Mathias MARTIN

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

Since 1870, the family inn where Mathias Martin was born in 1989 has weathered every storm. Unsurprisingly, the fifth-generation Martin grew up close to the stove, alongside a cook grandmother who taught him local, ancestral recipes. He decided to train at the Lycée Hôtelier in La Rochelle, and spent his final year as an apprentice at Le Richelieu, in La Flotte-en-Ré. After graduating, Mathias Martin joined the Coussau brothers at Le Relais de la Poste in Magescq: "It's a bit like the Bocuse of the Landes.

In 2008, he headed for Paris, where he worked at Frédéric Vardon's 39V: "It was pretty tough, but I learned a lot." He then spent two years in the Lavaux vineyards in Switzerland, at the Auberge de l'Onde in Saint-Saphorin, before training at the Montreux Palace. In 2013, he became sous-chef at Le Belvédère, Annecy.

While he was enjoying his time in the Alps, an event precipitated his return to the kitchens of the family inn: the current chef had health concerns and had to leave earlier than planned. And so, in 2015, at just 26 years of age, Mathias Martin took over the helm of the Auberge du Centre-Poitou: "I was counting on coming back one day". Today, the family tradition continues, the challenge being to retain the trust of a clientele that seems never to tire of the spirit of the house. Gault&Millau quickly crowned him with 2 toques and the Jeune Talent 2019 trophy. With a brother in the dining room and another junior pastry chef who may well put his talents to good use at the inn, there's no doubt that the lineage is not about to wane.

T. L.