Fabrice Desforges

After graduating from the Montluçon Hotel School, he cut his teeth as a sous-chef in several prestigious restaurants, which took him on a journey across France, notably to the Côte d’Azur (Îles Paul Ricard, Saint-Paul de Vence, etc.), where he skilfully combined seafood with produce from the land.

Who is he?

His illustrious career at prestigious establishments has given him a wealth of experience and unfailing versatility. He chose to take control of his own destiny by taking the reins at the Saint-Trop’ around ten years ago.

The kitchen
Its terroir
Know-how

Enriching experiences

Throughout his career, Fabrice Desforges has worked for establishments such as the gourmet restaurant at the Domaine des Dryades near Châteauroux (a 4-star hotel) and the renowned restaurant La Poularde, which held two Michelin stars for thirty-three years in the Loire region.

A true Bourbonnais through and through

He eventually returned to Montluçon, the town where he started out, where he worked as sous-chef to Jacky Morlon at the restaurant Le Grenier à Sel, before opening his own fine-dining restaurant, also situated in the heart of Montluçon’s medieval quarter.

The interview

Which dish do you enjoy cooking the most?

With a restaurant called ‘Le Saint-Trop’’, it was almost a given! Fish in general is definitely what I love cooking and bringing out the best in.

Which dish could you absolutely never eat?

Er… Strangely enough, none!

Do you have a particular memory or anecdote from the kitchen to share with us?

My meeting with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl during the German football team’s stay in Saint-Paul-de-Vence whilst they were competing in the 1998 World Cup.

If you were a sweet treat, you’d be:

A lovely, crispy Arlette (a delicately crisp, caramelised tuile made from puff pastry and icing sugar). It’s delicious and can be adapted to make various desserts (such as a mille-feuille with red berries, for example).

If you were a savoury dish, you’d be:

Once again, the simplest dishes are often the best! So I’d say a tasty rib of beef.

If you were a hashtag, you’d be:

#chocolateislife (but dark chocolate, mind you!)

3 top tips

According to Fabrice

1 (other) good restaurant in this area where you enjoy eating or would enjoy eating:

My friend Jean-Luc Sanguillon’s restaurant, La Table de Reugny.
But I’m definitely planning to try out the restaurant at La Chapelle du Château Saint-Jean, which has just been awarded a Michelin star…