Fabrice JOFFRE

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

After studying in Toulouse (CAP and BEP), Souillac (bac pro) and Montpellier (BTS), Fabrice Joffre joined André Daguin at L'Hôtel de France in Auch in the mid-1990s. Then the young man set off for adventure in Lebanon. "My father was a professor of medicine. He trained a lot of Lebanese people. One of them was a young student who wanted to invest in a restaurant", he recounts. With other associates, he founded Le Chaudron Toulousain in Beirut. Influenced by his mentor André Daguin, his cuisine focuses on foie gras and products from the South-West of France, including those from Fromagerie Xavier, which is highly reputed in the Occitan capital.

After five years of loyal service, tensions arose and Fabrice Joffre withdrew from the business: "I felt that if I wanted to bounce back, I had to go back to France", and here he is in Toulouse, where he opens L'Olivier, a Lebanese restaurant. In 2005, he decided to move away from the city center: "I was also looking for an establishment where there was company accommodation, so that I could reconcile my professional and family lives as well as possible."

With his brother Sylvain, he set his sights on a young establishment, Le Mas de Dardagna, whose name he has kept. For them, this 1880 farmhouse ticked all the right boxes. Fabrice Joffre's cuisine is based on Toulouse's terroir, but tinged with Lebanese and Japanese influences: "Mypassion for Japan and its gastronomy comes from my passion for bonsais."After the departure of his brother and a complete overhaul of the kitchen in 2016, Fabrice Joffre has been developing the mas in small steps over time. His wife, Valérie, now supports him and is in charge of the wine list and the dining room.

B. G.

Biography & Awards

1970 Naissance à Toulouse

1997 Ouverture du Chaudron Toulousain, à Beyrouth (Liban)

2001 Retour en France et ouverture de L’Olivier, à Toulouse

2005 Rachat du Mas de Dardagna, à Toulouse