Stéphane CARRADE

Chef : 1 restaurant From the Pyrenees to the Arcachon Bay, Stéphane Carrade honed his “progressive regional” cuisine under Jean Bardé. The Skiff Club, located within the Haaïtza Hotel, holds three Gault&Millau stars.

Presentation

From his grandparents’ farm in the Pyrenees, where he grew up, Stéphane Carrade retains a lilting accent and wonderful memories. “Every Sunday, my grandmother would cook incredible meals for the whole family. On the menu: soup, homemade charcuterie, roasts… from pigs raised on the farm. I loved eating the lamb’s head with parsley; I was 5 or 6 years old,” he recalls.

From Bordeaux to Réunion: the foundations of a fusion cuisine

The young man quickly headed to the Bordeaux-Talence Culinary School, then headed to London once he had his diploma in hand. He discovered international and Réunionese cuisine two years later during his military service overseas. “All these influences are reflected today in my cuisine, which I call ‘progressive terroir.’” After stints with Michelin-starred chefs at Relais & Châteaux, Stéphane Carrade joined Jean Bardé in Tours, who would become his mentor. “He opened my eyes to the importance of quality ingredients. A pioneer, he already had a vegetable garden.”

From his first chef’s hats in Jurançon to recognition in Gironde

The chef then put his talent to work at Chez Ruffet in Jurançon, where Gault&Millau immediately awarded him a score of 14/20—which quickly rose to 15, then 16—and named him “Grand de Demain 2003.” He joined the kitchen at La Guérinière in Gujan-Mestras, where he earned 3 toques, and later at the Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux.

The Skiff Club, three toques on the Arcachon Basin

In 2016, he settled in the Arcachon Basin, where he used to spend his vacations as a child. He took the reins of the Skiff Club, located within Sophie and William Techoueyres’Haaïtzahotel . He earned 2 toques in his first season, then 3 toques in 2021. In 2023, he was appointed presidentof Exp’Hôtel in Bordeaux, succeeding Philippe Etchebest.