Denis COURTIADE

Chef de service : 1 restaurant

Presentation

Denis Courtiade, director of the Plaza Athénée gourmet restaurant since its opening on September 25, 2000, needs no introduction. In 2022, he celebrates 40 years in the business and 30 years working alongside Alain Ducasse. "I started out as an apprentice at the Auberge des Templiers, in the Loiret region. My father was a maître d'hôtel, one of my uncles a barman, and another a hotel concierge. I chose to take over and pass on the torch to my children, who are also in the game."

After a spell in England and various experiences in restaurants between the south of France and the capital, in 1991 he won the title of France's top chef de rang at the national Jacquart Trophy in Reims. "Following this award, the teams at Monaco's Louis XV contacted me, as I had beaten their candidate."He joined Alain Ducasse's restaurant as a chef de rang, before becoming second head waiter.

His collaboration with Alain Ducasse continued, taking him to London in 1995, where he served as restaurant manager for the inauguration of a private club and gained international experience, then to the relaunch of the Relais du Parc the following year. The next step was in 2000, with the opening of the gastronomic restaurant at the prestigious Hôtel Plaza Athénée, avenue Montaigne. Denis Courtiade is still at the helm, now alongside chef Jean Imbert.It's a different vision," he says, "but I'm still the guarantor of consistency. I reassure customers."

F.H.