François GOLLA

Chef : 1 restaurant A fifth-generation restaurateur, François Golla always knew he would return to the family restaurant, Au Bœuf Rouge. A fine handover saluted by the Tradition d'Aujourd'hui Grand Est 2023 trophy.

Presentation

The son of a restaurateur, François Golla fell into the cooking pot at an early age, then left to train at the Strasbourg hotel school. "My dad sent me to get some fresh air!" he laughs. After completing his BTH and an internship at the Auberge du Cheval Blanc, he went on to earn a BTS in hotel management.

In 1993, he landed his first job with Bernard Loiseau, at the La Côte d'Or restaurant in Saulieu. "I loved the way he got to the essence of taste, the way he got to the bottom of things... He's the chef who has perhaps had the biggest impact on me professionally." He then sent him to work at Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris. Then, for a season, he joined La Terrasse at the Hôtel Juana in Juan-les-Pins, as chef de partie.

In December 1994, when his father, Paul, encountered health problems, it was time to return to Niederschaeffolsheim (Bas-Rhin). Chef de partie, then chef of the family restaurant Au Bœuf Rouge, François Golla took over the reins of this property, which had been in the family since 1880. "I was lucky enough to have a father who really trusted me. He had his own touch, but he never held me back. " Supported by his wife, Catherine, and sister, Anne, François Golla wins the Tradition d'Aujourd'hui Grand Est 2023 trophy.

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