Chef Alexandre Couillon, the only new 3 Michelin stars in France

Chef Alexandre Couillon and his wife, Céline, with their restaurant La Marine located on the Atlantic island of Noirmoutier (in the Pays de la Loire region), were the only ones to join the list of restaurants awarded three Michelin stars in France today.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
14 March 2023 Tuesday 00:02
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Chef Alexandre Couillon, the only new 3 Michelin stars in France

Chef Alexandre Couillon and his wife, Céline, with their restaurant La Marine located on the Atlantic island of Noirmoutier (in the Pays de la Loire region), were the only ones to join the list of restaurants awarded three Michelin stars in France today. , which has 29.

At a grand gala held in Strasbourg (northeast) that was attended by fifty chefs and professionals from starred establishments in France and Europe, Couillon was the great winner for his cuisine "of the living, the wild and the free". , inspired by the natural environment of the family restaurant that the couple took over when they were less than 25 years old.

"Easy and deeply rooted in the land, the chef's creations evolve according to the seasons, the catches from the sea and what the Noirmoutier market provides daily. On the plate, the flavors are daring, the cooking -often over charcoal- is meticulous and the quality of the products is exceptional," detailed the Michelin Guide in a statement.

"In the dining room, the service orchestrated by Céline Couillon, wife of the chef, is as precise as it is attentive and thoughtful: an essential virtue to fully understand the committed and pioneering philosophy of this establishment," added the prestigious publication.

Four restaurants also went on to be distinguished with two stars in this 2023: that of the chef Cyril Attrazic in Aumont-Aubrac (Occitania); that of Christophe Dufossé at the Château de Beaulieu (Normandy); L'Amaryllis with Cédric Burtin in charge in Saint-Rémy (north of Lyon) and L'Auberge de Montmin, with Florian Favaro as chef (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region).

The tables of 39 other establishments will also premiere a star this 2023, spread throughout the country, after a gala that was preceded by some controversy due to the announcement, last week, of the "demotion" to only two stars for chefs Christopher Coutanceau (La Rochelle) and Guy Savoy (Paris), considered several years in the past among the best in the world.

In total, the 2023 Michelin France Guide will recommend 630 establishments: 29 with three stars, 75 with two and 526 with one star.