Star chef Frantzén cooks alongside Ducasse at Louis XV
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Swedish chef Björn Frantzén spent a day cooking with Emmanuel Pilon at Le Louis XV as part of Alain Ducasse's Festival des Étoilés.
Swedish chef Björn Frantzén, holder of multiple Michelin stars for his Stockholm restaurant, spent a day working in the kitchens of Le Louis XV at the Hôtel de Paris this week. He cooked alongside Emmanuel Pilon, the restaurant's chef, as part of the Festival des Étoilés, the gastronomic event driven by Alain Ducasse that brings leading chefs from around the world into Monaco's kitchens.
Frantzén described the day as the fulfilment of a long-held ambition, recalling that he had followed Ducasse's career since he was young and without much money to his name. Working a service under the guidance of the Monaco kitchen, he said, was something he had wanted to do for years.
The Festival des Étoilés continues Ducasse's practice of inviting fellow chefs to share a kitchen for a single service, a format that has become a fixture on Monaco's culinary calendar. For residents and visitors following the Principality's dining scene, it is a rare chance to see two distinct culinary traditions meet at one of Monte-Carlo's most established tables.