Richard Toix

When asking Richard Toix what his job is about, he replies like this: «I try to sell people happiness». A tradesman of happiness or a pusher of smiles, such as that of Alexia, who fought against anorexia and writes on Facebook: “I visited Toix. He put on a pair of boxing gloves, three blows with a sharp knife and I was knocked out in less than it was necessary for me to write these lines”.

Born in Perpignan in 1964, the French chef says he’s always wished to do this job: «I wasn’t born in the business. Yet the road I had to take was always obvious to me. I never wanted to think about anything else». He started at 14, attending catering school. His first restaurant as chef was at 25, in Perpignan. Then the important experience with the Roux brothers in London (3 Michelin stars) and in various important French restaurants. Still, he considers himself mostly self-trained.

Together with his wife Laure in 1993 he opened Le Champ de Foire in Lencloître, half an hour from Poitiers. The couple stood out, a Bib gourmand from the Red Guide arrived. Fifteen years later, Toix went looking for a new showcase for his dishes. He was seduced by the charm of a small village, Saint-Benoît, not too far from where he used to work, a quarter of an hour from Futuroscope: the Chalet de Venise.

Last step in May 2007, with Passions & Gourmandises, also in Saint-Benoît. Richard Toix is inspired by products, seasons, the cuisines of the entire world. Were he to save only one of his recipes, he’d choose «my take on oysters with shallot». History doesn’t say if this was the dish that charmed the Michelin inspector, yet the restaurant had a star shining – it never faded – only 9 months after its opening.