François JOSSE

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His trip to K2, alongside Nicolas Sale, was a crucial step in the life of François Josse. He was barely 20 at the time. "I started out as a demi-chef de partie in a big brigade, and I quickly realized that the suit was too big for me. I realized that I didn't know how to work. I could have fallen apart and quit the restaurant business, but I have too much pride for that."

At school, his results were far from excellent, and it was a friend who convinced him to take up cooking. At the Lycée Hôtelier de Sainte-Anne, in Saint-Nazaire, the young man quickly realized that he preferred pastry-making: "I didn't really like dipping my fingers into meat and fish. As a boarder at the CFA in Nantes, this butcher's grandson worked as a part-time apprentice with Éric Guérin, at La Mare aux Oiseaux, for two years. "He's an exceptional chef, always very respectful of his teams. I learned a lot during this period.

The young man from Nantes then joined the Jérôme Bocuse group in Florida. "I had the opportunity to spend a year there. The level of pastry-making there wasn't exceptional, but the experience helped me mature a lot, and it was a year of perpetual celebration."

On his return to France, he joined K2 and Nicolas Sale during the winter season. It was a rude shock, but he quickly got his bearings and didn't give up. "At the same time, in 2013, I attended the World Pastry Cup at Sirha. He was hired by Pic in Valence, where he spent three years, including two in the gastronomic restaurant, as demi-chef de partie and then chef de partie. He then moved to Paris to work with Maxime Frédéric on the opening of L'Orangerie at the George V.

In 2018, François Josse became French dessert champion with his citrus and vegetable baba. " A little later, he joined David Bizet, who had just arrived at Le Taillevent. But a few months later, Covid called everything into question. "It was also around this time that our little daughter arrived. My wife is from Nîmes and we were looking to settle in the Gard region. That's when I got the chance to join Rouge, alongside Georgiana Viou.

A man of challenges, a hard worker, François Josse is obviously no stranger to the fine 3rd toque obtained this year by Margaret's table at the Hôtel Chouleur. Gault&Millau also awarded him the Pâtissier Occitanie trophy. "There's a real sense of competition within the team. We don't set any limits for ourselves, and that's another thing that gets me excited about this project."

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François JOSSE