Saint-Etienne, France
€€ ・ Modern Cuisine
Youth, enthusiasm and creativity: chef Matéo Ravel is a veritable ball of energy, a matru – "kid" in the Saint-Étienne dialect – who is still only in his early 20s. Here in his trendy bistro with an open kitchen and exposed pipes, he nurtures a network of small-scale producers and natural winegrowers in the Loire. Some of his passion for the trade is also dedicated to making items from scratch: fermented drinks made with indigenous yeasts (beers, kefir, lemonades), sourdough bread, salted bacon matured lardo di Colonnata-style with pork from the Cantal region… And as for his dishes, they are packed with flavour: eg aubergine tarte Tatin, moules-frites and mayonnaise with a twist.