Marc-Étienne MONT

Chef : Le Vivier Marc-Étienne Mont, who has been at the helm of Le Vivier since 1998, has turned this seafood restaurant into an Amiens institution. He is gradually handing over the reins to his son, Valentin.

Presentation

Nothing seemed to point Marc-Étienne Mont toward a career in cooking. After earning a scientific baccalaureate, however, he chose the hospitality school in Le Touquet, where he earned a BTS in culinary arts, to follow in the footsteps of Christine—whom he had met in school at the age of eleven and who would go on to become a sommelier. The couple first worked in the family business, L’Auberge du Forgeron, in Seclin (Nord), before striking out on their own after the birth of their first child. In 1996, Marc-Étienne Mont arrived in Amiens and joined Le Carlton, the hotel-restaurant located across from the train station.

Le Vivier, an Amiens institution dedicated to seafood

Two years later, Christine and Marc-Étienne Mont took over Le Vivier, a gourmet restaurant where seafood takes center stage. A true local institution, the restaurant, which opened in 1989, is valiantly approaching its 40th anniversary. Every native of Amiens knows this restaurant specializing in shellfish and fish, where they’ve surely shared a business or family meal. He oversees the kitchen, procurement, and management, while she manages the dining room and the wine cellar. Over the years, the establishment on Rue de Rouen has expanded to include a catering service and a hotel residence.

A Smooth Transition to His Son, Valentin Mont

Marc-Étienne Mont is now gradually handing over the reins to his son Valentin, who trained under Hélène Darroze and Cyril Attrazic, while his other son, Matthias, a sommelier, assists his mother in the dining room. Always present alongside the new generation, the chef is seeing his cuisine modernize in small ways, with more refined plating, without losing the classics that have built the restaurant’s reputation: warm oysters with champagne, mussels marinière, fine fish from the Boulogne catch, and generous seafood platters.