Meet Emmanuel, Nestlé Professional’s Executive Chef

“I was already passionate about food as a child,” said Emmanuel.  “My mother was a good cook and bought fresh food from the market before cooking it at home. We also had the restaurant next door, where I spent a lot of time in that kitchen in Normandy, France.”

At sweet 16, Emmanuel consciously took his first step in the professional food service industry by becoming an apprentice for a 1-star Michelin restaurant in France, finishing as the eighth best apprentice out of 8,000 other budding apprentices nationwide.

He then worked in the kitchens during his French military service, before joining Le Méridien Hotels worldwide as a chef in Paris, Barcelona, Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, Bora Bora and San Diego – to name a few.

“I crossed the barrier of classically made-from-scratch food preparation, to working with the world’s biggest food company,” Emmanuel explained, having taken up the role of culinary trainer and adviser for Nestlé Professional Davigel in 2010, then joined Nestlé Switzerland as a food and beverages project specialist five years later.

“I wanted to add value and bring my knowledge, and expertise to the company. I was curious how stocks and powder stocks were produced on a large scale.”

Two chef hats

Emmanuel complements this food know-how and passion for cooking with his current role at Nestlé Professional, where he wears two chefs’ hats: as Executive Chef and Partnership Manager.

Under his first hat, he is a culinary point of reference for the Nestlé Professional team, supporting category managers in developing new plant-based and dairy products, answering any technical questions, and doing tastings.

When wearing his second hat, Emmanuel helps developing Nestlé Professional’s partnerships, such as the World Association of Chefs Societies (WorldChefs), one of the biggest food associations with six million members.

Nestlé Professional teamed up with the organization in 2014 to teach children globally about the importance of healthy eating through organized fun workshops. Emmanuel works with Worldchefs for International Chefs Day, which takes place every year on October 20. Aimed at children aged five to 13, it focuses on teaching them about healthy eating and sustainable food habits by providing recipe examples that are full of fresh vegetables and homegrown ingredients.

Emmanuel also works with its other partner, César Ritz College in Switzerland, a hospitality school with entrepreneurship and sustainability at the heart of its teachings. 

Rewarding industry

He believes that providing such food service-focused opportunities for young people can transparently show them what a great industry it is to work in. “The food service industry has a lack of skilled labor,” Emmanuel explained. “Through our partnerships and programs aimed at helping youth develop valuable skills, we hope that young people can see that the food industry has lots of opportunities. Food service is rewarding, people focused and there are many opportunities to grow. Being passionate, willing to learn and be versatile are the main ingredients for a rewarding career in this industry,” he added.