Christophe Bacquié 3 stars Michelin et Chef de the year 2018
Three times Michelin starred and having obtained the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) in 2004,Christophe Bacquié has been working in the catering department of the Hôtel & Spa du Castellet and the kitchens of the gastronomic restaurant since 1 November 2009.
During his professional career, he enjoyed several decisive encounters. After the Oasis in Mandelieu-La-Napoule with the charismatic and generous personalities of Stéphane Raimbault and Louis Outhier, he multiplied his Parisian experiences, notably at Prunier (in Paris’ 16th arrondissement).
He returned to Corsica where he had grown up and officiated there for 12 years. He obtained his first Michelin star in 2002 and then a second in February 2007. In 2008, rewarded by the Relais Gourmand Trophy, he became "Grand Chef" Relais et Châteaux.
In 2009, he decided to take up a new challenge and left Corsica for the gourmet restaurant in Provence. He took over the helm of the Hôtel & Spa du Castellet kitchens and succeeded in earning his second star in 2010 at the gourmet restaurant. The Castellet management also entrusted him with total responsibility for the kitchens of the tourism sector, comprising two hotels (Hôtel & Spa du Castelletand Grand Prix Hôtel & Restaurant***).
He started 2011 with his new bistro project for the Hôtel du Castellet "Le San Felice", which was launched in May 2011 at the Hôtel & Spa du Castellet.
In November 2011, the gourmet restaurant entered the Grandes Tables du Monde.
Then in March 2015, the table of the Provençal gourmet restaurant became the "Restaurant Christophe Bacquié". The setting, nestled in the heart of the Hôtel & Spa du Castellet, was completely recreated to be welcoming and calming; work was undertaken to evoke the terroirs and the chasms and depths of the sea; the Chef wanted his guests to be spectators of Provençal nature and its majestic pines that open onto the restaurant for the pleasure of the eyes and the mind.
On 5 February 2018, Christophe Bacquié joined the exclusive circle of the Guide Rouge triple stars. At 45 years of age, these 3 stars place the chef at the height of his career. And 2018 was to witness a succession of rewards! A few months later, Christophe Bacquié was elected Chef of the Year 2018 by Le Chef magazine.
No less than 500 starred chefs, sommeliers, pastry chefs and maîtres d'hôtel were present to discover the results of the vote of the 6,000 chefs listed in the Michelin Guide.
Earlier this year, the restaurant was also awarded the Welcome Trophy (Trophée de l’Accueil) from Gault & Millau. In November, the Chef obtained 5 toques in Gault et Millau and the rating of 19/20. Close to his teams and producers, Christophe Bacquié has kept things simple and has never lost sight of the essential: emotion and passion.
Chef Christophe Bacquié makes it a point of honour to share his passion and experiences with his entire team.
With his deputy, Fabien Ferré, and his pastry chef, Loïc Colliau, they take pleasure in creating new dishes, but also in training young apprentices, like a big family.
A daily exchange, reinforced by years of work within the same team. Today, there is only one passion that unites them: the passion for cooking.
What about this famous gastronomic experience? The appetizer sets the tone: visual, texture, taste, the score is impeccably played and announces in thunderous manner a goldsmith's work.
Through three major foci (Les Signatures du Chef, La Promenade en mer, Au fil de la saison), the gastronome savours the Mediterranean in its most generous and delicate offering. No imposed set menus, no indecipherable dishes, (s)he sails as (s)he pleases and according to his or her taste preferences in this quest for emotion.
Thanks to exceptional products, "90% of which come from local producers", Christophe Bacquié, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2004, awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide since 5 February, 5 toques - 19/20 in Gault & Millau and whose establishment joined the prestigious Grandes Tables du Monde in 2011, sublime Saint-Pierre, crab, mullet, langoustine, veal, pigeon etc. As well as the fruits and vegetables that honour the Provençal terroir (asparagus, courgette flowers, strawberries etc.).
Some of his dishes are known as signature dishes, such as the astonishing Aïoli Moderne with its octopus and vegetables from market gardeners, or the delicate trio of Saint-Pierre, crab, caviar, enhanced by a sour cream flavoured with zest of the kaffir lime.
Lulled and enchanted by these exceptional dishes executed by a brigade as devoted as it is talented and seduced by the judicious choices of the sommeliers, the client cannot remain indifferent to the meticulous ballet of the front of house staff, as discreet as it is efficient....
Christophe Bacquié's cuisine is a cuisine of an author. It is a cuisine that does not worry about the superfluous, one that does not seek to impress by deliberately promoting the technical mastery of the one who executes but who ennobles the terroir thanks to products of irreproachable quality. It is a score played with the heart, not a show of strength. Just let yourself be tempted by the menu....
