Tabata and Ludovic Mey - Thomas Dhellemes

  • Tabata and Ludovic Mey are the chefs of the restaurant Les Apothicaires in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon.
  • They won their first Michelin star this year.
  • They opened Food Traboule three weeks ago, a project that brings together 12 chefs in the Tour Rose in Vieux-Lyon.

In the phosphorescence of a starry sky, there is always a star that shines more than the others. They are of that class. Amidst the new winners of the Michelin guide, Ludovic and Tabata Mey, chefs at the restaurant Les Apothicaires in Lyon, have just celebrated obtaining their first badge. "A great reward for us and our teams", rejoices Ludovic. "We weren't expecting it, we never tried to have one," added Tabata. A simple and unexpected happiness for this singular couple in a world accustomed to solo virtuosos. They, the kitchen they imagine and make it as a duet, for others.

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What a dream! 1 Michelin star for @lesapothicaires! Thank you to our incredible team and to my favorite Chef in hole world @ludovic_mey #michelinstar #michelinguide #lesapothicaireslyon #lyon

A post shared by Tabata Mey (@ tabata.mey) on Jan 28, 2020 at 3:07 am PST

Ludovic, a just 30-year-old passion for stoves, discovered it very early on when he walked the market alleys of Chambéry, his hometown, as a child. "I loved walking around the stands, touching, smelling fruits and vegetables," he lights up. He knows that he will make it his job and will join the Grenoble hotel school after leaving college. "I immediately felt that I had found my way."

Tabata, she remembers the pastries they made with her grandmother in Brazil, her country of origin. But the evidence did not come immediately. She suddenly appeared in her third year of medicine. The young woman then plates her studies. Direction France and Lyon where the Bocuse Institute is located. "I wanted to make the best school in the world, that's why I came here at the age of 20," she says.

She will make her first ranges at Têtedoie, she at Nicolas Le Bec before subscribing to the TV show Top chef in 2012 where she will reach the doors of the final. After the competition, the young woman prefers to leave the light of the spotlights to focus on her stoves. Those of Paul Bocuse in this case. The Brazilian becomes the first woman to head one of the restaurants of "Monsieur Paul", the Marguerite. It is there that she will meet Ludovic, second in the kitchen. They will never leave each other.

An initiatory journey

Before opening their first restaurant, the couple decided to travel to discover cuisines from around the world. First step, Brazil: "An incredible experience, we cooked in the middle of the Amazon, we dug holes in the ground to cook whole animals and we shared the meal with Indians" says Ludovic. Even Tabata, originally from the country, admits: "I only knew 20% of the products that we cooked there".

Then, they put their suitcases in Denmark, at the Noma restaurant, long considered the best in the world. A radical change. "There are very few products there and we only used local products." It is in the kitchens of René Redzepi that the couple will learn the fermentation techniques which are today the signature of their cuisine. “It is an ancestral technique of conservation. We put food in a jar with salt and a little water. They are then left for several months and we gain an incredible, sweet, almost sparkling acidity. While keeping the original freshness of the product, this allows food to be used in all seasons, ”explains Tabata.

Finally their own restaurant

Their notebooks filled with experiences, they then decide to return to France to open their restaurant, Les Apothicaires, and concoct their menus. A four-handed kitchen that they have dreamed of for years. "It was very difficult to agree at the start," blows Ludovic. "We almost got divorced 50 times," laughs Tabata. But each ends up being inspired by the strengths of the other. “Ludovic is a walking Brainstorming, a creative. He's the one with the ideas of the dishes, ”explains his wife. "She has an incredible technique, she knows exactly how to cook a product," replied the Savoyard. Authentic cuisine that sticks to their skin. “It's very simple, refined cuisine, once on the plate. But that requires a lot of work upstream, "sums up Ludovic.

In a fairly lonely environment where we sometimes witness wars between chefs, they stand out with their kindness and the idea of ​​a cuisine that must necessarily be shared. Like the recently launched Food Traboule project. In the Pink Tower in Old Lyon, the couple brought together 12 other chefs to restore their prestige to the site. Everyone chooses the cuisine they want to discover, being able to go from one chef to another to taste their dishes. "Cooking is sharing, we have had the same team for 4 years and without them we would not have succeeded," adds Ludovic. “It is a profession of passion and passion is nurtured, it is transmitted. We are the guardians of that, ”concludes Tabata.

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