Mathieu MÉCHERI

Presentation

"My uncle and aunt ran a restaurant in the École-Militaire district of Paris, and my half-brotherwas a caterer in Luxembourg. So why not me?" A gourmet, Mathieu Mécheri obtained his CAP cuisine from theÉcole de Paris des métiers de la table, du tourisme et de l'hôtellerie (EPMTTH). The apprentice trained on a sandwich course in Val-d'Oise, then inthe prestigious salons ofthe PSA Group in 2003, under chef Alain Tavernier. "We could afford anything, including working with products of exceptional quality."

That same year, the young graduate met Éric Chattelard, Patrick Lenôtre's protégé. " He was working at L'Étoile, but I knew he wasn't recruiting cooks fresh out ofschool. I tooka chance. I offered him a three-day trial periodto see what I could do. After a year, he was promoted tochef de partie, joining the brigade at Le Music Hall, headed by chefs Hervé Nepple and Guillaume Leprêtre. In 2008, he took part in the opening of La Païva,alongside Claude Demoncuit and Cyril Chevalier.

In 2010, Mathieu Mécheri joins the team at the brand-new Mini Palais, under Stéphane d'Aboville. He made friends with Éric Frechon, then a consultant. "I quickly became first sous-chef. It was an impressive brigade. We set 300 place settings. I'd never seen such a flow, such organization."

Enriched by these experiences, he took his first chef's position in 2017 at the Cristal Room Baccarat. "I had carte blanche. I put together a team in my own image, with people I knew well. I wanted to democratize French gastronomy by bringing an Asian touch to it, which Hervé Nepple, himself passionate about Japanese culture, had made me aware of . I love the cuisine of this region, and find that it blends perfectly with our own."

In 2022, Mathieu Mécheri further honed his skills at Joy, the Fouquet's gastro restaurant, paying close attention to the smallest details: "Joining a 5-star restaurant was a childhood dream. I discovered room service, a world apart. This type of catering requires very specific knowledge and techniques."

B. G.