Damien FRANCO

Chef : Signature Although he was unable to gain the experience he had hoped for at top restaurants, Chef Damien Franco now runs Signature, one of the most charming restaurants in the Valenciennes area, housed in a farmhouse.

Presentation

Although he was born in Aix-en-Provence, Damien Franco is very much a child of the North, where his parents settled when he was four years old. As a middle schooler, he dreamed of becoming a physical education teacher or a chef ( “I loved watching Joël Robuchon on TV, on *Bon appétit*, of course ”). His academic performance and the guidance counselor steered him toward the culinary high school, where the young Damien quickly realized that his calling lay there, among the pots and pans. He earned a BEP while working part-time and caring for his mother, who was ill and passed away far too young. “ That terrible time prevented me from starting my career the way I would have liked. I had to stay in Valenciennes, even though I would have loved to travel around France visiting its finest restaurants.”

In 2018, he bought a dilapidated farmhouse near Valenciennes

The young man gained experience in a variety of settings—brasseries, traditional restaurants, and a catering business—solidifying his skills, learning to work quickly, and becoming more organized. He wasn’t even 25 yet when he was already planning to open his own restaurant with his wife, Fanny, a nurse. And as they approached their thirties, the young parents set their sights on a grain farm near Valenciennes. Everything needed to be built from scratch; the farmhouse was in terrible shape—there was dirt on the floor, the roof was little more than a distant memory, and in some places, just dry straw remained. People called him crazy, but in 2019, the restaurant Signature opened its doors. The start was a resounding success; word of mouth was in full swing, and people already had to wait to get a table on the weekends.

Signature Restaurant: A Growing Family Venture

“The restaurant has come a long way since it opened, ” says Damien Franco, though he’s well aware that you should never rest on your laurels. “We now have a staff of twelve at the restaurant; I recently hired a sommelier, and my wife joined us a few months ago to handle administration and develop our social media presence. ” Fanny will likely help out with lunch service from time to time, “ but in the evenings, she’ll be looking after our nine-year-old daughter. We live right next to the restaurant, and it’s important for us to maintain our family balance.”