisine and applied culinary arts from the Ferrandi school. Laurène Barjhoux will no longer be designing plates, but filling them with gastronomic creations. First at l'Arpège (Gault&Millau Académie), where the young chef perfected both her pastry skills and pantry management. Then, in 2018, she met Manon Fleury at Le Mermoz (1 toque). The former fencer is now the new shooter of French cuisine, recommended by many critics. Behind the stove, Manon and Laurène may each have their own identity, but they share common values, starting with respect for others. A sisterhood that both will cultivate by opening the Datil restaurant, but also by leading their fight within the Bondir.e association to combat violence in the kitchen.

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Yohann Caron & Cédric Grolet

He's the colleague you like to joke around with while working. He's the one you meet up with after hours spent carving fruit that's truer than life, or assembling sumptuous Saint-Honoré. Yohann Caron is the collaborator turned friend. At Le Meurice, this former pupil of the Lycée Jacques-Cœur in Bourges worked in Cédric Grolet 's shadow as the latter climbed the ladder of popularity to become the reference we know. Yohann Caron watched his friend from Saint-Etienne become a star, joining the Parisian palace in 2013, while Grolet became its head pastry chef a year later. In 2019, their duo became a media sensation when Cédric Grolet asked his sidekick to join him in his new personal adventure, that of his Parisian patisserie Opéra. Yohann Caron leaves Le Meurice and takes over the running of this sweet haunt, which is hyper-adored on social networks. He then accompanied him on his many projects, traveling as far as Singapore to show off the paw (or pastry) of his chef friend.