Hugo RIBOULET

At the helm of Groot La Tourte in Paris, Hugo Riboulet is establishing himself as one of the most promising chefs of his generation.

Presentation

Hugo Riboulet was born into a family with a passion for cooking and dining, and attended the Lycée Hôtelier in Tain l'Hermitage, where he obtained a Bac Pro Cuisine, followed by a BTS in hotel and catering management, which he completed on a sandwich course at La Cachette in Valence. It was with Japanese chef Masashi Ijichi that he learned rigor and technical gestures.

He then joined the brigade at the gastronomic restaurant Le Clos des Sens in Annecy, becoming chef de partie and then second de cuisine under Laurent Petit.

Groot, a gourmet street-food concept

In 2022, Hugo embarked on the Top Chef adventure. " I'd wanted to take part in competitions for a long time, I was highly motivated and I wanted to test myself against others", he explains. His technical skills and talent carried him through to the final, where the young chef emerged as the overall winner. He has "nothing but positive things to say" about the competition, which enabled him to develop his creativity and meet new people. " The spotlight was a godsend and gave me wings ," admits Hugo, who together with Albane Auvray (his Top Chef teammate) decided to open a brand-new street-food concept with a gastro twist. Groot's ambition is to make pithiviers, a gastronomic dish that's both highly technical to make and " fun because you can vary it with the seasons ", accessible to everyone.

on the menu of this pocket restaurant are four pies (including the best-selling version with Landes poultry supreme), five starters and three desserts, which change with the seasons. The chef and his partner make a point of highlighting plant-based ingredients (he loves to work with cabbage, fennel and tomatoes) to surprise and show that it's perfectly possible to enjoy food without animal protein.

Hugo describes his cooking as technical, minimalist and product-centric: "I'm not looking for frills, my aim is above all to sublimate the product as much as possible ".

After a year and a half in business, Groot is doing well, and the two partners are going to develop the catering business and collaborations with restaurants. " I kind of miss the gastro scene, and I'd like to create a nice menu before I take over a restaurant," says the young chef.