Florent LINARD

A self-taught chef who made the leap from the dining room to the kitchen, and winner of the Gault&Millau Award, Florent Linard has settled in at the Manoir des Perrières, near Rochechouart, where he earned two toques in his very first year.

Presentation

Like many of his Millennial peers, Florent Linard didn’t follow the traditional path to becoming a chef. A good student who wasn’t quite sure which career path to pursue, he recalls having a real epiphany at age 18. “It was during a family meal at the Moulin de l’Abbaye in Brantôme. Everything seemed so well-organized, running like clockwork, in such a charming setting, that I was completely blown away. That’s the kind of dining experience I wanted to be a part of.”

From the dining room to the kitchen, a chef almost by chance

After earning his high school diploma in science, Florent enrolled in a hospitality vocational program “with the firm intention of pursuing a career in front-of-house.” He trained at La Chapelle Saint-Martin and then at Le Moulin de la Gorce, “two wonderful, intimate establishments where I was quickly given responsibilities,” before leaving his native region for the Gers and Le Puits Saint-Jacques in Pujaudran. “I started there as a head waiter and left as an assistant maître d’hôtel. It was very hard; we didn’t count our hours…” Eager to advance, the young man moved to Switzerland and joined the legendary Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, one of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. It was a short-lived experience: “I wasn’t up to the level; it was difficult,” he admits. “So I decided to return to Toulouse, where I opened Les Passionnés, a wine bar, with David Torelli—whom I’d met at Pujaudran—and Mickaël Sauvage. Soon, the tapas we were serving evolved into slightly more ambitious dishes, and since I was the least terrible cook of the three, I took over the stoves—never to leave them again.”

From Toulouse to the Manoir des Perrières in Haute-Vienne

Florent later opened Vivants, still in Toulouse, with his partners, then got into street food with Le Bagel Français, before leaving Vivants in 2022 in search of a new project. In 2024, the Manoir des Perrières, in Haute-Vienne, fifteen minutes from the village where the young man from Limousin grew up, was about to open. The owners were looking for a chef for their restaurant, which they planned to set up in an abandoned barn adjacent to the manor. “I liked the project. There were just four walls, a dirt floor, and the owners’ promise to give me carte blanche for the design. I wanted a minimalist decor, high ceilings, an open kitchen, and beautiful materials—my wishes were granted.” The first customers were welcomed in the spring of 2025, and the first two Michelin stars arrived a year later, rewarding a cuisine centered on ingredients and full of personality.