Marseille attracts a new generation of talented young chefs

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On the plates, 100% plant-based. Healthy dishes enjoyed on the terrace. A restaurant vegan was launched last spring in the heart of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) by a couple in their thirties. “The plant offering is quite underdeveloped in Marseille. It’s something that we’ve been seeing in Paris for several years now, and I think we wanted to give it its place”says Nicolas Plumelle, co-manager of the Mauvaise herbe restaurant. And the recipe works: 70 place settings served every lunchtime.

With its sun, its tourists and its mix of cultures, Marseille has attracted more and more young chefs in recent years. At 36, Hugues Mbenda has found his place. On the Noailles market, a stone’s throw from his restaurant, he has at hand all the products necessary for his fusion cuisine between Africa and the Mediterranean.

That day, he will prepare a sweet potato gnocchi stuffed with mushrooms, drizzled with Congo lemongrass broth and accompanied by shiitake. Having passed through large Parisian restaurants, it was finally in Marseille that he chose to settle down. “I find that it’s a city that gives young people the opportunity to do business. When you’re young, you don’t have a lot of resources. If you want to do business, the prices are a little more accessible”confides Hugues Mbenda, chef of the Libala and Kin restaurants. For three years, its double restaurant, brasserie at lunchtime, gourmet in the evening, has won the loyalty of a clientele in search of culinary discoveries.

Further away from the city center, in a wine bar, a special evening around locally produced peppers is held. In the kitchen, an independent chef invited for the occasion. Of Indian origin, Zuri Camille de Souza found the perfect environment for cooking in Marseille. “In Marseille, everyone knows each other. There is a real intimacy around those who work in the world of gastronomy. And it’s beautiful because we support each other,” she says. Tempura peppers with raw vegetables in all sauces, Marseillais came to taste without hesitation. “Marseille, anyway, is a very creative city and gastronomy has been part of this creativity for several years, and it has really exploded,” assures a customer.

Marseille only has four starred restaurants, but the city is teeming with ideas. A new emulation which has placed the city on the gastronomy map.