Rudy VILLIEN
Chef : 1 restaurant 17-year-old Rudy Villien, then an extra in the kitchen, never thought he'd one day become the Chef at Le Charlemagne. From his beginnings to his appointment in 2024, here's the story of this promising chef.
" The setting, the atmosphere, the view overlooking the vineyards... It was love at first sight for this restaurant, I can't describe it or explain it. And then, twelve years later, I had the opportunity to take it over ". Rudy Villien was already dreaming of this as far back as 2012, when he came to do extra work at Le Charlemagne. Living next door, he knew the workings of the restaurant and its chef, Laurent Peugeot, well. At the time, the young man was in the middle of his hotel studies and already had a CV full of big names.
Although eager to get started in the business, he added another year of study to his BEP and bac pro to obtain his professional diploma. He did this at the CIFA Jean Lameloise, in Chagny (Saône-et-Loire), as an apprentice at L'Hôtellerie du Cèdre, in Beaune. In 2016, he stayed on in the Côte-d'Or region and obtained a position at Château de Gilly, in Gilly-lès-Cîteaux.
Restaurants at heart
After a stint at Château de Champlong, in Villerest (Loire), an opportunity arose for him: to return to L'Hôtellerie du Cèdre as chef de partie. He accepted. Then, the following year, in 2019, Christophe Ledru asked him to follow him when he opened Le 428 restaurant in Savigny-lès-Beaune. i'd been stagnating at Le Cèdre," he says, "so it was a great opportunity to move up to sous-chef.
A year later, in June 2021, Laurent Peugeot announced that he was looking for a sous-chef at Le Charlemagne. " I told him, 'I'll be there in 10 minutes. "That's how he got his start at the Charlemagne for four years, during which time he made the transition from one position to another. Since January 2024, Rudy Villien has been Head Chef at Le Charlemagne, a dream come true.
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