In Saint-Étienne and throughout the Loire, Gautier Wonner creates private dining experiences that go beyond simply recreating a restaurant in his clients' homes. His approach combines French gastronomy, creativity, seasonal produce and a strong interest in plant-based ingredients, with one constant ambition: turning a meal into a genuine experience.
His culinary identity has been shaped by an unusual career spanning fine dining, education and culinary research before he chose independence and private dining.
From Institut Paul Bocuse to culinary research
Gautier Wonner trained at Institut Paul Bocuse, now known as Institut Lyfe, where he developed a strong foundation in both classical French cuisine and contemporary techniques. During his career, he worked alongside renowned chefs including Davy Tissot, Bocuse d'Or winner, and Florent Boivin, Meilleur Ouvrier de France.
After gaining experience in gastronomic and Michelin-starred restaurants, he returned to Institut Paul Bocuse in a different role, becoming a teaching sous-chef. For two years, he contributed to training and passing on culinary knowledge to students.
He later joined the Institut Paul Bocuse Research Center as a culinary R&D chef. It was an environment where cooking, precision, innovation and research into food practices came together. This experience helped shape an approach in which technique remains firmly at the service of the ingredient and the guest experience.
A cuisine inspired by tradition, plants and the Loire
Today, as a private chef, Gautier Wonner has developed his own culinary universe around Saint-Étienne and across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. His cuisine retains the foundations of French gastronomy while giving an important place to vegetables, fermentation, herbs and wild plants.
The choice of ingredients is central to his work. Seasons guide his menus, while the chef favours carefully selected produce, including meat from artisan butchers in the Loire and fish sourced through suppliers chosen for their responsible practices.
On the plate, this philosophy can take many forms: fermented cucumber water with herb oil, morels with a vegetable cream, scallops accompanied by fruity notes and ponzu, beef fillet Rossini, or desserts exploring apples, pears, nuts and spices.
From market-inspired menus to gastronomic experiences
Gautier Wonner expresses his cuisine through several levels of experience. His “Retour du marché” menu focuses on generous seasonal cooking, built around the produce available and presented with careful attention to plating.
With his “Balade gourmande”, French classics meet a more contemporary style. The chef explores combinations, textures and contrasts while maintaining an accessible and clearly defined culinary identity.
His Prestige menus take the experience further. Dinner may begin with a “Rituel des 4 Éléments”, a series of bites inspired by water, earth, fire and air. It is an invitation for guests to slow down and gradually enter the chef's culinary universe.
When dining becomes an experience
This creative approach also extends beyond the traditional private dinner. Gautier Wonner develops experiences in which gastronomy, nature and storytelling can come together.
Through his foraging experiences, for example, guests can discover edible wild plants before seeing them transformed into a tasting experience. It is a way of reconnecting the plate directly with the surrounding landscape and the natural world.
He has also contributed to immersive dining concepts combining cuisine and storytelling. In Saint-Étienne, his culinary world has notably crossed paths with escape-game experiences through mystery dinners designed as collective adventures combining gastronomy, characters and investigation.
A private chef in Saint-Étienne and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Whether for a private dinner, family celebration, corporate event or bespoke gastronomic experience, Gautier Wonner adapts his menus to the setting, the season and the expectations of his guests.
Through this personal approach to cuisine, he continues the common thread running throughout his career: creating, sharing knowledge and generating emotion around the table.
It is an approach that naturally finds its place in private dining, bringing the chef closer to both his guests and the ingredients of his region.