Originally from the Sarthe, Laurent Richet (39) has followed his passion: the restaurant business.

“My father was a test pilot for Renault, and my mother was technical controller for a major company. They would sometimes help out restaurateur friends, and take me with them. That was my initiation, how I “fell in” when I was 13 years old. After that, I’d offer my services to restaurants during the school holidays. When I left secondary school I was taken in at the Ferrandi school. That ran against the wishes of my parents, who wanted me to continue my studies as I had good marks. I was in cooperative education between school and the Michelin 2-star restaurant Au pressoir under Mr. Henri Seguin. By the end of the second year, I had already worked my way up to station man. I had 5 people under my command. I won Best Apprentice in France in 1985. Then Mr Seguin sent me to work for Faugeron (2 Michelin stars), where I learnt a whole new kind of cuisine, just as rich, and that I liked immensely. I stayed a year before moving on to work under Jamin (alongside Rebuchon at the time), arriving just before they were awarded their third Michelin star; let’s not forget, they won three Michelin stars in as many years. It was an extremely rigorous place to work, but at the same time gave me an extraordinary and exciting “education”. Then I did my military service at the Ministry of Foreign Commerce, managed at the time by Mrs Edith Cresson, after which I followed her to the Ministry of Trade & Industry. Then I went back to work for Henri Seguin for another year and a half. That’s when I met Mr André Demeneix, owner of La Marmite, where I went in as second chef in 1989.

I quickly took over from the head chef who was leaving, and was running La Marmite by 1997. My darling wife Valerie, who I met when I was 18, puts in a huge amount of work, as does my dynamic and professional team. La Marmite is Rungis! and this world has simply bowled me over; the world of hard work, respect and passion for produce. The world of my customers… We serve 150 covers a day for as wide a customer base as possible: company managers, senior executives, salespeople, lorry drivers, carriers, etc. I’ve stuck with a classically-inspired cuisine including dishes like calf’s head and blanquette. I also work an awful lot with fish. My “flagship” dishes are mussel soup with foie gras, country-style rib of veal with morels, and the delicious warm melted chocolate cake. I am extraordinarily lucky to be installed at Rungis, which for me is the showcase for quality produce. We’ve got everything: from major distribution platforms to small-scale traditional market gardeners. All you have to do is choose and it’s a real feast! I also have the immense pleasure of working on a programme on table produce broadcast daily on France 3 at 13.15 in the afternoon. I try to share my passion for the things I like, and to show how Rungis has the best produce in the world. Rungis really is the flagship of gastronomy…”.