“You have to move forward and take the big leap to achieve your own goals.”declares Romain Leydier. The chef, who worked at the Hôtel de Vendôme alongside Gérard SalléLa Tour d’argent, La Marée and the San Regis hotel in Paris, took over Le Champ de Mars, a gastronomic institution in Meaux, in November 2023. Back home, the Briard hopes to soon win a star in a department that is not very well-equipped in this area, with Seine-et-Marne having only four starred establishments.
To do this, the chef relies on mainly local and seasonal products: “The star isn’t me, it’s the product. I am the last link in the chain of producers […] The culture of sourcing is close to my heart: 80% of our products grow within 7 kilometers of the restaurant.” The crab and its Brie caviar (Beluga lentils prepared with a samphire gel), or the veal shoulder confit for 30 hours and its seasonal stuffing are among his signature dishes.
Accessible gastronomy
The chef’s creations are available in the form of a business menu (three courses, €49), a seven-course tasting menu renewed every day (€90), and a menu (four starters, four main courses , four desserts). “We asked ourselves a lot about the single menu, but we thought that in this territory, it was more appropriate to offer choice because we are not there to impose, but to ensure that each customer has their own experience.”observes his partner Christian Moisset. And Romain Leydier added: “There is no ego. We wanted accessible gastronomy, breaking the codes of luxury a little to have a more genuine approach, which scares customers less. There is no tablecloth, for example.”
75-80% of the workforce is female
When opening a business, recruiting can sometimes be tricky. Not this time, says the chef: “We very quickly found extraordinary young people, volunteers, hyper professionals… 75-80% of the staff are women. A new thing for me. With women, there is no relationship of conflict, of opposition. They are more precise, more attentive. It is a different intelligence of the hand from that of men.”
