Manuel MARTINEZ

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"My grandmother and mother ran an estaminet in the north of France. Manuel Martinez grew up in the kitchens of these working-class restaurants, where he discovered his vocation. To make a career of it, he went up to Paris to follow the path of the grandes maisons. "In my day, you did your apprenticeship on the job, taking correspondence courses."

"The capital made me dream. Manuel Martinez arrived in 1970. He obtained a position as a clerk at Le Bristol, then at Ledoyen, in 1971. Two years later, he was appointed chef de partie saucier at the Hôtel de Crillon. After an escapade at the Negresco in Nice, he returned to Paris through the front door. In 1980, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, he landed his first position as head chef at the Relais Louis XIII, an establishment he raised to the pinnacle of gastronomy, earning him the title of Meilleur ouvrier de France in 1986.

Building on this success, "I was approached by Mr. Terrail, who owned La Tour d'Argent. His chef had just left him, and he was looking for a renowned MOF to succeed him who wasn't an owner. I was the only one of my kind in France", explains Manuel Martinez, who took charge of the kitchens at this legendary restaurant from 1987 to 1996.

At the end of 1996, Manuel Martinez bought the Relais Louis XIII, which had by then lost some of its aura. " I wanted to restore it to its former glory, and I succeeded," he says, carrying out a number of renovations without altering the historic setting, where the Grands-Augustins convent once stood and where King Louis XIII was enthroned in 1610. Today, Manuel Martinez delights his customers, who call him the "Last of the Mohicans". "They call me that because I offer traditional cuisine in the tradition of Auguste Escoffier, but with a lighter touch." He has been crowned with 3 toques since 2011.

B. G.