Ivan LAVAUX

Chef : 1 restaurant At Auberge Lavaux, chef and innkeeper Ivan Lavaux transforms a former café into a plush inn where dining room and kitchen come together for a convivial, well-cared-for experience.

Presentation

Ivan Lavaux dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver, but it was while strolling the Croisette that he discovered his vocation. The youngest of seven children and raised by a mother who was an excellent cook, he turned to the dining room: "Not that I wasn't interested in cooking, but I was a shy person at the time, and I decided to combat my shyness by working in the dining room. My first real experience? At the Château de Divonne, where the chef at the time was Guy Martin.

Cannes and Éze: an apprenticeship with the big houses

After Divonne, Ivan Lavaux joined the Palme d'Or at Martinez under Christian Willer, before becoming head waiter at La Chèvre d'Or in Éze. "I then had the opportunity to move to Paris, working for Guy Savoy in his restaurant on rue Troyon.It was a great experience, but I felt the need to return to my homeland. "

Back in the region, he became manager at Léon de Lyon under chef Jean-Paul Lacombe. in Ambronay, he discovered that the village bar was up for sale. "It was a real shithole. My offer was accepted, and I moved in in 2005, after extensive renovations. It was my first experience as a chef.

A renovated, friendly inn

Twenty years later, Ivan Lavaux has transformed the former café into a cosy, welcoming inn. "We completely renovated it in 2022.Architecture and interior design are two of my passions, so I was obviously fully committed to the project. With Pierre-Louis Malsert in the kitchen, he looks after the establishment's twenty or so customers, combining conviviality with high gastronomic standards.