Baptiste FOURNIER

Chef : 1 restaurant A disciple of Alain Passard, two-star chef Baptiste Fournier offers fresh cuisine at his La Tour restaurant in Sancerre.

Presentation

"I was practically born in my parents' restaurant, so I had no choice but to become a chef," says Baptiste Fournier, who years later would take over the kitchens of the restaurant founded by his parents in 1979.

But before that, Baptiste Fournier had the idea of wandering around to forge his own identity. In 1998, after graduating from a CAP cuisine at the Lycée Jean-Guéhenno in Saint-Amand-Montrond (Cher), the young apprentice cut short his studies to get his hands dirty and travel. He flew to the United States to stay with a friend of his father's, a chef based not far from Manhattan. " In 2000, the young commis returned to France to join Guy Savoy's brigade on rue Troyon in Paris's 17th arrondissement. With a desire to rub shoulders with the greatest names in French gastronomy, a year later he joined the Pourcel brothers at the Jardin des Sens in Montpellier.

In 2003, in need of exoticism and with a taste for travel, he set off to discover Asian cuisine, wandering from country to country. After a year, he returned through the front door of the L'Arpège restaurant. "I started from scratch. Alain Passard taught me everything and instilled in me important notions of his vegetal gastronomy. We shared the same philosophy.

In 2006, his father asked him to come home. "I always knew I'd be in charge of La Tour. At 25, the young chef took his role very seriously, writing a new chapter called Végétal . I'mstill very influenced by Alain Passard," he says, "and it's not easy to break free from such an inspiring mentor. Several times, I wanted to set off on a new adventure, but Alain Passard always advised me to stay." Baptiste Fournier has done well. Gault&Millau awarded him the Grand de Demain 2011 trophy and 2 toques. Even today, he passionately defends his fresh, uncluttered cuisine.

B.G.