Christophe MORET

Chef : 2 restaurants Christophe Moret, who has served as executive chef at Domaine Les Crayères in Reims since March 2024, has had an enviable career. His secret? Find out in this profile.

Presentation

Exploring New Experiences with Complete Freedom

The son of a family of hunters and market gardeners, Christophe Moret dreamed of becoming a forest ranger, but ultimately chose a career in cooking. “I was doing odd jobs to make money and pay for my motorcycle, and I actually got hooked on it.” After studying at the Blois Hotel School, he gained experience at the Château d’Isenbourg in Rouffach (Haut-Rhin), the Hôtel de la Poste in Corps (Isère), and Le Rivage in Gien (Loiret). “I wanted to work in fine dining; I was young, single, and had my motorcycle… I was free.”

One season at the Grand Hôtel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, then another at Château Éza under Bruno Cirino, and there he was at Jacques Maximin’s Théâtre in Nice. In 1990, he fulfilled his dream at the time: working for Alain Ducasse at Louis XV in Monaco. “It was a new concept—that of a holistic restaurant where everything was thought out down to the smallest detail.”

Encounters and Work

Three years later, he joined Bruno Cirino at the Royal Monceau: “I discovered another facet of the profession.” He then joined 59 Poincaré in Paris as sous-chef to Jean-François Piège, and later opened Spoon Food & Wines in Paris as head chef.

From 2003 to 2010, he was executive chef at the Plaza Athénée. “It was an incredible establishment. Ducasse was at the top of his game, and I had a wonderful team.” He then took over Maison Lasserre, near the Champs-Élysées. “We breathed new life into it, but after four years, things weren’t moving forward the way I wanted.” He then took over the kitchen at the Shangri-La in 2015, before leaving in 2023 for L’Ambroisie on the Place des Vosges in Paris.

In early 2024, he was contacted by the Domaine des Crayères in Reims to take over as executive chef following Philippe Mille’s departure. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. “Today, we take pleasure in what we do; we have a wonderful wine and champagne list, and the desire to shine just a little brighter.”