Raphaël Vionnet
Executive Chef & Owner
Restaurant Raphaël Vionnet
Thonon-les Bains, France
Chef Raphaël Vionnet grew up in Jura, France, a wine region famous for its vin jaune, a dry white wine. This classic wine is an important component of Vionnet’s signature cooking. His love of food started at a young age in the kitchen cooking with his two grandmothers. Against the advice of his teachers, in 1995 he left traditional school to follow his dream, attending the Lycée Professionnel H. Friant in Poligny, the capital town of Comté made famous for its cheese.
During his career, Chef Raphaël has worked with such great name French chefs as Laurent Petit (Michelin three-star, Le Close des Sens), Yoann Conte (Michelin two-star, Yoann CONTE), Romuaild Fassenet (Michelin one-star, Meilleur Ouvrier de France) and Jean-Paul Jeunet (Michelin two-star, Maison Jeunet).
In 2011, he became the chef at Auberge du Bois-Prin in Chamonix, the world-famous ski resort in the French Alps. In just eight short months, he was awarded his first Michelin star.
In 2014, he realized a childhood dream by opening his own eponymously named Restaurant Raphaël Vionnet on the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) in Thonon-les Bains, where he can admire his native Jura across the lake. In February 2016 he was awarded a Michelin star, which he’s received every year since.