René Mathieu, the starred chef at La Distillerie, will be surrounding himself with a new team from 11 January 2024. His new sous-chef will be Michele Tenzone, whom he knows well.
There’s a wind of change at the top of Bourglinster! And for the better!
“We’ve had an exceptional year 2023”, says René Mathieu, who has been chef at La Distillerie and the Côté Cour brasserie since 2005. Starred and ranked as one of the best plant-based restaurants in the world by We’re Smart, the chef has been working since 2017 with his second Archibald De Prince.
Two awards at the Bocuse d’Or Belgium
“This year has been outstanding because our teams have distinguished themselves, in particular with Archie winning the Bocuse d’Or Belgium, and Thibaut Lenaerts winning best commis! They’re both going to the European final in Norway in March”, says the chef with a smile. “I’ve also published a book* and a comic book**,” says the chef, who is looking forward to publishing two more books in 2024, “about wild plants and vegetables”.
“I’m not leaving!”
What about 2024? It will be full of changes. But René Mathieu insists: “I’m not leaving! Let’s face it,” he laughs. Archibald De Prince, whom everyone here calls “Archie”, on the other hand, will be leaving for other projects. “But he’s staying with us until the start of the new academic year, and I’m supporting him and will continue to support him in all his projects”, says the chef. Indeed, the 32-year-old Bocuse d’Or winner has plenty of plans: he already has to prepare for the European final of the competition, which will take place in Norway at the end of March… and if he qualifies, he will be preparing for the grand finals in Lyon in January 2025! In addition, Archibald and his wife Rachel De Prince will be taking over an establishment near Echternach.
A well-known sous-chef
To replace him, René Mathieu has called on a chef he knows well: Michele Tenzone. This Tuesday afternoon, when we met with them, they were already working on their new menu. At 38, the Italian Michele Tenzone already has a wealth of experience behind him. He arrived in Luxembourg in 2011, after hearing the praises of Ilario Mosconi‘s table at the three-star Piazza Duomo restaurant in Alba. He stayed there for six years as sous-chef. “My best experience to date”, he confides. “During those years, I met René on many occasions, because we took part in a lot of events together, even pickings.”
Previous bonds
In 2017, René Mathieu was looking for a second. Michele Tenzone was a candidate: “When I left Mosconi, the only restaurant I was interested in was La Distillerie!” But a phone call one evening changed all his plans: “I was offered the chance to help open a hotel-restaurant in China!” He mentioned it to René Mathieu who, with a visionary attitude, replied: “Go for it! There will always be another opportunity here one day.” Chef Tenzone had a wonderful time in the Guangzhou province, where he even organised a 4-hands week with the maestro of the Château de Bourglinster. It’s a memory that both men look back on with great pleasure. But then Covid came along, and the Italian wanted to return to Luxembourg to bring up his daughter. “It’s a country that offers a lot of opportunities for children. Also, in China, it was very difficult to communicate”, admits the man who only started learning English in 2017.
Taking it one step at a time
In 2022, he returned to Luxembourg and helped open the SixSeven restaurant on the rooftop of the Galeries Lafayette. Then came the opportunity to work with René Mathieu: “La Distillerie is a restaurant identity that I can identify with”. Finally, the two men have the chance to work together.
“We’ll take things one step at a time,” explains a philosophical René Mathieu, adding: “Michele is arriving with three cooks he already knows. The teams will gradually hand over the reins. After that, we’ll have to get to grips with the basics, and then the time will come to develop things together.”
New experiments
The two chefs will be working on plant-based experiments. And while for Michele Tenzone, working in a plant-based restaurant of this level “is a challenge, a step out of [his] comfort zone”, the words of the Michelin-starred chef reassure him: “But he says I can do it…”.
So, for 2024, a new chapter begins for the Château de Bourglinster, as inspired and passionate as ever!
* « Cueillir et cuisiner les plantes sauvages », René Mathieu and Mathlide Combes, éd. Nature & Autonomie.
** « René et Mario, les gardiens de la Terre », by René Mathieu and Mario Willem, éd. My Roots.
