Fabien MENGUS

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

When I was at secondary school, I wanted to do my observation course in the dining room," says Fabien Mengus. The owner of the restaurant where I was working thought I was too young, so she sent me to the kitchen. I liked the atmosphere right away" To see if he could make the grade, he enrolled at the Lycée Hôtelier in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, near Strasbourg. Right from his first internship, he was hooked. "I worked at François Golla's Bœuf Rouge in Niederschaeffolsheim. I even spent my weekends there, because I felt so at home." With his BEP and bac professionnel in hand, he spent another year perfecting his apprenticeship.

After a stint in Switzerland at the famous Relais & Châteaux Castello Del Sole in Ascona, Fabien Mengus joined chef François Paul's team at Le Cygne, Gundershoffen, in 2001, as head of the fish section. Little did he know that he would become the owner ten years later, with his partner Laure.

In 2011, he officially took over Le Cygne. In 2013, the Guide Jaune (Yellow Guide) saluted his rise to fame by awarding him the Jeune Talent trophy. "I became owner at the age of 29. I didn't have time to be formatted by masters. Even though I'm curious about what others are doing, I didn't miss not having a mentor."

Feeling like he was growing wings, Fabien Mengus then set his sights on Lorraine's most sought-after house: L'Arnsbourg, located in Baerenthal, not far from his establishment. "It wasn't written in stone. Everything was going well at Le Cygne, but it was complicated not to be tempted by this house steeped in history." In 2016, the couple bought the restaurant, then the hotel in 2018. They merge the two to make it a gastronomic destination in its own right. "I offer a modernized and generous traditional cuisine. At Le Cygne, which we have kept, the atmosphere is now bistronomic."

B. G.