David CASTAGNET

Chef : 1 restaurant Executive Chef at La Pyramide in Vienne, David Castagnet knows the house inside out. Why? He cut his teeth working with Patrick Henriroux.

Presentation

Unsure of his professional orientation, David Castagnet initially hesitated between pastry-making and baking; in the end, it was the hotel and catering trade that he chose. " I started out as a waiter, but an internship made me realize that I liked cooking more than serving. In 1996, he joined Jean Coussau's Le Relais de la Poste in Magescq (Landes). " It was this chef who made me want to cook. He tested me thoroughly to make sure I liked the job, and I'm still grateful to him today.

A little tour and then back to La Pyramide

Three years later, the young chef felt the need to evolve. He was hired as Christian Willer's chef de partie at La Palme d'Or, the gourmet restaurant of the Hotel Martinez in Cannes. But feeling more at home in family-run businesses, he applied in 2000 to La Pyramide, in Vienne (Isère). " After three or four months, I realized that I didn't have what it took, so I decided to get some more experience. He then spent three years in the Basque country, before joining the Arrambide family's restaurant, Les Pyrénées, in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

In 2006, after a spell as sous-chef at Auberge des Templiers in Boismorrand (Loiret), he applied again to La Pyramide and was recruited as Christian Née's second-in-command. He stayed for seven years, during which time he won the Taittinger culinary prize.

From 2013 to 2015, he followed Christophe Roure to Saint-Just Saint-Rambert and Lyon, at the restaurant Le Neuvième Art: " It was a minimalist cuisine that I didn't know anything about, and I liked the character ". After becoming a father, he joined the Brasserie Midi Minuit group in Lyon as Executive Chef, for greater stability.

Since 2020, David Castagnet has returned to Fernand Point's home. As Christian Née's successor, he offers a cuisine based on the plant-based ingredients passed on to him by the owner, Patrick Henriroux. His goal now is to win five toques and the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF)!

Biography & Awards

1996 commis then chef de partie at Relais de la Poste in Magescq (Landes)

1998 Chef de partie at La Palme d'Or, Hôtel Martinez, Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes)

2000 First run at La Pyramide, Vienne (Isère)

2001 Restaurant Les Pyrénées in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)

2003 Sous-chef Auberge des Templiers, Boismorrand (Loiret)

2006 Christian Née's second appearance at La Pyramide, Vienne (Isère)

2010 winner of the Taittinger International Culinary Prize

2013 christophe Roure's restaurant Le Neuvième Art, Lyon (Rhône)

2015 executive chef of the Midi Minuit brasserie group, in Lyon (Rhône)

2020 Patrick Henriroux's Executive Chef at La Pyramide in Vienne (Isère)