Bertrand GRÉBAUT

Chef : 3 restaurants Bertrand Grébaut, chef of the world-famous neo-bistro Septime and other restaurants in Paris and the Perche region, who passed away far too soon, was among those who reinvented French gastronomy.

Presentation

Born in 1981 in Paris, Bertrand Grébaut grew up in an environment where his family shared a love of the finer things in life. After earning his high school diploma in the humanities, the young man pursued studies in graphic design and began working in that field.

By early 2004, he was already beginning to have serious doubts about his career choice. His colleague naturally advised him to change direction, and he applied to enter the preparatory program at Ferrandi: “It was a time when cooking wasn’t at all in vogue. Not many people were rushing to get into it.” One interview later, his new career began. He graduated at the top of his class.

In 2006, after his first experiences at Marius et Janette and La Table de Joël Robuchon (with Frédéric Simonin), the program culminated in an internship at L’Arpège, under Alain Passard, who eventually hired him as a chef de partie. At the time, Bertrand Grébaut had a fairly traditional view of the profession. This experience at L’Arpège helped him develop a new sensibility: “I also discovered a style of cooking that was very open to plant-based ingredients.”

Driven by the desire to explore new horizons, he helped open a bistro with a friend before joining the new restaurant of Laurent Lapaire (former maître d’ at L’Arpège), Agapé. There, he served as head chef, assisted by Katsuaki Okiyama. Very quickly, the restaurant earned its first culinary accolades, thanks to a “simple, straightforward cuisine with a sense of rhythm.”

Two years later, for Bertrand Grébaut, “the most important thing is to serve excellent food in a pleasant setting.” With this in mind, he decided to take a few months to travel around Asia with his partner. Upon his return to France in 2011, the thirty-year-old opened Septime, alongside Théophile Pourriat. Success was immediate. Year after year, the menu refined itself, his expertise grew, and new projects emerged. In 2013, La Cave opened its doors, just before Clamato.

In 2018, a new project came to life: D’une Île, in the Perche Regional Nature Park. During the lockdown, the team spent time there with Valentin and Fanny, who went on to become, respectively, executive chef at Septime and pastry chef at Tapisserie, a venue dedicated to desserts that opened in 2021. A second location opened on the Left Bank in 2022, marking the pinnacle of a chef whose career was still full of promise. Bertrand Grébaut passed away in July 2026, at the age of 44.

T. L.