Franck Giovannini crowned Gault Millau Chef of the Year
Giovannini took the helm of the famous restaurant after the untimely death of Benoît Violier in January 2016.
Keystone
Franck Giovannini, chef of the famed Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, western Switzerland, has been named Chef of the Year 2018 by the Swiss edition of the respected French restaurant guide Gault Millau.
“Franck Giovannini could simplify his life and rest on the laurels of the past, but on the contrary, he is working hard to remain on the road to success, and is doing it with panache,” said Gault Millau editor-in-chief Urs Heller in a statement on Monday.
After Frédy Girardet, Philippe Rochat and Benoît Violier, Giovannini is the fourth chef of the high-end Swiss restaurant to be named Chef of the Year by Gault Millau Switzerland.
The Swiss chef’s emphasis on local products and high-quality vegetarian dishes set him apart from the rest and helped him win the title. Already last year, he had earned the restaurant 19 points from Gault Millau Switzerland out of a possible 20.
The 43-year-old Giovannini leads an “exceptional brigade of 22 cooks,” Gault Millau added. Along with the restaurant boss Brigitte Violier, he leads with “brio”.
Giovannini is also the former right-hand man of Benoît Violier, who won the Gault Millau prize in 2013 but who died tragically in January of 2016.
Another winner of the day was Frenchwoman Virginie Basselot, head of the La Réserve restaurants near Geneva, who emerged as the number one female chef of the year.
More
More
Picking up the baton as the world’s best chef
This content was published on
The at-times frantic clicking on and off of a pen is the only sign of the adrenaline below the surface in this boyish-looking 42-year-old. He’s leading a lunch service at the restaurant in the Lausanne suburbs, which is adorned with three Michelin stars and 19 Gault&Millau points. Last year it was also named best in…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
World’s top chef commits suicide
This content was published on
Violier, a citizen of France and recently of Switzerland, took over the restaurant in 2012 with his wife. The L’Hotel de Ville was named the world’s best restaurant in December by France’s La Liste, and had been awarded three Michelin stars and 19 out of 20 Gault Millau points. Members of the gastronomy community expressed their…
This content was published on
Franck Giovannini has been named head chef of the restaurant L’Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne, following the suicide of renowned chef Benoit Violier on January 31.
This content was published on
The restaurant was named number one in the world by La Liste, a new ranking by the French foreign ministry. When chef Benoît Violier committed suicide earlier this year, his second-in-command and old friend Franck Giovannini had to step into his shoes. He’s an anomaly in this high pressure profession.
Rico Zandonella named Gault Millau Chef of the Year
This content was published on
Zandonella, from canton Ticino, was handed the toque at the “Kunststuben” in Küsnacht, canton Zurich, by Horst Petermann in 2011. The restaurant has since been renamed “Rico’sExternal link”. The Swiss edtion of the French guide on Monday praised Zandonella’s “bold and detailed” cooking, welcoming the fact that he had “shaken up the menu, rejuvenated the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.