Aurélien VÉQUAUD

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"As a child, I was a gourmet," confides Aurélien Véquaud. Born into a modest family, he discovered cooking on the rare occasions he went out to restaurants with his family. "I still remember those moments of pleasure and sharing around a table."

To learn the trade, he enrolled at the Lycée Hôtelier in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, which enabled him to take his first steps in the kitchen with the Pourcel brothers, in 2000, as a commis at the Jardin des Sens in Montpellier. He continued in his native region with multi-talented chef Alexandre Couillon at La Marine, Noirmoutier, in 2003. "As I didn't know what to do during the summer vacations, I tried to work in well-known restaurants, to train myself and climb the ladder more quickly."

In 2004, with his diplomas in hand, Aurélien Véquaud joined Olivier Brulard's brigade at La Réserve in Beaulieu (Alpes-Maritimes), where he stayed for five years, during which time he also worked with Dimitri Droisneau, as chef de partie. At La Vague d'Or, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Arnaud Donckele promoted him to sous-chef.

After five years of service, he landed his first chef's position at Palm Beach, Ajaccio, at the age of 27, a position he returned to at La Passagère, Juan-les-Pins. "I arrived there alone, in 2017. I had to build up the teams." A responsibility that enabled him to be crowned Grand de Demain at regional level in 2019 and quickly re-establish the establishment's 3 toques. At the same time, he was appointed executive chef of the Hôtel Belles Rives restaurants, where he champions local cuisine focusing mainly on seafood.

B. G.