Valère ROUSSEL

Head sommelier : 1 restaurant Not really a schoolboy, Valère Roussel was nevertheless impressed by the teaching of one of his teachers at the Lycée Hôtelier.

Presentation

Born to an engineer father at the Office National des Forêts and a housewife mother, this youngest of four children grew up in the countryside, not far from Sarrebourg in Moselle. "I was a dunce at school," admits the man who went on to become one of the region's most renowned sommeliers, "but I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by fields and forests, in the small village of Abreschviller. I used to go mushrooming, my parents had chickens and sheep, so I know the countryside and the good stuff. "

At Illkirch high school, he had a decisive encounter with Antoine Woerle .

A student with little passion for his studies, he loved the world of restaurant service, and in particular the work of sommeliers. The world of wine fascinates him, the elegance of the attire attracts him, and the prestige of the position makes him dream. CAP, BEP before entering the Lycée Hôtelier Alexandre Dumas in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, where Antoine Woerle, MOF Maître du Service et des Arts de la Table, had a major influence on our young student. "Even today, when I meet him, I find it hard to call him by his first name", says the man who now works as an expert for the Entzheim auction house .

At l'Atelier du Peintre, this renowned sommelier never forgets he 's not at home

After several years at L'Arnsbourg, in the heyday of Jean-Georges and Cathy Klein, and then at La Source des Sens in Morsbronn les Bains, Valère Roussel joined L'Atelier du Peintre in 2020. Caroline Cordier and Loïc Lefebvre, the owners, remembered being served by Valère Roussel during a meal at l'Arnsbourg. They hit it off immediately, but the sommelier never forgets that he's not the head of the establishment himself: " When I want to add a new reference to my cellar, I never decide alone. I never forget that the money is not mine before placing an order" .

Passionate about the wines of Alsace, the Rhône Valley and Burgundy, Valère Roussel loves nothing more than scouring the vineyards in search of new winemakers or tasting wines he doesn't know. "Curiosity is obviously an essential quality in our profession. And our role is also to introduce new wines to our customers, who often find it hard to leave their comfort zone .