Pascal ARCÉ

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

Born in the Basque village of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France), Pascal Arcé quickly became the successor to the family business founded in 1864. The teenager trained at the Lycée Hôtelier in Talence, before taking the plunge.

During his first years as an apprentice, Pascal Arcé alternated between the family home in summer and various experiences in winter, in Paris and California. He also spent a season in Bordeaux, which enabled him to continue playing rugby locally and "stay a little closer to the village". He then trained in a gourmet French restaurant in London, where he perfected his English. And while today's chef readily admits that "you learn in every kitchen", the young Pascal Arcé essentially perfected his skills in his family's establishment, under the guidance of his father. "Strangely enough, he didn't leave me a recipe book.

In 1993, Pascal Arcé found himself alone at the helm: "That was a bit of a boost. In the 1990s, his wife became the key to maintaining the soul of the place: "She played a big part in running the place". The Arcé family was awarded the Trophée Accueil Gault&Millau Nouvelle-Aquitaine 2022. Today, the restaurant continues to assert this power of transmission, as Pascal Arcé prepares the next generation by training his daughter and her partner: "It's good to work as a family."

T. L.