Alexandre Couillon
French chef
Alexandre Couillon (born December 9, 1975) is a French chef based in Noirmoutier. Featured in the 2018 Netflix documentary series Chef's Table: France, Couillon's seafood restaurant La Marine, which he inherited from his parents and which he now runs with his wife Celine, has received a three-star rating from the Michelin Guide.
Early life and career
When Couillon was six years old, his parents bought La Marine, a small cafe in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île. Initially not interested in cooking, he decided to pursue a career in the culinary world after watching Michel Fornareso cook on TV. He applied for a job under Fornareso, demonstrating his early talent with his mother's apple pie recipe.
La Marine
Couillon later worked for Michelin star-awarded chef Michel Guerard, but soon got a call from his father who offered him to take over their island restaurant. Couillon and his wife, after some hesitation, moved back to the island to save the ailing restaurant. Toward the end of a seven-year trial period for the restaurant, a visiting journalist covered the restaurant that led to a first Michelin star for the cafe months later.
The award inspired Couillon and his team to experiment with new dishes. But it was an intern's mistake with the squid bouillon that led Couillon to apply the messed-up sauce to a fresh oyster on a big white plate, which in turn led to a slew of other simple compositions that reflected life on Noirmoutier. Couillon's new direction earned his restaurant its second Michelin star.
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