In 1965, the Ansanay family welcomed the arrival of little Jean-Christophe at the Ste. Marguerite hospital in Lyon. With a Savoyard hotel-keeper for a grandfather and a Lyon restaurateur for a father, fate seemed to destine him to be a chef. With a life-long love and talent for cooking, he entered the profession as one would holy orders, being consecrated into what he calls "a profession of faith."

While his teachers channeled him toward a literary career, Jean-Christophe had only one word on his lips: cuisine. After receiving his diploma from the Thonon hotel school, he began his apprenticeship at the Casino de Divone then went to Million in Albertville and  Pierre Orsi in Lyon. Determined to become a pastry chef, he worked at Lafay (chocolaterie Armand) but found that the routine did not suit his temperament. After serving as Cristina Onassis' personal chef for a year, he was motivated by his experience to strive even higher. In 1988 he met  Didier Clément, chef of the Grand Hôtel du Lion d’Or in Sologne. "His cooking was very carefully thought out," says Jean-Christophe. "I like it when culinary architecture is reflected on the plate." 

In 1990, he returned to his father's struggling restaurant. Purchased in 1967, this magical place situated on a tranquil island in the  Saône was not attracting the hoped-for clientele. The same year, in another twist of fate, the young chef was injured in a traffic accident that deprived him of the use of his right arm. Those around him urged him to stop cooking: "All the doctors, psychologists and social workers told me that I'd have to give up this career." However they had not factored in the strength of the Lyonnais character. And so he learned to work with his left hand in the family restaurant. The Auberge went through two difficult years in 1991-92, and it was during the Gulf War that Jean-Christophe changed the spirit of his cooking. 1993 brought a new stroke of destiny - but this time a good one - when he was awarded his first Michelin star, giving the restaurant a major boost. In 1996, Jean-Christophe bought the restaurant from his parents and began renovations in order to raise the decor to the level of his cooking.

He offers a creative cuisine, a blend of flavors inspired by his many travels, such as the exotic Breton lobster salad with vanilla oil, or the licorice ice cream in a pain d'épice cone. Among his most acclaimed specialties are the Mushroom velouté served like cappuccino with steamed cubes of foie gras, and the sea bass with wild celery mousseline and black truffle sabayon. When it comes to Lyonnais classics, they are given a fresh new spin in dishes like soft-cooked foie gras with frothed cep emulsion and new green asparagus - a dish rooted in the tradition of Lyonnais liver recipes, but here using foie gras. The crayfish sauce is replaced with a cep emulsion and the plate is rounded off with a spear of asparagus. 

Jean-Christophe's cooking is in complete harmony with the surroundings: refined, elegant and note-perfect. His openness to life has led him to seek out paths to new horizons. His many travels have illuminated his mind and inspired him to create original recipes. As he's fond of saying, you have to keep listening, whether to a person, a product, an object or a feeling...