Clément BONANO

Chef : 1 restaurant In Colombières-sur-Orb, with his sommelier brother Benjamin, 2-toque chef Clément Bonano has created La Mécanique des Frères Bonano, a well-oiled machine.

Presentation

"The first time I walked into a kitchen, I was 10 years old," confides Clément Bonano, who grew up in a family of restaurateurs and trained in Béziers. In 1995, his parents took over a village inn: the Auberge de Combes, in Lamalou (Hérault). Starting out as a dishwasher, he completed his apprenticeship there in 2000. He then completed his studies with a vocational baccalaureate, apprenticing with the Pourcel brothers at the Jardin des Sens in Montpellier.

This experience left its mark on his career. In 2002, he joined Compagnie des Comptoirs, then continued at Jardin des Sens, where he completed the last six months of his apprenticeship. In 2004, he was hired as a fish clerk, before becoming chef de partie a year later: "I quickly learned to cook Mediterranean products.

In 2005, Clément Bonano became head chef at the London restaurant W'Sens. In 2007, he returned to France to help his father at the Auberge de Combes. He stayed on until 2014: "I'm getting into the game", where they developed a father-son kitchen, through which Clément is still learning many techniques.

Clément Bonano and his sommelier brother, Benjamin, then decided to make good on a promise they had made to each other ten years earlier: to set up shop together as soon as they were ready. In Colombières-sur-Orb, they found an old 19th-century spinning mill, which they converted into a gourmet restaurant (Granit), wine bar (Le Trou du Kru) and hotel rooms: La Mécanique des Frères Bonano was born. La Mécanique des Frères Bonano has been crowned with 2 Gault & Millau toques, and the chef asserts that he has "total freedom to do what I want every week" in his unique menu. A freedom that goes hand in hand with the fraternal relationship he's building with Benjamin: "Without him, it just wouldn't be possible."

T. L.