Val-Thorens
Val Thorens (), is a ski town located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie, French Alps at an altitude of . It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie department. The resort forms part of the Les Trois Vallées ski ar ...
,
Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savo ...
chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
with 2 stars in the
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...
. He obtained the grade of 18/20 from the
Gault et Millau
Gault et Millau is a French restaurant guide. It was founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965.
Points system
Gault Millau rates on a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 being the highest. Restaurants given below 10 points ...
book, which elected him chef of the year in 2011.
Biography
Loubet grew up in Val-Thorens, ski resort in construction in 1970, where his mother Claude, opened the first restaurant, which was also a canteen for the workers. He discovered the cooking art with his grandparents with whom he cooked and gardened. Whereas he entered the under-21 French
ski
A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...
team,Challenge des chefs étoilés /ref> his mother advised him to opt for an apprenticeship in
pastry
Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...
, safer future than a sports career.
In 1983, Claude began the construction of the four-star Fitz Roy (Relais et Château), the highest hotel in Europe where Édouard Loubet earned his spurs.lhotellerie-restauration.fr /ref> After having obtained the "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" title, he joined the Ritz Carlton in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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with Fernand Guterez then the Chateau Frontenac in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
.
Back in France, he sent a letter to twenty of the best French master chefs. Only one replied:
Alain Chapel
Alain Chapel (; 30 December 1937 – 10 July 1990) was a French chef, credited with being one of the originators of Nouvelle Cuisine. He earned three Michelin stars.
Early life
Chapel was born in Lyon, the son of Maître d' Charles and his wif ...
in
Mionnay
Mionnay (; frp, Mionnê) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Mionnay station has rail connections to Bourg-en-Bresse and Lyon.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ain department
The following is a list of the 393 commu ...
who taught him the "delicacy and respect of the product. "He then joined the teams of Peter Orsy, the one of Philippe Chavent (La Tour Rose) and Marc Veyrat in
Annecy
Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...
. This is next to him that he met his wife Isabelle Guelpa, the chef's niece.Côté maison /ref>
Le Moulin de Lourmarin & Le Galinier de Lourmarin
In 1992, Loubet opened Le Moulin de Lourmarin, in
Lourmarin
Lourmarin (; oc, Lormarin) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Lourmarinois''.
Geography
Lourmarin is located in the French region of Provence, ...
. With Adrien Lombard, a former gardener, they cultivated a 5 hectare vegetable garden, which supplies the raw materials for the restaurant: fruits, heirloom vegetables and herbs. In parallel of the Moulins, the chef opened "Le Comptoir d'Édouard", bakery as well as catering and delicatessen store.
In 1995, Loubet received his first Michelin star, and became the youngest chef of France. Three years later, he received his second star and published on this occasion his first book, "Un Printemps en Luberon" (A Spring in Provence).
Édouard and Claude also manage Le Galinier de Lourmarin, ancient bastide of the 18th and 19th centuries.
La Bastide de Capelongue
Claude, Édouard's mother, acquired
Bonnieux
Bonnieux (; oc, Bonius) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,206. In the plain below the village stands the notable Roman bridge the Pont Jul ...
's highest farm, where the chef transferred its gourmet restaurant and its two stars. Loubet created a garden and a botanical trail, and also gives cooking classes. In March 2006, his cuisine was named in the Red Gault Millau Guide. In 2011, the Yellow Guide named him Chef of the year.Nomination cuisinier de l'année /ref> In 2011, the Bastide joined the Relais and Châteaux association and Loubet was appointed Master Chief by the same association.Journal des palaces /ref>
In Africa
For nearly two years, Edouard Loubet has held 3 festivals a year in
Kenya
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and trains Kenyan cooks in French cuisine. The goal is to teach them how to use their country's best products and seek the best suppliers. He also organizes fortnight trainings at the Bastide de Capelongue for cooks who can make the trip. His collaboration with the Prince
Aga Khan
Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...
has also led him to develop a menu of the Mandhari –
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
Serena's restaurant-, and coach the Delagoa's chefs, the restaurant Polana Serena in Maputo,
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
. They both belong to the Serena hotel chain (32 hotels in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
), held by the family of the Aga Khan.
Membership of the Black Diamond and Gastronomy Brotherhood
Truffle
A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''Peziz ...
is a particular ingredient to Loubet. He joined the Brotherhood of
Richerenches
Richerenches (; oc, Richarenchas) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Truffles
The village is famous for its truffle market as well as for its ''messe aux truffes'' in the ch ...
enclave in the
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
but belonging to the
Vaucluse
Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.St. Anthony, where the truffles are offered before being auctioned on the place of village.
Bibliography
* Édouard Loubet, ''Un printemps en Luberon'', Hachette Pratique, 2002
* Jean-Marc Favre, Jacques Guillard, Ève-Marie Zizza-Lalu, ''Six saisons en Luberon'', Éditions Glénat, 2009