Mathieu VIANNAY

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

For once, Mathieu Viannay didn't grow up with a mother or father who were chefs. But, between his uncles and grandmother who owned vineyards, the former Ferrandi student entered the restaurant business through a passion for wine, helping out in a restaurant during his summer vacations. While still in high school, he graduated with a Bac D and was even thinking of going to university to study bio and then oenology.

After graduating from Ferrandi, Mathieu worked at the Gare Montparnasse, looking after both the croissants and the restaurants, then took on the same role at the Perrache and Part-Dieu stations, settling permanently in Lyon.

In 1998, having just reached his thirtieth birthday, he bought Les Oliviers, on rue Sully in Lyon's 6th arrondissement, and quickly earned a handsome 13/20 for his Provençal-style cuisine. Two years later, he opened the Mathieu Viannay restaurant on avenue Foch, where he remained until 2008, when he took over Mère Brazier.

This was obviously one of the events of the year in the small world of gastronomy. Four years earlier, this chef who had never been a commis had been awarded the title of MOF, an accolade further cementing his ever-growing reputation.

At the helm of this Lyonnais, French and worldwide institution, he continues to live and breathe the Lyonnais tradition in the most beautiful of ways, revisiting the recipes of the Mother with a graphic touch in tune with the times, and using local produce in line with the short circuit trend.