Hugo SOUCHET
Chef : 2 restaurants In Eugénie-les-Bains, Hugo Souchet heads up the kitchens at Prés d'Eugénie, the home of Michel Guérard, where he perpetuates an exceptional culinary art combining tradition, emotion and innovation.
"I came here to say no!". Hugo Souchet was 29 when he arrived in Eugénie-les-Bains.it was Alain Ducasse who sent me there, "he says. then I spent three days with Monsieur and Madame, and my whole vision changed. It's been eight years now. "
That's how Hugo Souchet came to be head chef at the legendary Les Prés d'Eugénie, Michel Guérard's restaurant , taking over from Olivier Brûlard in 2017. Having worked with great chefs and prestigious establishments - Le Meurice with Yannick Alleno, Pierre Gagnaire, Les Crayères with Philippe Mille, Daniel Boulud in New York, a year in Japan and four years at the Louis XV - the Versailles native has found his happiness, his present and his future in this enchanting Brigadoon in the heart of the Landes region .
A cuisine of terroir and transmission
"For two years, I learned to do Guérard's work alongside him. We focused on around 250 recipes, making and remaking them until they were perfect. Then I was able to start suggesting things...".The man he still calls Monsieur, and no one else, was to become his master, his mentor, his father and his grandfather, in a bond that is inevitably unique, as anyone who has come into contact with Michel Guérardunderstands , this rare being of intelligence, benevolence and humanity .
"We tasted every dish together, at this table where we're sitting now, and then at his place, and then at mine. Especially around the time of Covid, we ate every day together, sometimes with Andreu (Coma Roca, the restaurant manager), tasting, discussing, evolving the recipe. He taught me everything, and not just about cooking. He made me read, he made me learn to cultivate myself, he did me a lot of good, he knew how to take away stress, he knew how to comfort..."
Even today, Eugénie remains a family home, with Eléonore and Adeline, Christine and Michel's two daughters. "We've kept up the habit of tasting everything together, with them and Andreu, always with the same thought for Monsieur, wondering if he would have approved and liked this or that dish. For everyone, being here, then as now, is a source of pride, and all the teams are aware of this .
Hugo Souchet's cuisine is therefore inevitably marked by the house and by the Guérardspirit , that unique character of peasant luxury, that of truth, authenticity, pleasure and taste that come from the heart and soul. Of course, the talented chef also knows how to evolve his dishes according to his ideas and preferences, but in the magnificent dining room where the magic happens every evening, Michel and Christine lovingly watch over them .
The table where we are chatting with the chef suddenly begins to shake on its own. "It's Monsieur who's yelling at me! "says the chef with a half-smile.
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