Born in France’s Haute-Loire in 1956, Régis Marcon has led the family-run Restaurant Marcon since 1979. Holder of three Michelin stars since 2005 and a Michelin Green Star, he celebrates wild mushrooms, Puy lentils and Vivarais game with classical precision and deep respect for his alpine terroir.
Régis Marcon was born on 14 June 1956 in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, the youngest of seven in a family of hoteliers. After hotel school in Saint-Chély-d’Apcher he took over his mother’s inn in 1979, gradually transforming it from Clos des Cimes into today’s Restaurant Marcon.
Competition triumphs—Prix Taittinger 1989, Prix Brillat-Savarin 1992 and, above all, the Bocuse d’Or 1995—catapulted him onto the international stage.
In 2005 the restaurant earned its third Michelin star, reconfirmed in the 2025 guide, and later a Green Star for ultra-short supply chains: forest mushrooms, alpine herbs and lamb from the Vivarais-Lignon plateau. He now cooks side by side with his son Jacques Marcon, creating seasonal tasting menus such as the eight-course Forêt et Volcan.
Marcon’s philosophy rests on three pillars—territory, seasonality, transmission. Signature dishes include Cèpe and chestnut soup, Beef fillet with Puy green lentils and Grand-cru chocolate with fir-spruce sorbet, blending classical French technique with local produce. In 2022 Gault & Millau honoured him with its “Coup de cœur Durable” for training: the family runs two hotels, a bistro and a cookery school specialising in forest products.
A prolific author, Marcon has published more than a dozen titles—including Champignons and the series Recettes de nos montagnes—and champions the gastronomic heritage of Ardèche and Haute-Loire at events such as Bocuse d’Or Winners and the 2024 Constance Festival Culinaire.
