Culinary Philosophy
Born January 13, 1951 in Chamalières (Puy-de-Dôme), Bernard Loiseau began his training with the Troisgros brothers in Roanne, and then worked for Claude Verger before opening his own restaurant in 1982. The establishment had already known some years of fame, thanks to Alexandre Dumaine who had made it an international gastronomic destination in the 1960s. Bernard Loiseau would make it his life's work, constantly striving to perfect its style, architecture, gardens and hotel, to be crowned with the creation of the luxurious spa which has graced the property since 2001.

In 1991, Loiseau joined the highest ranks of the French culinary world when he received the prestigious three star rating from the Michelin Guide. He would later speak of it as one of the most significant moments of his life.

1998 marked a turning point in his career: in collaboration with the agro-food company AGIS, Loiseau launched a line of cooked foods bearing his name for mass-market distribution. He once compared himself to Yves St. Laurent, saying "I do both haute couture and ready-to-wear." The same year saw the birth of the Groupe Bernard Loiseau SA. After buying the Restaurant Tante Louise in Paris, Loiseau became the only chef whose culinary empire was traded on the stock exchange, an event that made the front page of the New York Times.

Bernard Loiseau showed the way to a new culinary approach…
Loiseau's cooking style seeks above all to highlight the natural flavours of local products, while considerably restricting the use of fats and sugar, thus introducing a new current into French cooking.

His style is one of "purifying," bringing together simplicity and lightness. It is a refined rustic cuisine that allows you to taste the flavours of traditional ingredients.

In his book L'Envolée des Saveurs (The Rise of Flavours), he explains that sauce bases made in advance and flour-based thickeners that mask flavours must be banished from the kitchen.

In most of his lightened and refined recipes (no cream, no floury sauces, few spices), all elements are cooked separately and combined in the plate at the last moment. This is another guiding principle of Bernard Loiseau's cooking, which always strives for authenticity of flavours.