Jacques Reymond

Jacques commenced his gastronomic career by helping out in the kitchen of his parents establishment, the Hotel du Nord in Cuiseaux, France in the famous Burgundy region.

At 16 he studied at the Hotel School in Nice for two years where he received his cooking diplomas with a discerning degree of the “Negresco” promotion. He spent six months in England at the Burford Bridge Hotel in Surrey, where he met his wife Katherine.

Back in France he worked at the famous three star Michelin Restaurant “L’Oustau de Baumaniere in Provence, because of this wonderful experience he decided he would always pursue the standard and quality of cooking he had discovered. Jacques continued his hospitality experience at the Hotel La Verniaz in Evian Les Bains on Lake Geneva, a Relais and Chateaux Hotel.

From there he went to Brazil where he was Chef de Cuisine at the Restaurant Massimo in Sao Paulo and then to the Hotel Tropical in Manaus which at the time was the largest hotel in South America, he was Executive Chef. Jacques gained enormous experience through the different cultures of the people and it helped him understand that there was a different approach to food than the one of his classical french background; he was confident he could create his own style of cooking through inspiration from different continents. Brazil has been a major influence for Jacques in terms of human communication and discovery of tropical products and spices.

Jacques went from there to the prestigious Hotel Velasquez in Madrid, and then felt he had to pursue his experience in France in one of the top French Restaurants. He worked as Chef de Cuisine in a two star Michelin Restaurant called Jacques Cagna in Paris until he felt confident enough to take on his family establishment.

He returned to the family Hotel in Cuiseaux where after two years he received his first Michelin star and built his reputation in Burgundy. After five years he decided to move to Australia with his family for a few years, eighteen years later Australia has become his home and has been at the forefront of Melbourne’s gastronomy ever since.

The last 14 years has seen Jacques Reymond Restaurant voted one of the best in Victoria winning the prestigious top awards from “The Age Good Food Guide”, being the only Restaurant in Victoria to win five times in a row. Also winning many other awards for the quality and standard of its cuisine, service and wine list. The Restaurant has also been nominated Best in Victoria by the Gourmet Traveller Magazine and American Express.

Jacques Reymond combines his French technique with the finest Australian produce and, with the combination of Asian influences, he creates dishes of brilliance and sophistication. The feeling of warmth and intimacy of the premises, blended with the wonderful food and wine list creates the ultimate fine dining experience.

Jacques is also very involved with Turtle Island, a small luxury island resort in Fiji that caters for 14 couples at the most. For the last ten years, Jacques has been the food and wine consultant to the Island visiting every three months. He trains local chefs to use local produce and designs dishes in respect to their traditional culture to ensure that guests from all over the world enjoy fine food and wine during their stay on the Island.

Jacques has filmed a television series for the ABC entitled “Secret Recipes”, each program is about a family and their cuisine, the program was on air for thirteen weeks and was very successful.