The maître d’hôtel of the Hôtel de Ville has served great names such as Serge Gainsbourg. He shares his story in a book.

The quest for perfection is contagious. This is what Louis Villeneuve claims in the story of his life, recently published by Éditions Noir sur Blanc. It all begins on December 1st, 1948, in a Breton farm where young Louis was born. And it all ends 73 years later, with the retirement of the famous maître d’hôtel of the Hôtel de Ville de Crissier. Between these two dates, a collection of encounters, dramas, and successes unfolds.

From Saint-Malo to Gstaad and Crissier. Named 'Best Restaurant Director in the World,' Louis Villeneuve has worked with the four chefs who have successively led the Hôtel de Ville. He has served royalty and celebrities. In a narrative that mirrors his life, blending a family saga full of emotions and a professional adventure spanning Saint-Malo, Gstaad, Canada, and finally Lausanne and Crissier, the man with the eagle-eyed gaze and universally recognized professionalism recounts his feelings and encounters.

A Collection of Celebrities. In this life story, notable figures such as Prince Rainier, Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg, Richard Nixon, Quincy Jones, and a handful of the world’s most renowned chefs make an appearance. All of this is recounted with the elegance, charm, and diplomacy of a Louis Villeneuve true to himself: class.

Upon the recent retirement of Louis Villeneuve, known as Monsieur Louis, or the Admiral, Christian Lecomte wrote in Le Temps: 'It is hard to imagine the three-star restaurant, named the best restaurant in the world in 2015, without the elegance, charm, diplomacy, and sharp eye of Louis Villeneuve, the small Breton who received the Mauviel 1830 Award for Best Restaurant Director in the World in 2017 in New York.' Since 1975, Monsieur Louis has successively been the maître d’hôtel of four of the greatest chefs of our time, all with three Michelin stars: Frédy Girardet, Philippe Rochat, Benoît Violier, and Franck Giovannini.

At the Hôtel de Ville de Crissier, near Lausanne, gastronomic excellence attracts the elite – royalty, movie stars, artists, politicians – and Monsieur Louis, always smiling and as vigilant as Argus, was unmatched in enchanting the service.

In these pages, Louis Villeneuve reflects on the remarkable journey that, from his parents' farm in Brittany, where he was born in 1948, led him to the heights of global gastronomy. This small Breton experienced, in the post-war years, a childhood and adolescence reminiscent of Raymond Depardon's books: the first tractors, the agricultural high school, military service in the Navy, and a youth thirsting for change. Louis would turn his back on the farm to venture into the restaurant industry. Swiss visitors passing through Brittany, an invitation accepted... and the great adventure began.

Monsieur Louis

Monsieur Louis - Souverain majordome
(in french only)

Les Éditions Noir sur Blanc

128 pages

CHF 30