Joffrey KIENTZEL

Chef : Auberge du Pont de la Zorn A native of Weyersheim, Joffrey Kientzel took over the Auberge du Pont de la Zorn with his wife, Marine, in 2025. The chef received the “Tradition d’Aujourd’hui” award from the Gault&Millau Tour Grand Est.

Presentation

Like many of his colleagues in the region, he admits to having adeep-seated attachment to Alsace, where his family has lived “for as long as anyone can remember.” Born and raised in Weyersheim, Joffrey Kientzel has never really left his village. Today, it is there—on the banks of the Zorn River—that he creates Alsatian cuisine firmly rooted in the present day.

The Alsatian School

He completed his apprenticeship under Laurent Huguet at the Relais de la Poste in La Wantzenau. He then joined Chez Ysehuet in Strasbourg, the restaurant run by Delphine and Stéphane Kaiser, which was taken over by Guillaume Scheer in 2025. “ I spent four years with Delphine and Stéphane. It was a wonderful time during which I learned a great deal from an exemplary couple.”

With Marine, his wife—a pastry chef whom he met at culinary school—he then launched a catering business. “Then, with Marine—my wife, whom I met at culinary school and who is a pastry chef—we started a catering business, La Petite Dépendance, in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. But deep down, I’d always held onto that dream of one day opening my own restaurant.”

An Almost Miraculous Takeover

The opportunity arose in 2025, as if by fate. “Le Pont de la Zorn, in the village where I grew up, was for sale. I’d worked there for two years during my vocational diploma, with Hervé and Myriam Debeer. I told my wife, laughing: ‘Let’s make an appointment at the bank, ask for a million, and we’re all set!’” Of course, the couple wouldn’t need that much to seal the deal.

Everything happened very quickly. “Fifteen days after the purchase, in May 2025, we welcomed our first customers. The beginning was difficult, because Hervé and Myriam embodied the spirit of the place so strongly. We brought our own vision to the cuisine, of course, but we also kept the 100% homemade tartes flambées, which are the signature dish of Le Pont de la Zorn. And we gradually won over a new clientele. ” For Joffrey and Marine Kientzel, this “Tradition d’Aujourd’hui” award validates the hard work they’ve put in since their arrival. With a score of 13/20 and two toques, this charming half-timbered restaurant still has a bright future ahead of it.