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Fabien Ferré: A three-star chef straight away
Photo: Guillaume Souvant / AFP
The restaurant critics liked his exquisite menus so much that they awarded him the highest honors in his profession: 35-year-old Fabien Ferré was one of the very few top chefs to immediately receive the highest award from the French restaurant guide Michelin.
A total of 52 French restaurants in Tours were awarded a star for the first time on Monday - including 23 that only opened last year.
Most of the top restaurants are located in Paris and the southeast of the country.
Ferré took over the restaurant “La Table du Castellet” in Var, southern France, last year, where he had been number two in the kitchen for years.
He offers two menus, prepared primarily from regional products from Provence.
His specialties include fish and shellfish, such as langoustine, which he serves with rhubarb.
A four-course lunch menu costs 120 euros, a six-course dinner costs 210 euros.
The accompanying six glasses of wine cost an additional 185 euros.
Ferré is one of the young generation of top chefs who are active on the online service Instagram and also share recipes there.
He shows himself with a tattooed upper arm and posts videos of lively kitchen parties.
Ferré comes from a family of pastry chefs and farmers from Burgundy.
In addition to the young star, the Parisian chef Jérôme Banctel was also awarded a third star.
Frédéric Anton, who runs the “Jules Vernes” restaurant on the Eiffel Tower, received a second star.
The proportion of women among Michelin-awarded top chefs remains extremely low: there is not a single woman among the new two- or three-star chefs.
One of the few women to be awarded a star is Eugénie Beziat, who created the menu at the Ritz hotel in Paris and was inspired by African dishes.
Even though the award-winning chefs are increasingly concentrating on the artful preparation of vegetables, Michelin still did not award a star to a purely vegetarian restaurant in France.
For her part, 32-year-old Manon Fleury, who also received a first star, represents a young generation that believes the strict hierarchy in French gastronomy is outdated and wants to combat food waste in view of climate change.
The Michelin Guide's rating is based on incognito visits by its inspectors.
They usually make reservations under false names and regularly change their credit cards and telephone numbers to avoid being exposed.
The criteria include the quality of the products, the analysis of the preparation and the harmony of the flavors.
Michelin does not publicly justify the awarding or withdrawal of its stars.
Michelin stars as a great burden
The Michelin stars are considered one of the most important restaurant awards in the world.
They make a decisive contribution to the fame of chefs - but are also a great burden because of the high demands and constant pressure.
Three-star chef Bernard Loiseau committed suicide in 2003 amid rumors that he could have lost his third star.
The restaurant guide was an invention of the tire company Michelin, which wanted to encourage its customers to wear their tires when visiting remote restaurants.
eru/AFP