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In its ten years of existence, the Gourmet Festival has become an unmissable culinary event whose reputation continues to grow. Every year, internationally renowned chefs are invited to practice their art in partner establishments. "A firework display of flavours! Gourmets be prepared," warns the Comité territorial du tourisme, reminding us of the Festival's values: conviviality and authenticity.
Six Michelin-starred restaurants
Festival regular Marcel Ravin will be officiating at this year's Rosewood Guanahani. Born in Martinique in 1970, this two-star chef is considered one of the most gifted chefs of his generation. Since 2005, he has been in charge of the kitchens at Monaco's prestigious Monte Carlo Bay Hotel.
Three-star chef Dimitri Droisneau returns to Saint-Barth in 2024 to run the kitchens at L'Esprit. Born in 1980 in Evreux, he is the chef of his own restaurant, La Villa Madie, in Cassis.
Fabien Ferré, another three-star chef, will be the guest at Cheval Blanc. Aged 35, he opened La Table du Castelet in 2023, where he is head chef.
Another three-star chef, since 2018, is Christophe Bacquié. Meilleur ouvrier de France, born in Corsica in 1972, he and his wife Alexandra run a guesthouse in the Lubéron, Le Mas des Eydins, which was awarded two stars by the Michelin Guide last March. He will also be working at the Hôtel Le Barthélemy.
Last but not least, Florian Favario. Born in 1982 in Annecy, he earned his second star as chef at L'Auberge de Montmin, just a few kilometers from Lake Annecy. But before that, the chef travelled the world's kitchens, where he cut his teeth. From Japan to Australia, via Thailand, the United States and England (London). He will be a guest at Le Sereno for the duration of the Festival.
Revealed to the general public in 2014 on the TV show Top Chef, Julien Duboué has yet to win a Michelin star. At 43, he is multiplying his experiences (opening a bakery with an all-you-can-eat buffet in Paris in 2018, launching a "street food" concept in 2019, also in Paris). He will be a guest at Nikki Beach.
Claire Heitzler, the only chef
Among all these men, Claire Heitzler will be the only female representative. A pastry chef, she will be dispensing her skills at L'Atelier Joël Robuchon during the Festival. Born in 1978 in Alsace, she won the title of best pastry chef in her region in 1996, aged just 19. She continued her apprenticeship, eventually taking over the pastry shop at Alain Ducasse's restant Beige in Tokyo, Japan. Three years later, in 2027, she took charge of the pastry shop at the Park Hyatt hotel in Dubai. She then returned to Paris and the Ritz, followed by the Lasserre restaurant. In 2015, after being named Pastry Chef of the Year by Gault et Millau, she became "Head of Sweet Creation" at Ladurée.
At Atelier Robuchon, she will be accompanied by Louis Gachet. At 32, he was awarded the title of "meilleur ouvrier de France" in 2023 and his first Michelin star last March for his work as head chef at the Couvent des Minimes in Mane, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region, in the middle of a five-star Relais et Châteaux hotel. This makes him the sixth Michelin-starred chef at this 11th Gourmet Festival.
Open to all
Festival tables are open to all. It goes without saying that reservations go faster than galettes at a family party. As the CTTSB reminds us, the Gourmet Festival "orchestrates a series of exclusive menus prepared by guest Chefs, in the kitchens of partner hotels and restaurants, as well as competitions in which the public can participate". For four days, these 8 great Chefs will regale the island of Saint Barthélemy as ambassadors of French gastronomy and patisserie.
