Alexandre COUILLON

Chef : 2 restaurants

Presentation

Alexandre Couillon is an independent chef and a solitary fisherman. He earned his independence all by himself. He doesn't need a tourist office to bring in a trainload of journalists from all over the world, ready to declare that they've touched the Holy Tunic and vote in an upcoming world ranking for a restaurant that knows how to welcome them so well. No, for more than twenty years, after taking over this house that was close to his heart because it was his parents', Alexandre Couillon listened to the sea and the fishermen. He thinks, tries and fine-tunes every preparation, cooking and presentation. And while others are running around attending conventions and social events, he's set up a vegetable garden. He, the son of a mechanic and a seamstress, who didn't really like school, isn't wary of far-flung products; he simply prefers them to come from home. He's not a locavore, he's a gardener. There's a difference. He learned to cook at Georges Paineau's (Le Bretagne, Questembert), grew up at Michel Guérard's (where he was assistant to a certain Arnaud Donckele), and worked in Thierry Marx's kitchens. A background like no other.

La Marine is a simple, modest name, like the house itself. When Céline, his wife, appears in the dining room, this simplicity is transformed into natural warmth and, above all, sincerity. So much so, in fact, that she inspires her guests to abandon their accessories, their mines, their bobo prejudices and their programmed marvels. A meal at Alexandre Couillon's is always a marvel, with a simplicity so confounding that it makes the moment unforgettable, extraordinary.

Biography & Awards

1975 naissance à Dakar, au Sénégal.

1999 reprend avec son épouse le restaurant saisonnier de ses parents, La Table d’Élise, à Noirmoutier, qu’ils rebaptisent La Marine.

2008 Grand(e) de Demain

2017 Ouverture de La Maison Moizeau, hôtel de charme.

2017 Cuisinier(ère) de l'Année