International
Najem ATMEH
Chef : 1 restaurant With his partner Corinne Bec, Lebanese chef Najem Atmeh has opened Ayla, in Lyon's 6th arrondissement, where he successfully adapts the mezze formula to regional products.
Najem Atmeh was born and raised in Lebanon. Although he began his life studying physics, his steps soon led him to the restaurant business. I liked my studies," he says, "but I couldn't see myself making a living from them. So he turned to a degree in tourism in Lebanon, in partnership with the Parisian culinary arts institute Le Cordon Bleu. During his studies, he landed his first position at the Four Seasons in Beirut.
In 2017, his studies came to an end. "I wanted to see something other than Lebanon, and I wanted to gain more experience," he says, leaving for France to complete his master's degree at the Institut Paul Bocuse. While preparing his thesis, he worked part-time at the Grand Réfectoire, where he landed the position of chef de partie, then junior sous-chef. It was there that he met Corinne Bec, with whom he developed the idea of a mezze restaurant.
With the help of the Gault&Millau Jeunes Talents grant, the two partners set up Ayla in Lyon's 6th arrondissement. The venture proved a great success, particularly when they were included in the 2024 edition of 109 - Le Sang neuf de la gastronomie française.
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