Grégoire ROUSSEAU

Chef : 1 restaurant Trained at the Plaza Athénée under Alain Ducasse and having worked at the Saint-James and the Bastide de Moustiers, Grégoire Rousseau has settled at the Domaine du Bandiat, nestled in the heart of the Périgord countryside, where his restaurant has been awarded two toques.

Presentation

Grégoire Rousseau, whom we first met in the mid-2000s at his bistro in Périgueux (La Cuisine de Grégoire), doesn’t lack a sense of humor when asked to reflect on his career. “I grew up on a farm in the countryside, especially with a grandmother who cooked a lot and at whose house I regularly spent my vacations, not far from Périgueux.” The young man quickly dropped out of culinary school (“too many rules—it wasn’t for me”) and opted for a work-study program at Le Moulin du Roc, the renowned restaurant in Champagnac-de-Belair. He then moved to the dining room, where he felt more at ease, but soon joined the Saint-James, where he started as a commis in the mid-90s.

At the Plaza Athénée, a powerhouse team led by Alain Ducasse

“Jean-Marie Amat was at the helm back then. A true heavyweight, from whom I learned a great deal before heading to Paris to work at Les Olivades with Flora Mikula.” Life in Paris didn’t displease the country boy, who joined the Plaza Athénée, where Alain Ducasse had just arrived. “There was a hell of a team in the kitchen, including Jean-François Piège, Sylvestre Wahid, Christophe Saintagne, and Cédric Béchade, among others.” Two years later, Grégoire Rousseau left Paris for La Bastide de Moustiers and then crossed the Pyrenees to work alongside Santi Santamaria, the famous Catalan chef: “There were 30 of us in the kitchen; the menus featured 15 or 20 courses—it was thrilling.”

From Périgueux to Bordeaux, the quest for his own culinary style

He was in his thirties and felt the urge to settle down. La Cuisine de Grégoire, in Périgueux, opened and received critical acclaim, foreshadowing a second venture a few years later in the heart of Bordeaux: Le Hâ, on Rue du Hâ, which came close to earning a third toque. “In Bordeaux, after eight years in the business, I’d reached a dead end. Space was limited, both in the dining room and the kitchen; I was going in circles…”

The Domaine du Bandiat, a dream of nature

And then came the opportunity to join the incredible Domaine du Bandiatproject : a former abandoned campground, three years of work resulting in a magnificent outcome with these large wooden cabins serving as lodging and this restaurant in the heart of nature, where the chef delights in cooking trout raised in running water, wild strawberries, mushrooms, or Neuvic sturgeon. A true local-sourcing dream, and this inspiring spot has already earned two toques.