Jérôme Banctel - A chef at the top
On 18 March 2024, Executive Chef Jérôme Banctel was awarded a third Michelin star for Le Gabriel restaurant at La Réserve Paris. The crowing glory of a lifetime`s work and quest for excellence, shared with a team at the top of its game, it marks the culmination of a dream as much as the beginning of a new chapter.
It all began in the small Brittany town of Piré-sur-Seiche, where Jérôme Banctel grew up. More specifically, in the generous kitchen of a grandmother who unwittingly awakened his vocation. As a teenager, he attended the Lycée Hôtelier de Notre Dame in Saint-Méen-le-Grand, where his mission in life was immediately confirmed. “I felt instantly at home there and my penchant for cooking became inescapably obvious” says the now three-Michelin-starred chef. What followed was a path to excellence that began with an internship under the supervision of Michel Kéréver, where he honed his skills, perfected his technique and tasted the joy of sharing emotions. With no doubts in his mind, he began charting his course and was already aiming for the stars, setting himself the goal from the very beginning of becoming the chef of his own restaurant and winning at least two stars of the gourmet kind. Mission accomplished!
Michelin “guides” his way
Representing the ultimate goal for chefs enamored with excellence, the red book guided his path through some of France’s finest establishments. It took him from the Auberge de la Taupinière in Pont-Aven, where his roots in Brittany were further strengthened and then on to Paris, where he discovered the “palace hotel” spirit in the kitchens of the Crillon, featuring 80 busy cooks gravitating around chef Christian Constant. At the age of 24, he began one of the most important stages of his career at L’Ambroisie. For ten years, he learned his trade in this exceptional establishment under its chef Bernard Pacaud. This magnificent school of classicism and rigorous discipline taught him the insane demands of a three-star restaurant. This was followed by an instructive period spent with Alain Senderens, where he honed his food and wine pairing skills, before taking charge of the kitchens as Consultant Chef at Mama Shelter.
This adventure opened up new horizons and enriched him with culinary discoveries from around the world, as he opened restaurants in every corner of the globe.
It also led to a decisive encounter with Michel Reybier. For several years, the two men worked side by side, enjoying each other’s company and sharing a taste for simplicity when expressed through excellence. It was thus only natural that the founder of the Michel Reybier Hospitality Group should think of Jérôme Banctel, just as he was planning to open his gem of a hotel: La Réserve Paris Hotel and Spa just off the Champs-Élysées.
The Le Gabriel adventure
It came at just the right time, as chef Banctel was beginning to dream of new challenges. He naturally accepted without hesitation and together they opened Le Gabriel in the most exclusive Parisian luxury boutique hotel, a precious setting where – from restaurant to spa and library – guests are welcomed as if in their own home. Perfectly aligned with their core values of authenticity and excellence, the two men aimed for the moon. Right from the opening year, the spirit of the place and the finesse of the dishes were recognized by two Michelin stars.
The Banctel style
His culinary identity is expressed in two menus conceived as journeys. The first one – aptly named Virée (Jaunt) – is inspired by his years in Brittany, marked by the taste of buckwheat and seafood. The second, Périple (journey), evokes the first Parisian emotions derived from his culinary masters and those of Japanese cuisine that he loves for its extreme technicality and respect for produce. His hallmarks? Light dishes and sauces prepared without butter or cream; bold, distinctive flavors that are perfectly controlled and balanced, with a deliberately sour twist. His cuisine features shellfish, vegetables and game when the time is right. It awakens the senses through the strength of his simplicity, like his carrots à la chaux cooked in limewater. The latter dish single-handedly expresses everything he loves about cooking: seeking the quintessence of taste from everyday produce, stirring pure emotions through techniques he is passionate about inventing – and all with the aim of concentrating flavors.
When the stars align!
Awarded on 18 March 2024, this third Michelin star represents the culmination of a lifetime’s work, the ultimate reward for a battle waged day in, day out, with a team at his side characterized by absolute skill and commitment. “I know what I owe them”, says the man who has been in their shoes and knows the passion and energy it demands. “If there is a victory today, it is certainly a collective one and extends well beyond the kitchen”, he continues. He is keenly aware that such an ultimate accolade can only be won if the experience is impeccable and unforgettable from start to finish: from the welcome to the decoration of the dining room, along with the atmosphere, the table setting and the service – all of which must convey the messages conducive to savoring culinary delights in a smooth, elegant and natural manner. As Jérôme Banctel is delighted to confirm: “It’s only through the excellence of each individual that a restaurant can achieve its ultimate renown.” These words echo those spoken by Michel Reybier at the in-house celebration that followed the event, where he expressed with great emotion how touched he was by the team’s enthusiasm, the moment the news broke.
What else might one dream of?
“Everything, because this is where it all begins!” says the chef, who feels more liberated than ever, happy and above all driven by new desires. For him, while the third star is the culmination of a nine-year quest for excellence, it is definitely not an end in itself. Instead, it gives wings to his imagination and his desire to open other doors, to invent new experiences, to push back boundaries…
That makes nine stars for the Michel Reybier Hospitality Group!
Le Gabriel’s enchanted trilogy sparkles alongside other stars such as the two awarded to chef Éric Canino for his marvelous “La Voile” restaurant at La Réserve Ramatuelle Hotel, Spa and Villas, where guests can savor sublime cuisine pervaded by pure creativity, while enjoying an incredible view of the Mediterranean. The one honoring Franck Xu for the Tsé Fung – Switzerland’s only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant – at La Réserve Genève Hotel and Spa, which embarks the senses on a journey through Asian flavors and the velvety, lacquered ambiance of a Shanghai palace on the shores of Lake Geneva. The one rewarding the wide-open kitchen of the Eden Kitchen & Bar at La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich, where chef Marco Ortolani orchestrates a world of flavors tinged with hints of Italy, Argentina and Hong Kong. The one earned by the panoramic Capri restaurant at Mont Cervin Palace Zermatt, where resident chef Vincenzo Tedeschi invites the South to the summit of the Alps. Not forgetting those – including a green star – shining at the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa through chef Stefan Beer’s ultra-modern dishes, inspired by terroir and composed like works of art.
Always ready to open their kitchens, the chefs of Michel Reybier Hospitality establishments love nothing more than to share their experiences with their peers and, whenever the opportunity arises, to compose menus in partnership. “Their talents and their complementary skills are an invaluable strength”, says Michel Reybier. “And our sense of companionship is an incredibly stimulating source of healthy emulation, driving us onwards and upwards”, concludes Jérôme Banctel.
After all, isn’t it by looking upwards that one can reach for the stars?
This article is an excerpt from La Réserve Magazine N° 31 by Michel Reybier Hospitality, which you can consult online here.