Gilles Epié

Gilles Epié started working at the age of 14 and trained with Alain Senderens and Alain Ducasse at Lucas-Carton in Paris;[7] After he traveled the world and learned its cuisine he returned to Paris. It was here that he received the Michelin Star in 1980 for his restaurant Le Miravile. He was the youngest chef to receive the same.[8]

He continued working at Paris and was the chef at several top restaurants likes Miravile (owner), Paris; La Petite Cour, St. Germain, Paris.[9] After mastering Paris, he left in 1995 to explore US cuisine, speaking not a word of English. He worked as the head chef of L’Orangerie, Los Angeles where he introduced a Provençal-inspired style of cooking. Within a year was voted the Best Chef In America of 1996 by Food & Wine Magazine.[8][9][10] He took the restaurant from empty tables to being booked in advance, and single-handedly took that establishment from a three-star to a five-star restaurant within six months.[10]

Later, he bought and operated the Beverly Hills restaurant Chez Gilles along with a partner Jean Denoyer.[11]

With the culinary fusion of French/ California dishes, he has impressed a lot of movie stars, supermodels and politicians across the world.[10] He has cooked a Presidents Dinner for George Bush, Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford. He has also cooked for the King of Sweden, Sheik of Qatar, Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Sharon Stone, Michel Polnareff, Gregory Peck, Richard Gere, Elizabeth Taylor, and Princess Diana.[12]

After 10 years in the United States, Epié decided to return to the Paris after his dream restaurant location opened up. He tried a couple of canteens before opening Citrus Etoile in 2005 along with his wife, former model/ actress, Elizabeth Epié. He named the restaurant in honour of his friend Michel Richard and his Los Angeles restaurant, Citrus. Citrus Etoile was chosen to be a member of the Châteaux & Hotels Collection - Tables remarquables.[13] Citrus Etoile was also featured in Alain Ducasse’s book, J’Aime Paris.[14][15] The restaurant was also part of the Tous au Restaurant food festival in 2012.[16] After 12 years in the best restaurant district in world on the Champs Elysées, Chef Epie closed Citrus Etoile and went back to America to bring his cuisine to the country he has always loved.[6][5]

Chef Epié is also the expert food correspondent for the BBC. In February 2012, he traveled along with 4 other Michelin star chefs in the MSC Splendida as part of their special cruises.[17] In 2012, he was invited to be part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Alain Ducasse's Louis XV restaurant held at Monte Carlo.[18] Chef Epié and his son, Renald, were also featured in a small group of top chefs in the cookbook "La Truffe" from the restaurant Maison de la Truffe to celebrate their 80th anniversary in November 2012 with 80 truffle recipes.[19]

In April 2013, Gilles Epié opened up a Bistro in the International Terminal 2 of the Charles de Gaulle Airport at Paris. Called Frenchy's, it is made in Parisian brasserie style with 150 seats and a light bar.[20][21] In 2015, he was at the kitchen of the Clef des Champs in Mauritius to offer his style of cooking to Mauritians.[22]

In November 2016, along with chef Juan Jose Cuevas, he presented a 1919’s Guest Chef Dinner Series, a culinary event that took place on the island of Puerto Rico. They presented a collaborative seven-course menu[23] .[24] In 2016, chef Epié was featured in the first James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner.[25] Epié also received a lifetime achievement award at the "Best of Fests" Award Ceremony.[26]

In 2017, along with other celebrity chefs, Epié cooked at the second edition of the culinary festival Cuisine of the Sun, at Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa.[27] He also hosted a dinner, which was a unique gastronomic experience at the IBEROSTAR Gran Hotel Paraíso.[28]

After closing Citrus Etoile in 2017, in 2018, Gilles Epié joined the culinary team of Juvia, Miami Beach.[29]

In Feb 2019, Epié will be hosting a dinner at The Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF®).[30]

Epié creates classic French dishes with American accents. California influenced Epié's style of cooking and he cooking for those who did not want to put on weight. So he started taking on Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Mexican dishes. He is known for his rich bold tastes that he creates without butter or cream.[31]

He also explains that the secret to a great dish is always using fresh ingredients.[10]

Because his kitchen has people visiting from across the world, Chef Epié does not use pork. He doesn’t believe in chefs who claim to have recipes passed down through generations or secret ingredients. He also has an online cookbook that is free for anyone to use.[32]

In 2011, Chef Epié was part of a one-day episode on Messmer, "more than a hypnotist" as a guest. Gilles Epié did two seasons of his reality show in France for Canal+/Cuisine+, Dans La Vraie Vie D’un Grand Chef (the true life of a grand chef) that features his restaurant where he works alongside his wife Elizabeth and son Renald.[33][34][35]

He also did 20 episodes (2 Seasons) of “un Frenchy en cuisine” which aired on Cuisine+ in 2015.[12][36]

• 2018 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2013 Tripadvisor's Certificate of Excellence, Citrus Etoile
• 2008 Best Restaurant in Paris to do "a business lunch", Citrus Etoile
• 2006 Top 100 Hot Restaurants In The World by Condé Nast Traveler 2006, Citrus Etoile
• 2006 Citrus Etoile mentioned as a "must visit" new restaurant in Paris by NY Times and Condé Nast Travel
• 1996 Best New Chef, Food & Wine Magazine
• 1980 Michelin Star

• Official website
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