Christophe HAY
Chef : 3 restaurants
Born in Vendôme, just a few kilometers from the restaurant where we named him Cook of the Year in our 2021 guide, Christophe Hay came from a modest background (his father was a butcher, his mother a market gardener).His father was a butcher, his mother a market gardener), he learned a lot during the six years he spent with the Bocuse group, notably in the United States, then in some of the finest Parisian establishments. But above all, he has matured his project, refined his thinking, his vision of cuisine which, it was obvious to him, should be that of a man committed to animal and plant biodiversity.
When Christophe Hay arrived in Montlivault in 2014, there was only one professional Loire fisherman. and can afford (there are no sea fish on the menu at his Maison d'à Côté) to work on pike, carp or zander, but also mullet or gudgeon.
Christophe Hay's cuisine has the virtues of dignity and commitment. It is as transparent as arcanson, aiming for the purity of the diamond, supportive and sustainable, always opting for true taste rather than strong taste, showcasing fishing, market gardening and the chef's humble inspiration in vibrantly sincere tableaux.
2022 will see the culmination of a lifelong project with the opening of Fleur de Loire, in Blois, where Christophe will relocate his two restaurants, inaugurate a 5-star hotel with a spa and a patisserie.
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Design me a restaurant
How do you design a restaurant? How do you translate a culinary concept into a space? Caroline Tissier has made hospitality design her specialty. Countless chefs have called on her talent to provide their customers with the setting and comfort their cuisine deserves: Akrame Benallal, Mathieu Guibert, Jacky Ribault, Pierre Rigothier, David Toutain, Toshitaka Omiya... and, most recently, Christophe Hay, for his giant new Fleur de Loire project, a long-standing collaboration between the chef and the interior architect-designer who previously designed Maison d'à Côté and Côté Bistrot.
Christophe Hay, chef & Alain Gaillard, gardener, in the Fleur de Loire kitchen garden
Beyond the now classic image of the chef crouching in his vegetable garden, some chefs actually produce their own vegetables, which implies a close relationship with their gardener. A close relationship that goes beyond the role of simple kitchen supplier. So much so, in fact, that it's hard to tell which is which. Gault&Millau continues its series of cross-portraits. Second episode on the banks of the Loire, with chef Christophe Hay and gardener Alain Gaillard.
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