Florent MARGAILLAN
Pastry Chef : 2 restaurantsPresentation
“When I was young, people would ask me if I was going to become a pastry chef, but I’d reply, ‘No, no—it’s a pleasure, a passion, but never in a million years,’” recalls Florent Margaillan. However, after earning a science-focused high school diploma, he turned to the hospitality and restaurant industry. He began his career at the George V as a commis, then became sous-chef at Le Castellet in the Var region. In 2010, he was crowned French Dessert Champion in the Professional category and joined the Lasserre restaurant in Paris as pastry sous-chef.“Those were three incredibly formative years,” he says.
In 2013, he placed third at the Mondial des Arts Sucrés and joined Franck Ferigutti, a MOF in culinary arts, at the Hôtel Terre Blanche in Fayence. Four months later, Ferigutti left to work at L’Apogée in Courchevel and at the Château Saint-Martin. “I followed him—I’d come to work with him.”
The year 2015 marked a new chapter for the chef. He was a finalist in the Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition, and Yannick Alléno offered him the position of pastry chef at the Royal Mansour. So he spent three years in Marrakech.“It blew me away—the standard was so high…”
In 2018, the chef put his talents to work at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, where he oversaw desserts for three establishments and managed room service and banquet catering. In recognition of his work, Gault&Millau awarded him the PACA Pastry Chef Trophy in 2022.
In 2023, Florent Margaillan succeeded Julien Dugourd as pastry chef at the Château de La Chèvre d’Or
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