A Meilleur Ouvrier de France (2000) and TV face of Top Chef and Kitchen Nightmares France, Philippe Etchebest earned two Michelin stars at Hostellerie de Plaisance and repeated the feat with Maison Nouvelle in Bordeaux in 2025, after the single star at Le Quatrième Mur.
Born 2 December 1966 in Soissons to a Basque chef father, Etchebest grew up in the family restaurant in Bordeaux and played semi-professional rugby before devoting himself fully to cooking. In 2000 he gained the coveted MOF – Cuisine collar, setting a career anchored in technical rigour and bold, clean flavours.
After leading L’Oison at Château des Reynats (one Michelin star, 2001) he moved to Hostellerie de Plaisance in Saint-Émilion, achieving two stars in 2008 with a south-west cuisine of foie gras, red mullet and perfectly reduced sauces.
In 2015 he opened the Bordeaux brasserie Le Quatrième Mur with its tiny chef’s-table “Table d’Hôtes,” which won one Michelin star on 5 February 2018 for an essential menu served counter-side.
Late in 2021 he launched Maison Nouvelle in the Chartrons district; local produce such as imperial prawns and Léognan vegetables, handled with French technique, earned two stars confirmed in the 2025 guide.
Meanwhile he became a television personality: since 2011 host of Cauchemar en cuisine on M6 and, from 2015, a permanent judge on Top Chef France, sharing brigade discipline and respect for ingredients with millions of viewers.
His national honours include Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (2019) and Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite (2011). Today, through Maison Nouvelle, he pursues “flavour saturation without frills,” offered in a seasonal tasting menu.
