Guido Niño TORRES

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

When asked what attracted Guido Niño Torres to Ardèche, and more specifically to Likoké, the Colombian chef doesn't hesitate: " The freedom to direct my cooking as I see fit. Here, I'm given a canvas that I can paint as I please. My cuisine is neither Colombian nor Ardèche. It's composite and it's me. "In short, it's free, just like this table imagined in the early 2010s by Piet Huysentruyt.

When this renowned Belgian chef and media celebrity decided to take a step back, he entrusted the reins to his son Cyriel, who joined forces with Guido Niño Torres, sous-chef since 2015. It's a natural step: the strength of "Likoké" - a fish with a reputation for cleverness, nicknamed by Piet's father when he lived in the Congo - is precisely its openness to the world. In the kitchen, we speak French, Flemish, Spanish and Japanese. Nothing could be more natural!

After studying at the Lycée Français in Cali, Guido Niño Torres came to France in 2012 to take his CAP de cuisine in Avignon, which he completed with a Bachelor's degree in hotel management. Having worked for Michel Kayser, in Garons, and Wout Bru, in Eygalières, the young chef has also, out of curiosity and perfectionism, undertaken numerous internships in Europe, to learn about all kinds of cuisines. When he joined Les Vans as sous-chef, he immediately embraced this philosophy of inventiveness, respect for taste and innovation. And while today he marvelously blends influences from all five continents - Asia, Africa and, of course, South America inspire him - he remains close to the product.

Since 2019, he's been offering more seductive and personal compositions every year, having tamed local treasures such as Villefort trout, which he accompanies with corns and peppers, shellfish, rice, lentils, pastis and XO, or Mezenc beef, which he matures himself in his impressive custom-built cellars. His star dish? " Ceviche, made from trout from a nearby lake, fetched live and ikejimed ourselves. I then dress it in my own way, according to the inspiration of the moment or the season, with herbs, spices, vegetables..."

M. E.