Victor BERTHE
Chef : 1 restaurant Born into a half-Breton, half-Picardy family, Victor Berthe was introduced to cooking by his parents at an early age. Today, he runs his own restaurant, Coup de Main, in Lille.
Victor Berthe wanted to go into cooking after secondary school, but continued his studies at lycée on the advice of his parents. After passing his general baccalaureate, he embarked on his vocation and joined the CFA Médéric in Paris as an apprentice.
An apprenticeship with top chefs
For two years, he trained at the Plaza Athénée on a sandwich course, before working with Christophe Saintagne at the Papillon restaurant, where he completed his BTS.
He left the capital to move to Lille, where he joined the brigade at the recently opened Rozo restaurant in Marcq-en-Barœul: "I stayed there for four years. Diego Delbecq, whom I met at Christophe Saintagne's, is my mentor. He taught me technique, rigor... And Camille Pailleau, the head pastry chef, also taught me a great deal. I really admire their work."
Eager to take on more responsibilities, he then joined L'Empreinte, where he becamemanager: "I could imagine the menu creations, the product research, manage the management side too. I was 24 at the time, so to be able to do all that was an incredible opportunity." It was here that he met his future partner, Clément Delecluse. Together, they decided to embark on their own adventure.
Coup de Main opened in 18 days
"We came up with Coup de Main to take a more personal approach. We took our time with the business plan, the administrative side of things..." But once all these steps had been taken, there was just one thing left to do: set up the restaurant. "We had 18 days to open the restaurant, and get everything fitted out: tiling, flooring, furniture, kitchen equipment.... And we'd already started booking, so there was no choice," laughs the chef.
Escoffier modernized
For his kitchen, Victor Berthe draws inspiration from Auguste Escoffier's recipes, which he likes to modernize: "I like to add a modern twist. Either by degreasing, or by integrating fermentation... something more in line with today's cuisine."
His approach is based on making full use of the product: "If it's a protein, I'll season it with that same protein, using it in its entirety. I do the same with vegetables. I'm also a fan of fish butchery, a use of charcuterie-butchery techniques on fish."
As for the cellar, Clément, his partner and sommelier, selects the wines. Nevertheless, whether it's drinks or dishes, the menu is put together as a duo: "This establishment is Clément and Victor's counter. It's a collaborative effort at every stage of the meal." Together, they willingly rise to the challenge, to satisfy the tastes of every customer. For this work, Victor Berthe has been named in the Jeune Talent 2026 category by Gault&Millau.
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