Xavier BUZIEUX
Chef : 1 restaurant Xavier Buzieux, chef at La Gazette in Évreux, celebrates his native Normandy by promoting local producers and seasonal produce.
Trained at the Lycée Hôtelier in Louviers and then at the INPB in Rouen, he obtained his CAP cuisine and pastry diploma in 1986 before moving to Paris. He didn't start out immediately, but an opportunity in London as a commis at Frères Roux's Gavvers opened the door to gastronomy. "I'd just come out of school without an apprenticeship, so I was thrown straight into the deep end ," he recounts. This demanding experience, marked by the language barrier, forged his rigor and sense of professionalism.
In 1988, he joined the Hotel Mirador in Chardonne, Switzerland, under the aegis of Santo Fareri, a Sicilian chef who passed on to him " a large part of [his] passion ". Xavier gradually climbed the ranks, from commis to chef saucier.
return to Normandy and resumption of La Gazette
After his military service, he returned to Normandy in 1992 and put his talent to work at the Moulin Fouret, a charming hotel in Bernay. In 1996, with his wife, he decided to take over La Gazette in Évreux, then in difficulty .
The menu, initially strictly gastronomic, evolved over the years to suit a varied clientele. " We saw that people wanted to eat faster. We had to adapt," he explains. In 2017, a new lunchtime menu won over regulars and newcomers alike. Today, Xavier Buzieux offers short, seasonal, entirely homemade cuisine, in close collaboration with his local producers. " No finished product goes into my cooking ," he insists.
This commitment has been recognized by two toques in the Gault & Millau guide, reflecting a cuisine that is authentic, demanding and deeply rooted in its region.
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