“JI retrained at the age of 39″.10 years later, he finished 2nd in the competition for the best French burger. Antony Barcelona, born in Poitou-Charentes, quickly left to live in Bordeaux, where he worked for nearly 20 years in wine packaging, before devoting himself in 2012 to what he loves to do: cooking. Self-taught and passionate, he opened his first restaurant in Bordeaux and appointed himself chef, before landing on the Côte d’Azur in 2017 to join his partner there. Now based at B plage in Grimaud, Antony offers “signature burgers”, using the recipes that made it a success during the 9th edition of the Burgers Toqués contest. Meet.
“Childhood memories in New Aquitaine”
This is the name Antony Barcelona gave to his burger “not far from being the best in France in 2022”. This former Bordeaux, who was immersed in the “typical” cuisine of his grandmother when he was younger, wanted to evoke his childhood memories in his native region with a recipe “colorful”. “Bazadaise beef, slices of duck breast, sheep’s cheese from the Pyrenees and Bordeaux sauce to accompany it all. This burger symbolizes my irresistible desire to go back in time.” Antony was able to find the right formula, since he finished 2nd in front of more than 2000 applications submitted. “I wanted to tell where I come from through my recipe. I think that’s where I made the difference to the jury.”
‘I received 54 offers hiring”
While he had been working in his partner’s tapas bar in Hyères since 2017, she decided to draw the curtain at the start of 2022. An opportunity for Antony to try his luck in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. “I wanted to discover this corner. I submitted my CV to the job center and I received 54 job offers, the demand is crazy here.”
He begins his “crossing” in a restaurant in Cavalaire, then another in Cogolin where he spent a few months, before settling at B plage in Grimaud. “Here I am totally independent in the kitchen and that’s what I like. In addition, I offer a different signature burger every week, it allows me to continue to create.” Charlotte, her new boss, is delighted at the idea of having Antony in her kitchen, after the repeated departures of the former cooks.
“In addition to being an excellent chef, he is someone independent who knows how to manage his kitchen, that’s what I was looking for. Having a profile like Anthony’s with a shortage of labor that we know here, it’s a chance.” A new position for Antony, which offers him the opportunity to continue to live from his passion and to prepare for the next competition in 2023.
“I have a year to make my marks and get first place. I already have an idea of the originality of my next signature burger for the competition”. We won’t be more on the recipe that will accompany it at the 2023 French championship. “It’s secret”finishes Antony, impatient.
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