As of June 30, Chef Jean-François Piège will quit the stoves at Thoumieux in Paris. The star chef—who is a judge on the French version of Top Chef—has been at the helm of the Brasserie Thoumieux and the gastronomic restaurant upstairs. Piège has sold the mini-empire to the Costes brothers’ Beaumarly Group. Thierry Costes announced that Sylvestre Wahid, the Michelin two-starred chef from l'Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence, will be taking the reins.
Jean-François Piège will be devoting his energy to a brand new venture: a gastronomic restaurant called “Jean-François Piège, le Grand Restaurant”—which will be opening in the heart of the Golden Triangle in September. (The exact address is 7 rue d'Aguesseau in the 8th arrondissement.) The kitchen will be enormous, and serve as a real “laboratory for haute cuisine.” It’s a bit of a homecoming for Piège, who first made a name for himself in another 8th arrondissement kitchen: at the Hotel de Crillon.
Note: Jean-François Piège made a splash with the opening of Clover in St Germain last December, and he will continue to focus on the cuisine there, as well.
Images: Clover restaurant by Rina Nurra; Chef Jean-François Piège by Stephane de Bourgies
