Olivier LANNOY

Chef : 1 restaurant In Boulogne-sur-Mer, Olivier Lannoy heads up the kitchens at Le Chatillon, a restaurant unlike any other found in fishing ports.

Presentation

My parents ran a bakery near Boulogne-sur-Mer," says Olivier Lannoy. In particular, they delivered to the Hostellerie de la Rivière, in Pont-de-Briques, which was one of the best restaurants in the area at the time, and which is unfortunately now closed. I used to accompany my father on his deliveries, and it was here that I learned my trade as a chef.

Nearly twenty years with Tony Lestienne

Like many of his colleagues, this fisherman's grandson had the good fortune to be trained at the excellent Lycée Hôtelier in Le Touquet. He went on to obtain an additional qualification in seafood products, before returning home to the town of Boulogne, to which he is viscerally attached. "I was lucky enough to be hired by Tony Lestienne at La Matelote. I was to stay there for almost twenty years, starting out as a commis and ending up as second chef."

Chef at Le Chatillon since 2015

In 2007, as he approached 40, Olivier Lannoy left the traditional restaurant business to become a culinary trainer at the Centre de formation aux produits de la terre et de la mer in Boulogne. A rich and intense period that took him all over France to spread the word to students. "But then I wanted to return to my first love. For a while, I had the hope of opening my own restaurant, but I couldn't make it happen", so he joined the kitchens of Le Chatillon, a famous restaurant opened in 1950 in the Capécure district, serving authentic cuisine that pays tribute to local fishing. "We often serve 200 covers a day, in good spirits. People come here to enjoy a platter of seafood, herring fillets or marinated lisette, simple dishes typical of the region. "Gault&Millau, which described the restaurant as "a permanent favorite for this table where the sea is king", awarded it the Cuisine de la Mer Hauts-de-France 2024 trophy.