CLAIM TO FAME   

Executive Chef, Franco Bowanee strikes gold : Honoured with his first Michelin star on 21st January 2019 in Paris the chef, still revelling in his thumbing victory, shared his success story with us : “   To reach such an epitome of excellence his mantra has throughout his journey been an inspiration, dedication, discipline and creativity. Winning the Michelin star was a very moving and proud moment: A lifetime of devotion to his art being given such an unparalleled recognition”.  

“Heading the team at Chateau Vault-de-Lugny as Executive Chef for the past 12 years has been an insightful experience to elevate his culinary finesse’’  

Welcome to  Chef Franco Bowanee’s world of perfection  

THE ROAD TO MICHELIN 

After the completion of his diploma at the ‘ Ecole Hoteliere’ of Mauritius, he entered the realms of the culinary world at Le Labourdonnais Hotel. Six years later he undertook a  two– year diploma course at the Ashworth University USA to broaden his knowledge. Further to which he worked for a short lapse of time alongside Chef Nizam Peeroo. Ready to meet new challenges, he embraced a career in France where he encountered and collaborated with Chef Gérard Besson and Christophe Muller, Executive Chef at Paul Bocuse restaurant in Collonges. His culinary creations and his ability to visualize unique combinations of flavours, herbs and spices fascinated Chef Muller and won him a  sponsorship for the France Culinary College from which he qualified with distinction. 

The true spirit of a chef is his ability to share his knowledge and creativity open heartedly. 

Each element of a meal tells a story that triggers inspiration, tunes our intelligence, and seizes the imagination. Through TV shows hosted locally and internationally, Executive Chef Bowanee initiated his audience to the wonders of his art.“Dans la peau d’un Chef “ ( broadcasted on France 2 ) along Michelin star pastry Chef Christophe Michalak was an enriching platform to showcase his talent. Featuring in“ J’ai faim et Saveurs culturelles“ , a local TV show allowed him to acquaint the Mauritian palate to the burst of flavours inherent to his dishes. He participated in ‘The Wine Burgundy’ tour in Taipei & Hong Kong as part of his quest for lifelong learning.   

Be a flavor bible; picking the right ingredients is what elevates a dish  

Creativity is certainly a gift but no one is born with any mastery of skills. Discipline is the thriving force which can groom abilities to excellence. The tricky part in conceptualizing dishes is to hit the right notes with the audience. Gourmet and fine cuisine are inherently dynamic and entail an interaction between the Chef and the diner. The degree of receptiveness from the audience defines the success of a dish. To ensure that the end customer is highly appreciative of his culinary art, Executive Chef Franco Bowanee undertook the set-up of an organic vegetable garden at the Château de Vault-de-Lugny to secure a permanent supply of fresh vegetables and herbs. His objective is to not only serve  ‘artistically’ alluring dishes but to ensure they are exquisitely luscious and appetizing; packed with freshness, wellness and aroma. His genius lies in creating new dishes as well as bringing forth variations to classics to challenge and delight the diner.  

The Château de Vault-de-Lugny , his artistic gallery  

The Château de Vault-de-Lugny (5-star Hotel, 89200 Vault-de-Lugny), is the playground where he has put his mastery at work. The hotel boasts of a high-end foreign clientele in need of an optimal service. Dividing up and watering down the pool of talent is a demanding task when you are required to provide top-notch service round the clock. The ten– people team led by the Chef caters for breakfast, lunch, afternoon teas, High teas, dinners and room service on a 24/7 basis. The cutthroat competition entails from his strong leadership skills:  

• to foster discipline and maintain consistency in daily operations  
• to pledge that each and every dish is properly cooked, seasoned and plated 
• to  initiate the development of  younger chefs 
• to nurture loyalty in the staff  
• to maintain a positive attitude in the team 

The service industry being hard and taxing, there is no room for mistakes but rather an impetus for continuous improvement.  

Creativity delights in dedication and refinement.  

Passion without creativity tastes like food without salt. Fine cuisine is an art with no boundaries in that it is a constant learning process of new innovative techniques to revamp ideas and cement inspiration. To him, success is a catalyst propelling him to higher grounds to refine his art further. Staying focussed on both short term and long term objectives have a numbing effect :  

‘ Glorifying achievements does not endorse growth ; seeking constant improvement breeds enhanced creativity ‘. 

Harnessed in such wisdom and armed with a vigorous thirst for refinement, Chef Franco Bowanee, sets out to conquer new horizons in culinary art and fine cuisine.