Born in Valence (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France) in 1970, Jean-François Piège has held two Michelin stars at Le Grand Restaurant in Paris (France) since 2016 and, since autumn 2024, directs the culinary programme at the Selman Marrakech palace in Marrakesh-Safi (Morocco).
Piège’s career began in the presidential kitchens of the Élysée before he joined Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée (Paris). In 2004 he took charge of Les Ambassadeurs at Hôtel de Crillon, winning two Michelin stars and being named Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau in 2007.
He turned entrepreneur in 2009 with Thoumieux (Paris VII) and, on 15 September 2015, opened Le Grand Restaurant in Rue d’Aguesseau (Paris VIII). The 20-seat laboratory—modern broths, low-pressure cooking and an open pass—earned two stars in the 2016 guide and has retained them through 2025. Since 2024 the menu features a monthly “Tour de France des Territoires”, spotlighting small regional producers.
Alongside fine dining, Piège revived bourgeois classics at La Poule au Pot (Paris I), which gained one Michelin star in 2019, explored elegant grilling at Clover Grill (Paris I) and vegetable-driven cuisine at Clover Green (Paris VI). In 2021 he opened Mimosa inside Hôtel de la Marine (Paris VIII), celebrating devilled eggs in French style.
His international outlook took shape in late 2024, when the Selman Marrakech appointed him director of culinary operations: “La Terrasse by Jean-François Piège” pairs heritage couscous with roast-poultry consommé overlooking the Atlas Mountains. The same year he cooked a four-hands dinner at the San Domenico Palace – Four Seasons in Taormina, Sicily (Italy), with chef Massimo Mantarro.
Piège sums up his philosophy: “For everything to stay the same, everything must change.” Classical precision meets playful touches—smoked sweetbread soufflé, fraises Tagada re-imagined as bavarois. From 2010 to 2019 he served as a judge on Top Chef France (M6), helping demystify haute cuisine for a broad audience.
Away from service he writes the encyclopedia Territoires de France and mentors young cooks in his “Grand Atelier,” where they experiment with fermentation and differential sous-vide cooking.
