When cooking is handed down: the great family sagas of French gastronomy
Behind some of France's finest restaurants lies more than just a chef: it's a family, a memory, a history handed down from generation to generation. From the Loire to Aubrac, from the Alps to Alsace, these houses tell the story of gastronomy as a living heritage.
There are restaurants where you come not just to eat, but to feel the weight of time, the permanence of a gesture, the fidelity to a vision. In these family-run establishments, the cuisine is built up over decades, sometimes more than a century, as it is handed down from generation to generation, evolving and challenged. Each generation brings its own sensibility, without ever breaking the thread. These families embody a French gastronomy that is deeply rooted, human, yet always on the move. Here's an overview of the great dynasties that have made (and continue to make) restaurant history.
The Troisgros family: from Roanne to Ouches, a legacy of freedom
in Ouches, the Troisgros family continues a history of exemplary transmission, now embodied by César, the fourth generation at the helm of the kitchens, now located at Le Bois sans Feuilles (4 toques). From Pierre to Michel, then from Michel to César, the legacy rests on immutable foundations: "the affection and respect we have for each other", but also "the joy of passing on his passion to his children and seeing them carry on", stresses Michel Troisgros, aware that he has paved the way for the house to last. The handover took place over a long period of time, until it became necessary to "leave the field open" for César's personal style to assert itself.
moved and proud when his son was named Gault&Millau Chef of the Year 2026, Michel sees this as confirmation that "the house is in very good hands". César, for his part, is clear-sighted and free-spirited : "My cooking today is the fruit of my family heritage, but also of my life experiences", claiming that his cuisine is "pure, clear, lively and invigorating". Refusing to be fixated, he sums up the Troisgros spirit aptly: "For me, a signature dish freezes things, I prefer to talk about signature cuisine." A living transmission, based on movement, trust and shared standards.
The Roellinger family: Cancale, cuisine as life story
in Cancale, the Roellinger saga is written like a maritime novel. With Olivier Roellinger, cooking became a language, nourished by travels, spices and memories, deeply rooted in Brittany. Today, the transmission continues in a different way, carried on by his children, Hugo Roellinger (Cook of the Year 2022) and Mathilde, who carry on the spirit of the house through Le Coquillage (4 toques), Les Maisons de Bricourt and a remarkable work around spices. More than a restaurant, it's a family vision of gastronomy, where taste tells a story, that of a land open to the world.
The Bras family: Aubrac as DNA
in Laguiole, Le Suquet (4 toques) is an open-air manifesto. Michel Bras has turned Aubrac into a unique territory for culinary expression, deeply linked to nature, the seasons and the landscape. His son Sébastien has taken up the torch with great delicacy, continuing a philosophy rather than a repertoire. "Working as a family means accepting that the work never really stops. It's a special way of life, one of closeness, sometimes reassuring, that I've always known and that suits me. "Every decision is part of a shared history, with a calmer relationship to time: "We're not looking to move fast, but to move in the right direction, so that the choices we make are long-term."
For Sébastien Bras, transmission is first and foremost a phase of listening and restraint: "You have to learn, absorb the family history. Then, at some point, you feel like saying things in your own way." Without rupture, but through evolution, he affirms a personal vision, faithful to the spirit of the place: "Theheritage must not be fixed, but living, unpredictable."A demanding path, where working as a family imposes "honesty and respect", but in return offers "a rare richness, a deep, almost instinctive trust", the essential foundation of a fair transmission.
The Meilleur family: La Bouitte, a Savoy home from home
in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, La Bouitte (4 toques) is the story of a family dream that has become an institution. "My father built the restaurant with his own hands, helped by the family: from the start, it was a family adventure," says Maxime Meilleur. Opened nearly fifty years ago, the house was built in a profoundly mountain spirit of mutual aid and village roots. Maxime grew up there, above the restaurant, before joining the kitchen in 1996, almost naturally: "I didn't have any hotel training, but they needed someone, and I spent my whole day there."
Today, it's the third generation's turn at the piano. "I've never imposed anything on my children. Everyone has to find their place," Maxime Meilleur emphasizes, as Oscar and Calixte gradually join in the adventure. Three generations gathered around the same table, in a house where "working as a family is the basis of well-being" and where they cultivate a sublimated Savoyard cuisine, faithful to the art of mountain living: "We make you feel at home."
The Pic family: a singularly feminine lineage
in Valence, the House of Pic (4 toques) has stood the test of time since the end of the XIXᵉ century. After André and Jacques, it was Anne-Sophie Pic who took the family legacy to new heights, imposing a personal, sensitive and audacious signature. Far from freezing history, she has enriched it, proving that loyalty to a house also means creative freedom. A saga in which transmission becomes reinvention.
The Haeberlin family: L'Auberge de l'Ill, Alsace in majesty
in Illhaeusern, the Auberge de l'Ill (5 toques - Member of the Gault&Millau Academy) has been a family institution for over a century. From Paul to Jean-Pierre and Marc Haeberlin, the house has preserved a strong Alsatian identity while maintaining a dialogue with French haute cuisine. Even today, this legendary restaurant embodies an idea of continuity: that of know-how passed down without ever losing its soul.
The Lorain family: La Côte Saint-Jacques, a tradition of elegance
in Joigny, the Lorain family has been writing the history of La Côte Saint-Jacques (4 toques) for five generations, a house where transmission is a founding value. "It's a job you can't do unless you're passionate about it. I didn't take over for the sake of taking over: I chose my path with the idea of following in my father's footsteps in the kitchen", explains Jean-Michel Lorain. when he joined the family business, he didn't rush: "I was chef de partie, in the middle of the hierarchy, with my dad still in charge. It took me two years to assume a position of responsibility and propose one or two dishes on the à la carte menu."It was a natural progression, in keeping with the spirit of family-run establishments "where you want to continue a story that has been written over several generations."
After forty years in the kitchen, Jean-Michel Lorain is now handing over the reins. Since 2025, he has entrusted the kitchen to his nephew Alexandre Bondoux : "I have a benevolent and admiring eye on what he does. He's young, very technical and creative. If I left the reins to him, it's because he was perfectly qualified. For Alexandre, this takeover is"double-edged": "It's an opportunity, but we're more eagerly awaited. You have to give yourself legitimacy." Attracted to the trade at a very early age, he trained elsewhere before returning, and today claims continuity: "The house has a soul, and I don't want to change it. But each generation has to move with the times. Generous cuisine, based on sauces, is also my DNA."
The Blanc family: Vonnas, a village and a dynasty
Georges Blanc (5 toques, Member of the Gault&Millau Academy) is the embodiment of an extraordinary saga. in Vonnas, the family has been at the table since 1872, transforming a village into an international gastronomic destination.
Around the kitchen, a whole family art of living has developed, combining hospitality, terroir and an acute sense of detail. A unique model of continuity and ambition.
