Florentin FRAILLON

Head sommelier : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"When I was about twelve, my parents had a restaurant. I've always loved meals, this moment of conviviality, this idea of gathering around a table", remembers Florentin Fraillon. Although he initially set his sights on the kitchen, the young man eventually opted for the dining room. After a BEP, a bac pro and a BTS, he made his debut at Le Violon d'Ingres, Paris 7e, as an extra, then followed this up with a season at Le Nossy Be, in La Baule.

"In 2011, I went to England with my backpack and dropped off lots of CVs," he says, and joined the Joël Robuchon restaurant in London as a demi-chef de rang. After another season in La Baule, he returned to Christian Constant's Violon d'Ingres, this time as first chef de rang. "He's a chef who energized my career, gave me self-confidence, and made me love this profession."

After a few months at the Au 41 Penthièvre restaurant in Paris, he landed a job at Ze Kitchen Galerie. "My basic idea was to work there for six months to save up for travel. In the end, I stayed for seven years. William Ledeuil gave me my chance. In 2022, he left to become a restaurant manager, and decided to open his own restaurant with his partner, Bruno Laporte. And so, in May 2023, Chenapan was born, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. A few months later, Gault&Millau awarded him the Sommelier Île-de-France trophy. "My difference is that I like to talk about sommellerie without complicating it, using simple words and emphasizing pleasure and sharing."

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