Richard BAÏMA

Chef : 1 restaurant Former second-in-command to Alain Senderens, 2-toque chef Richard Baïma is now at the helm of the modern, friendly Le Julianon restaurant in Senlis.

Presentation

"As a child, I was already very curious, I wanted to be a journalist and travel," confides Richard Baïma. The young man eventually turned to cooking, enrolling at the Hyères (Var) hotel school. With his CAP in hand, he joined Marc Pralong's kitchens at L'Auberge de la Calanque, in Le Lavandou, before taking part in a competition organized by the Arsenal de Toulon. Finishing fourth, he was spotted by Laurent Tarridec, then a member of the jury. The chef found him a position with Michel Sarran at Mas du Langoustier, on the island of Porquerolles. A year later, Dominique Le Stanc opened the doors of the legendary Negresco in Nice. "He taught me how to manage my emotions and allowed us to discover each position."

In 1993, Richard Baïma ventured to Burgundy, where he worked alongside Jean-Michel Lorain at La Côte Saint-Jacques and Bernard Loiseau at Relais de Saulieu, but without conviction. " My real goal was to move up to Paris," he says, and in 1995 he arrived at Lucas Carton through the front door. Chef Alain Senderens took him under his wing. " His humility, accuracy, lightness of touch in the kitchen and mastery of food and wine pairings particularly impressed and inspired me." Over time, the chef offered him the chance to assist him.

"Ten years later, when my wife became pregnant, we decided to move back down south to raise our twin daughters." Richard Baïma took charge of the kitchens at Le Roy Soleil, in Ménerbes (Vaucluse). One fine day, he arranged a meeting with Marc Meneau, but the chef from L'Espérance restaurant in Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay (Yonne) cancelled at the last minute. A blessing in disguise. Richard Baïma took the opportunity to visit his in-laws in Senlis. She informs him that a crêperie is for sale there: a listed 17th-century building. It was love at first sight, and he bought it in 2007 to create Le Julianon, a contraction of Juliette and Manon, his two daughters. "Two years later , Gault&Millau crowned him Jeune Talent 2009.

B. G.