Luca ZOMINI
Chef : Restaurant Marcon The Italian chef gained experience at various French fine-dining establishments before settling at the quintessential family-run restaurant, where culinary traditions are passed down from father to son: the Marcon restaurant (5 Golden Toques).
Presentation
It was at the Marcon family’s restaurant that Luca Zomini rediscovered the warmth and family spirit characteristic of his native Italy. After earning a BTS in hospitality and culinary arts in Montecatini, Tuscany, the Italian chef set off for France in 2012. Some 600 km away, he found himself in Crozet, in the Pays de Gex, at the Shamwari at Jiva Hill. Working alongside Emmanuel Ollivier and Vincent Betton, the young chef discovered French gastronomy.
Simple and Generous Cuisine
As a child, he was immersed in hearty, home-style cooking—the simple dishes his grandfather used to prepare for him. But the young Luca Zomini was on the hunt for new techniques: “French cuisine is world-renowned—I was fascinated by it! ” he confides.
After a stint near Geneva, he headed to the South of France, where he spent a summer season at Faventia (2 toques) in the Var region. There, he discovered high-end cuisine and learned from M.O.F. Philippe Jourdin and Vincent Fleury.
His journey with the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France continued in the kitchen alongside the chefs at La Pyramide (5 gold toques) in Vienne. The adventure lasted three years before the Italian chef joined the kitchen at Restaurant Marcon (5 gold toques) in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid in 2019.
Just like home
Here, the warm, family-like atmosphere quickly makes him feel at home, despite the high standards and attention to detail. Luca Zomini takes pleasure in cooking with mushrooms and herbs, the restaurant’s signature ingredients. The first autumn porcini mushrooms stir a sense of nostalgia: he imagines himself picking mushrooms in his native Italy, surrounded by his family.
The young chef is advancing rapidly within the restaurant. By his second year, he moved up from chef de partie to sous chef. Now, he works alongside Jacques Marcon and Paul Marcon, while following the valuable advice of their father, Régis Marcon.
His cuisine, which he describes as creative and elegant, draws on local ingredients, daily deliveries, and the seasons… The warmth of his homeland is then reflected in his dishes: “ We cook simple dishes that are refined in flavor, technique, and preparation.”
As he follows young Paul Marcon’s preparations leading up to his victory at the Bocuse d’Or in 2025, Luca Zomini finds himself tempted to embark on the adventure as well. In a few years, he says, “but under the Italian flag—that’s still the country closest to my heart, even though France has truly embraced me! ”
