Antonio TORRES

Chef : 1 restaurant Chef Antonio Torres is at the helm of À la Frégate, a lovely old-fashioned restaurant in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.

Presentation

"I've always loved cooking," says Antonio Torres, who enrolled without hesitation at the hotel school in Saumur (Maine-et-Loire). There, he obtained his CAP and BEP, before going on to Laval, where he specialized in pastry-making, and then to Le Mans, to prepare for his professional bac. Eager to get back to work, he joined the kitchens of L'Arnaudière in Châteaudun (Eure-et-Loir) as a commis .

"After that, I went up to the capital, as they say. I joined the legendary Hôtel Lutetia, but I quickly realized that I wasn't cut out for large brigades and palaces." The young man left immediately. In 1991, after a brief, unsuccessful stint in his hometown of Le Mans, he found a place at Le Voltaire, Paris 7. "Inthe end, I was right to come back to Paris. Two years after my arrival, I was appointed head chef at Le Voltaire. I stayed for seventeen years. "

In 2008, Antonio Torres decided to set up his own business. He took over À la Frégate, located in the 12th arrondissement. " After extensive renovation work, the chef-owner continued the tradition: a menu focused on fish ."Overtime, I've evolved the menu by adding meats. I cook according to what I find on the market. I create everything, even the pastries. I make the customers feel at home here. As I always tell them, 'I'm your employee'. "

B.G.