Emmanuel PILON
Chef : 1 restaurant Emmanuel Pilon, chef at the Louis XV (5 toques) in Monaco, transforms Mediterranean cuisine into a gourmet, contemporary balance, following a career with Alain Ducasse and Romain Meder.
Born on June 6, 1986 into a family of restaurateurs, Emmanuel Pilon grew up between his father's and grandfather's kitchens. And yet, he confesses that he wasn't passionate about it right from the start: "When I started out, I loved it, but the real passion came gradually. I needed to learn the basics in order to free myself from them," he sums up. After graduating with a professional bac at Hélène Boucher in Vénissieux, he made his debut with Christian Têtedoie (3 toques) in 2005, then continued at the Villa Florentine with Davy Tissot.
In 2009, Tissot sent him to Monaco, to the Louis XV, "to learn how to work with the product". Emmanuel Pilon spent five intense years there, working his way up to sous-chef. But the Lyonnais wanted to try Paris. In 2014, Alain Ducasse offered him a new adventure: opening the Plaza Athénée with Romain Meder. "I was told I was going to grow 5 to 10 years professionally speaking. And right from the start, I had a great feeling with Romain." Together, they experimented with the Naturalité concept, a philosophy that would have a profound impact on his cuisine.
First chef's position in Monaco
Nine years later, after the Plaza Athénée and a creative interlude alongside Romain Meder, Jessica Préalpato and Albert Adrià to open ADMO, Emmanuel Pilon is ready to take flight. In 2022, Alain Ducasse called him back and entrusted him with his first chef position: Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris (5 toques), in Monaco. "Mediterranean cuisine wasn't necessarily my cuisine, so I thought about it for a day or two... And then I got on the train."
He arrived alone, without a sous-chef, with the existing team around Claire Sonnet. He then had to find his own identity, to breathe new life into the place without breaking with its history: "I use Mediterranean products, but I add my own touch. What counts is respecting the restaurant's DNA, while having fun with the products I have around."
Since then, the chef has made his mark. A cuisine of balance and indulgence, heir to a prestigious tradition, but resolutely turned towards the future.
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