Matthieu ROCHE

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

Although he doesn't come from a family of restaurateurs, Matthieu Roche likes to point out that he grew up with parents who were crazy about gastronomy, in particular his mother, an excellent technician with a passion for vegetable cooking.

Born in 1988 in Aix-en-Provence, the future chef of Ourea knew at an early age what his path was. He enrolled at the Lycée Hôtelier de Bonneveine (now Lycée Jean-Paul-Passedat) in Marseille, and from his very first internships onwards, quickly gravitated towards top-class establishments.

"My first experience was very rewarding. It was at Jean-Marc Banzo's Clos de la Violette in 2002. A very fine establishment, with a passionate and exciting chef from whom I learned a lot."After a spell at La Bonne Étape in Château-Arnoux, he left the sunny Provence for Paris and the Ferrandi School.

"After an initial stint at the Ritz, I joined Frédéric Anton's team at the Pré Catelan. I stayed with the 5-toque chef for four years before joining Éric Trochon at Sémilla. I then met my future partner, Camille Fromont, and stayed for ten years at this lovely restaurant in the 6th arrondissement."

The couple took the plunge in spring 2018, setting up on their own in the heart of Marseille, right next to the courthouse. A small room, a glass-fronted kitchen, a simple yet well-thought-out décor for a small, discreet stall, where the young thirty-something delivers a cuisine that is clear, precise and masterful: I attach great importance to the quality of the products I serve, while striving to keep bills at reasonable levels," he explains. That's why vegetables play such an important role in my dishes."This doesn't stop him from buying from the excellent Viandes Éthique butcher's shop in Frontignan, which works directly with breeders in a short circuit.

F. T.