Jonathan COUTE

Chef de service : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"Catering has always been my calling, it was an obvious choice for me," recalls Jonathan Coute. His first experience? At Domaine de Verchant, in Castelnau-le-Lez (Hérault), as an apprentice for two years. In 2014, he switched from the kitchen to front-of-house service:"I found it a bit repetitive, this enclosed atmosphere, always with the same people," he explains. He then took up the position of semi-chef de rang at Le Gavroche restaurant in London. At the end of 2014, he joined Michel Kayser's Alexandre gastronomique, where he met his wife Clémence.

Thereafter, the couple continued as a duo: at Domaines de Fontenille in the Lubéron, then at Les Bories hotel, in Gordes (Vaucluse). In 2016, they returned to Domaine de Verchant for a year, then to Michel Kayser, where Jonathan became Maître d'hôtel in 2020.

As the years go by, two daughters are born, they go through confinements and reflect on their projects. And so, in 2021, the family moved to Nîmes, Jonathan's hometown, to open Menna. The restaurant quickly attracted gourmets and the eye of Gault&Millau. "In less than a year, we were listed in Book 109 [Le Sang neuf de la gastronomie française]," enthuses Jonathan Coute. The man of many hats (owner, manager, sommelier, maître d'hôtel...) was also awarded the Gault&Millau Occitanie Accueil trophy the same year.

I.B.

Biography & Awards

1990 Naissance à Nîmes

2014 Chef de rang au Alexandre, chez Michel Kayser

2016 Assistant maître d'hôtel au Domaine de Verchant, à Castelnau-le-Lez

2017 Assistant maître d’hôtel, puis maître d’hôtel au Alexandre, chez Michel Kayser

2021 Ouverture de Menna, à Nîmes

2022 Trophée Accueil