Marie-Jeanne Rault ET MICKAEL MARCOUX

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

They're both in their early thirties, have had a string of experiences in top establishments (he in the kitchen, she in the dining room), and have chosen to settle in the heart of the Loire department by taking over La Maison Forte, a beautiful stone family home transformed into a restaurant in 2010 and located some fifteen minutes from Saint-Chamond.

The two young men met at René and Maxime Meilleur's La Bouitte restaurant in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, where Mickael was chef de partie and Marie-Jeanne head waitress. Marie-Jeanne, who grew up in Saint-Brieuc, had a brilliant career in the restaurant business, starting at Maison Tirel-Guérin before joining Le Jardin des Plumes, in Giverny (Éric Guérin period), as well as working for Xavier Beaudiment, near Clermont-Ferrand. He, a native of Saint-Étienne with a lifelong passion for cooking, honed his first knives with the Marcon family, before holding all the chef de partie positions at Meilleur and following his partner to Xavier Beaudiment .

"At La Maison Forte, we have chosen to offer only two menus, in four or six courses," explains Marie-Jeanne Rault. "But with us, there are no hidden menus, the dishes are displayed and we are obviously flexible," adds Mickael Marcoux. The two young restaurateurs have also made the logical choice of relying on local producers and favoring inexpensive products .

Open since the beginning of March, La Maison Forte has been a resounding success, prompting the two young entrepreneurs to add a weekly service on Friday lunchtimes. "We are now open for lunch and dinner from Friday to Sunday, as well as on Monday and Thursday evenings", explains the young couple. And reservations are recommended.