Yves VINCENT

Chef : 1 restaurant

Presentation

"It was my grandmother who passed on the cooking bug to me," says Yves Vincent, who was soon drawn to the restaurant trade and enrolled at the Lycée Hôtelier in Challes-les-Eaux, Savoie. After trying his hand at baking, the young apprentice turned to cooking. With his CAP diploma in hand, he began his career at the Novotel in Chambéry. "At the time, in this type of establishment, we did everything ourselves.

After his military service, the young commis worked in local restaurants: Les Cinq Voûtes, in Montmélian (Savoie), L'Hôtel du Lac, in Bourget-du-Lac (Savoie), before moving to Senlis (Oise). At just 20, he took up his first position as chef at the town's Ibis Hotel. An enriching experience that gave him wings.

In 1986, at the age of 23, Yves Vincent took the plunge. He joined forces with Manuel Tarouco, whom he had met at the Novotel in Chambéry, and founded L'Auberge du Formanoir in Switzerland. In 1989, they took over the Mont-Carmel in Barberaz, Savoie - an institution since 1860. "Marc Veyrat came especially to take part in the inauguration," recalls the chef. After three years, he made it into the Guide Jaune with a mark of 14/20 (2 toques). "But after twenty years there, I'd worn myself out. When you set up a business, you need to devote 100% of your time to it, so I now wanted to keep some for myself."

In 2015, Yves Vincent took over the reins of Le 5 restaurant, nestled in the heart of Grenoble's museum. He then headed for Château de la Veyrie, located on a hillock in the Grésivaudan region, with panoramic views of the Belledonne chain and the Chartreuse massif. It's an address where he expresses himself with complete freedom: "I offer a grandpa's cuisine that I modernize with inventive and meticulous presentation, but without too much fuss." There's no room for the superfluous on his plates! Gault&Millau will award him his first toque in 2023.

B.G.