Julien ROUCHETEAU

Chef : Le Restaurant des Rois - La Réserve de Beaulieu Julien Roucheteau is the chef at Restaurant des Rois at La Réserve de Beaulieu, near Nice. This 2018 MOF takes us through the various stages of his career.

Presentation

“In high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I was a good student, but I was sick of school,” recalls Julien Roucheteau. As someone who loves cooking, he chose to make it his career—a decision reinforced by his apprenticeship at the Maison de l’Aubrac. “The discipline—that military yet festive atmosphere—really appealed to me,” he confirms. After graduating at the top of his class at Ferrandi Paris, he went on to earn a vocational baccalaureate through a work-study program at the Office of the President of the Senate. “I was surrounded by Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) award winners, and I told myself that one day, I’d have that blue collar.”

His Early Career

In 2000, he joined the team at the Georges V under Philippe Legendre. He stayed there for three years, then moved to La Table du Lancaster to work with Michel Troigros. After rising to chef de partie, he became sous chef. “I was 24 years old; I didn’t feel ready yet—I hadn’t seen enough.” So he spent six months working for Jean Chauvel at Les Magnolias in Val-de-Marne.

In 2006, he returned to Paris for his first position as head chef at Le Diapason, the restaurant at the Terrass" Hotel. The general manager taught him how to manage an establishment, while his mission was to revitalize the restaurant. In 2008, he moved to the Lancaster on the Champs-Élysées. “Three years after I arrived, Mr. Troisgros offered me the chance to take over the restaurant.” He trained him until 2012, when he became the restaurant’s head chef.

Prestige and Awards

2013 was a good year: in June, he won the President of the Republic’s Culinary Challenge, and in November, he won the Zepter Prize. On a whim, he even entered the MOF Competition in 2015. He didn’t succeed then, but he tried again—and this time with success—in 2019, while serving as chef at La Scène Thélème in Paris’s 17th arrondissement.

Since September 2019, Julien Roucheteau has been in charge of the kitchens at La Réserve de Beaulieu. The restaurant, which is nearing the completion of a complete renovation, proudly displays its four toques.