Jean-François MARRE
Chef : 1 restaurant Jean-François Marre has taken over from Jacques Chibois at La Bastide Saint-Antoine, bringing a breath of modernity while preserving the Mediterranean soul of the legendary restaurant.Attracted to the world of cooking from an early age, Jean-François Marre began his apprenticeship at Clos Saint-Pierre at the age of 16. After obtaining a CAP in cooking and a complementary diploma in pastry-making and plated desserts, he began an internship at La Bastide Saint-Antoine, where he stayed for 18 months.
The young commis multiplied his experiences with renowned chefs, working at the Moulin de Mougins with Alain Llorca, then at La Palme d'Or in Cannes, before moving on to Les Airelles in Courchevel. " It was a magical experience, working with exceptional products," recalls the chef.
He returned to his home region and joined Sébastien Broda as chef de partie at the Grand Hôtel in Cannes, " where he learned to express his cuisine ". He stayed there for eight years, finishing as sous chef.
All these experiences taught him rigor, forged his cuisine and developed his creativity and technique.
An instinctive Mediterranean cuisine
In 2021, Jean-François Marre returned to La Bastide Saint-Antoine as executive chef under Jacques Chibois, for whom he has nothing but praise! " He has an extraordinary palate and has taught me to simplify, to make beautiful plates, without mixing too many flavors".
The young chef prides himself on his instinctive cooking, based on the Mediterranean produce he loves to sublimate. elegant, colorful and fragrant, it gives pride of place to vegetables and herbs. He says he's most at ease with starters, which he works on a bit like pastries, with different colors, a touch of acidity and different textures, like the "escalope", which he calls a "pesto". like the " pan-fried escalope of foie gras, tangy rhubarb salpicon and creamy polenta with sea rockrose" that he offers as a starter.
Curious, creative and passionate, the chef likes to say that cooking allows him to play with flavors and textures. " Cooking is like a game I play with my childlike soul," he explains.
Innovating, always striving to improve, that's what motivates the chef. And while he prefers to be in the kitchen rather than in the dining room, he listens to customer feedback and keeps his recipes evolving. There's no question of a signature dish on his menu, which he changes very regularly, in small increments. " I don't like repetition and I hate doing the same thing over and over again! ".
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