Annie DEMEN

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"My mother was an excellent cook," says Annie Demen. However, she confirms: "I wasn't attracted to cooking at all." She headed for an administrative career, until her marriage at the age of 23. "I married cooking when I married my husband."

A husband whose mother owned a small inn-bakery in Cagnotte (Landes), Boni. Under the guidance of her mother-in-law, Annie Demen joined the family of innkeepers: " She taught me the values of generous, local cooking", she says, but the young woman is more interested in "refined, elegant" cuisine. Naturally curious, she researches and works hard to shape her dough: "I've done a lot of trial and error". At the same time, she met Alain Dutournier, chef at the Carré des Feuillants and later at the Trou Gascon, who visited the inn every summer. Year after year, he noted Annie Demen's development and, in the 1990s, invited her into his own kitchens. The chef also works with Didier Oudill, at Pain Adour et Fantaisie in Grenade-sur-Adour, "a wonderful cook". Le Fournil was soon awarded 13/20, then 15/20 by Gault&Millau: "By dint of hard work, you don't reach perfection, but you improve...".

In 2000, as the Auberge de Cagnotte began to outstrip demand, the couple decided to open Les Lacs d'Halco, in Hagetmau (Landes). This boat-shaped establishment, designed by architect Éric Raffy, features a restaurant set on the water. As for the cuisine, Annie Demen's main concern is to give pride of place to local produce: "I work with the products that local artisans give me", from foie gras to chicken, not forgetting vegetables, her main aim is to work "honestly and sincerely". A fine address crowned with 2 toques.

T. L.