International
Damien LAFORCE
Chef : 1 restaurant Crowned Jeune Talent 2022 by Gault&Millau, chef Damien Laforce defends Flanders in his restaurant Le Braque, Lille.
"As a child, I was lulled by the smell of cooking ," says Damien Laforce. His grandmother, a trained cook, "stirred the blood and pushed the black pudding through the gut", and his grandfather cultivated his vegetable garden and poached in his spare time . "This passion for the product, for the land, for zero-waste cooking, it was my grandparents who passed it on to me. "
It wasn't long before Damien Laforce wanted to become a chef, to forge links between customers and local producers. In 2013, he graduated with honors from Cefral, the hotel school in Dunkirk. He completed his work-study program with the Ladeyn father and son team at Le Vert Mont, Boeschepe. In 2014, he became second chef at Bloempot, Florent Ladeyn's restaurant in Lille, then chef at Le Sébastopol, founded in Lille in 2017 by Jean-Charles Lecointre, an architect turned restaurateur. Thatsame year, Gault&Millau spotted him and awarded him the title of Jeune Talent, at just 22 years of age.
The press and the world of gastronomy began to take a serious interest in him, particularly the producers of the TV show "Top Chef", who invited him to take part in season 10, to be broadcast in 2019. This spotlight gave him a good reputation and made it easier for him to approach banks, with a view to setting up his own establishment.
A proud Fleming, Damien Laforce canvassed Lille and found an atypical location, a red brick building with a large glass roof that once housed a music store. After some refurbishment, he opened Le Braque in 2021. A hunter, Damien Laforce is also a gatherer, and makes the most of his land without abusing it, so that its resources remain perpetual. A responsible approach that has earned him another Jeune Talent 2022 award from Gault&Millau.
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