Alexandre Gauthier, the leader of the pack

Between La Grenouillère, Froggy's Tavern, Anecdote, Grand Place Café, and Sur Mer: how many hands, minds, and hearts does it take to keep five places running that are so diverse in their offerings yet geographically close?

Strategic Expansion

First came La Grenouillère, the flagship establishment and haute couture culinary laboratory taken over in 2003, followed by Froggy's Tavern four years later with its decadent spit-roasted cuisine, and then Anecdote, with its slow-cooked dishes paying homage to his father, Roland Gauthier. Far from being driven by delusions of grandeur, Alexandre Gauthier's expansion over twenty years was fueled by a sense of responsibility and a desire to be a 360° chef. "I wanted to create places where I wanted to go, those that were missing in the village, those that I felt in my gut." No place to sip coffee every day and console families after a funeral? That's what inspired Alexandre Gauthier to create Grand Place Café. No seaside spot to enjoy a good moules-frites year-round? That’s the raison d’être of Sur Mer.

Teamwork

While Alexandre Gauthier is the driving force behind a team of no fewer than 90 people, he relies on invaluable talents whose roles are crucial across the board. Chief among them is Lizzie Girard, the General Director and an essential cog in the machine. "We're not a duo at the top," he readily admits, referring to the need to establish a presence across the different venues, recruit, and manage both the daily routine and the extraordinary. Equally indispensable are the "Swiss army knife" individuals who connect the teams, such as Samuel Pesquet, Executive Chef; Louise Marquant, roving Floor Manager; and Camille Geneviève, Chief Assistant. Together with the managers and right-hand people at each location, they form a cohesive team through both the joys and the challenges.

Resilience and Determination

At the end of 2023, unprecedented floods brought 470 liters of water per square meter to the Pas-de-Calais in just three weeks. For the first time in its history, La Grenouillère found itself completely submerged, suffering significant material damage and forced to close indefinitely. Far from being defeated, Alexandre Gauthier and his team remain steadfast. Their guiding principles for 2024? Resilience and determination, now more than ever. They refuse to succumb to self-pity: "The good news is that we are healthy, and there was no human tragedy. I absolutely don't want a sense of injustice to take hold or for people to see me as a victim.

Par Laurène Petit

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