Interview: Aurélien Mallia, our private chef in the Southwest of France

THE PATH OF A LOCAL: FROM BORDEAUX TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

Born in Bordeaux, Aurélien Mallia has cooking in his blood. His great-grandfather and his grandfather already ran a recognised institution in La Rochelle: Bar André. After them, his parents also opened a restaurant in Bordeaux: Bachi-Bou.

It therefore seemed obvious that Aurélien would take up the family business of restaurants. Yet as a shy young boy, he quickly turned away from serving in the dining room to take refuge in the kitchen. It was a world he already had good preposition for, and where he ultimately felt comfortable. 

The young Aurélien gained his experience in Jean-Marie Esposito's restaurant, Estacade, in Bordeaux. There, he continued his apprenticeship with chef Frédéric Monteumont before taking his first position in Australia, as a party chef in Champagne alongside chef Olivier Burgos, a true godfather of cuisine, and who would ultimately become his mentor.

Arriving back in France after this exceptional experience, he went to prestigious brasseries in the city of Bordeaux before embarking for 6 months with the Oceana Cruise line. It was a new adventure which taught him rigor, which he describes today as "very intense" and "almost military-like". 

After his voyage at sea, he joined the team of La Corniche, in Pyla-sur-Mer, and then joined the brigade of various 5-star hotels by the sea or in the mountains. He especially enjoyed his experience at the Domaine des Trois Vallées in Val Thorens in the luxurious establishment of Altapura. By forging his know-how and creativity, Aurélien is an outstanding chef whose excellent track record has only grown longer over the years.

THE CANADIAN ADVENTURE

Aurélien Mallia was only 24 years old, but already had solid experience, when he flew to Canada and opened his own restaurant: La Baraque, where he worked for the first time as a chef. But after a year, it was a cold wake-up call, as he had to leave the country and return to France due to visa problems. He then resumed his post at La Corniche before being authorised to leave for Montreal.

For him ,it was the beginning of a new adventure ... In partnership with Isam Souki, he took the reins of a Spanish restaurant that focused on reinventing tapas, and making it into a luxury version. After that, he participated in the opening of Birks, a 5-star establishment where he eventually became the right-hand man of Romain Abrivard, the head of the gourmet luxury restaurant Henri. He worked there for a year before leaving Montreal for Martinique in the Caribbean, then France. 

AURÉLIEN Mallia: HIS VISION, HIS CUISINE AND HIS universe 

In the many restaurants in which he worked at, Aurélien was impressed by the rigor and pedagogy demonstrated by the chefs he worked with. Ironically, it was in Australia under the tutelage of Olivier Burgos that Aurélien rediscovered the basics and classics of French gastronomy. It was an experience that marked his style, without taking anything away from its bits of madness and spontaneity, which are the stars of his cuisine. 

Aurélien is therefore a traveler. But although he has crossed the globe, he is still madly in love with his native region. He makes it a point of honour to work with local, fresh and seasonal products, which he likes to buy at the La Teste de Buch market. It is there, in the stalls, that he meets the producers in search of new products and new ideas.