Frédéric Le Guen-Geffroy

A true Breton, “semi-salted,” born in Rennes in 1975. He spent his entire childhood in Dinard, a beautiful seaside town—touristy and bourgeois—on the Emerald Coast in Ille-et-Vilaine. As the grandson of a restaurateur, he was always immersed in the world of cooking, and by the age of 12, he already knew what his career would be. After graduating from the culinary high school in Dinard, he worked his way through the finest restaurants and luxury hotels along the French Riviera, in the Basque Country, and in Paris—most of which were run by MOF-certified chefs who taught him discipline, an appreciation for seasonal ingredients, and perseverance, but above all, a love for quality ingredients. Since 2006, he has been the head chef in the executive dining room of the National Federation of Public Works on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

He has long had—perhaps even since he can remember—a deep-seated love for all kinds of charcuterie and cured meats, but pâté en croûte has stood out on its own, thanks to its complexity, technical skill, refinement, aesthetic appeal, and diversity. This craft also presents him with so many challenges—combined with such pleasure—that he decided to enter the World Pâté en Croûte Championship. He was crowned world champion in 2023. Shortly thereafter, he wrote two books on the subject: *La Geste du Pâté en Croûte* and *L’Art du Pâté en Croûte*. They were a huge success, as within seven months they were already in their fourth printing.