Christophe BILLAU

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

Christophe Billau's passion began in kindergarten: "My friends used to dress up as firemen, and I as a cook," he recounts. To make a career out of it, the teenager entered the CFA at Le Beausset, in the Var region, and continued at the CFA in Giens. " He sharpened his first knives at L'Oursinado, in Le Pradet, in 1996. After completing his apprenticeship, he became a commis at La Bonne Auberge, in Antibes, and continued at Le Richelieu, on the Ile de Ré. There, he met Pauline, his future wife and business partner.

In 2000, he met his spiritual father, Franck Ferigutti, the same year the latter was crowned Meilleur ouvrier de France. In Bordeaux, the chef opened the doors of his restaurant Le Chapon Fin to him, and two years later invited him to follow him to Geneva's Mandarin Oriental, to help open the restaurant Le Neptune. "He taught me everything: rigor, the art of dressing, respect for the product and how to work it from A to Z."

After five years working alongside Franck Ferigutti, Christophe Billau was keen to discover other practices and cultures. The chef pointed him in the direction of Domaine de Châteauvieux, in Satigny. "Pauline wanted to perfect her English overseas. In 2006, the couple settled in Los Angeles. In two weeks, Christophe went from chef de partie to second chef at Le Ortolan. "I started working on the menus and dishes. For two years, I collaborated totally with chef Christophe Émé."

At the end of 2007, the couple met up again with their friends in Geneva, but Christophe Billau struggled to find a position as second-in-command. Finally, a headhunter offered him a position as chef at Moulin de l'Abbaye, in Brantôme (Dordogne), owned by Régis Bulot, the former head of Relais & Châteaux. "Things were going very well, we had 15/20 in Gault&Millau, but I wanted to set up on my own, and above all to get back to altitude."

In 2009, at the age of 27, he and his wife took over the management of Lo Robur, a communal inn in the Tinée valley. After a difficult start, the Guide Jaune spotted him and awarded him the Jeune Talent prize in 2011. "It had a snowball effect. After eight years in business, the young chef was keen to invest and buy back the premises. But despite their success, the town council disagreed. So the couple moved to Roubion, to the Col de la Couillole, at 1700 m, in the middle of nowhere. "After a Pharaonic renovation and with the help of the Gault&Millau Jeunes Talents grant, the couple opened their hotel-restaurant there: Auberge Quintessence. Here, the chef champions a locavore cuisine based on local produce, which was awarded 2 toques as soon as it opened.

B. G.