Jonathan WAHID

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

Born in Pakistan, Jonathan Wahid grew up in Castelnaudary, Aude. His father, a member of the Foreign Legion, was in charge of the officers' mess. It was there, in the kitchens, that the teenager discovered the sweet pleasures of food. Seeing his interest in gastronomy, his father suggested an internship with the Compagnons du Tour de France, working alongside Jean-Claude Lavillonnière. "I hesitated between the army, mechanics and catering. But in the end, I fell in love with cooking."

After his apprenticeship with the Compagnons and his military service, Jonathan Wahid joined Le Nôtre's head office on rue d'Auteuil in Paris. "I was a little disappointed when I realized that we only did the finishing touches". To learn how to assemble, he left for the Royal Monceau, where chef Bruno Cirino promoted him from commis to demi-chef de partie. In 1999, Jonathan moved up another notch at the Ritz: "It was my dream to work there." Under Michel Roth and pastry chef Eddie Benghanem, he became chef de partie. In 2005, he won the French Dessert Championship. It was also at the Ritz that he met his future partner, chef Fanny Rey: "It wasthe belle époque, we were young and carefree."

That same year, chef Jean-André Charial called on Sylvestre, Jonathan's elder brother, to head up the kitchens at L'Oustau de Baumanière, in Les Baux-de-Provence, then at Le Strato, in Courchevel. Quite naturally, Sylvestre Wahid asked his younger brother to come and support him, entrusting him with responsibility for the patisserie. After eight years together, Jonathan joined Fanny in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône) in 2012, where they opened their own establishment, L'Auberge de Saint-Rémy. It's an address where, for the pastry chef, it's important to offer desserts that are in line with the culinary experience offered by Fanny: "I don't want to fall into purepastry ". Gault&Millau quickly crowned the establishment with 2 toques, then 3 toques since 2021.

B. G.