In Brazil since 1997, chef Roland Villard is one of the authorities of French haute cuisine in the country.  With more that 30 years of experience, Roland has awards and distinctions of various calibers. The one which stands out the most is that he is the only chef in Latin America who is a member of the Academy of French Culinary Arts.

Roland is known for his noticeable kindness and for the quality of his menus, with surprises that explore the genuine flavor of the ingredients.  Heading the Le Pré Catelan restaurant, one of the most beautiful and elegant restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, the chef has a team of 50 kitchen staff and, since 2004, has been the Corporate Chef of all Sofitel hotels in South America.

Born in Saint Etienne, in the central region of France, Roland displayed his culinary talents at a very young age: when he was ten years old, he was already making crepes and cakes.  According to him, his passion for cooking came from his family, seeing as his great-grandparents on both sides were restaurant owners.  His professional career started at age 18, when he began to work in many starred restaurants by the Michelin Guide, one of them being the famous Le Pré Catelan in the French capital.  In his résumé there are names like Bocuse, Lenôtre and Vergé, masters with whom he worked with during his time in Europe.

After ten years of experience and being honored by the Academy of French Culinary Arts, Roland accepted a job offer in Africa, where he began to work for the Sofitel chain, in the Ivory Coast. After working at Sofitel Bordeaux, back in France, he then came to Brazil to head the kitchen of Sofitel Rio de Janeiro.

One of Roland’s great pleasures is to be permanently in contact with the public: the chef makes it a point to circulate through the restaurant and explain his creations to the clients.  Roland also makes Le Pré Catelan a meeting place – many times historical ones – to celebrate French cuisine.  The chef receives anywhere form four to six starred international chefs per year.  Along with bringing these chefs, considered true stars in gastronomy, Villard also participates in events in Brazil and around the world, such as, Boa Mesa, Taste of Búzios, Tiradentes Festival, dinners organized by political authorities (he was the only chef from Brazil chosen to organize a dinner for the French president in 2006 and was chosen to put together a banquet in the Versailles Castle for the commemorations of the Year of Brazil in France, 2005).

Coming from Seoul, where he taught at the Cordon Bleu School in the Korean capital, the French Guerin is responsible for all the cake, pie and cookie recipes, and all the other delicious items of the dessert menu for the Sofitel hotels in Brazil.  In 2007, Dominique received the award for “Best pastry Chef” in Rio de Janeiro, by Gula magazine, one of the most important gastronomic publications in Brazil.

Dominique Guerin’s professional career began when he was 17 years old.  Being in the business just five years, he was already a Chef.  At 24, he was invited by Gaston Lenôtre, considered one of the “popes” of French cuisine, to be a pastry chef at what is now the best restaurant in Brazil: Le Pré Catelan, which opened its doors in Rio de Janeiro in 1980.  Before teaching in Korea, the chef lived in Greece, where he worked in a Hotel Cassino. Guerin has respectable experience in the hotel industry, in places such as the Intercontinental Rio, Le Méridien and Copacabana Palace. “The hotel industry gives you more room to be creative”, affirms the chef.
A lover of chocolate – the chef does not go one day without eating some, whether it be bitter, milk or white chocolate -, Guerin elects the “Chocolate Soufflé”, a staple of Le Pré Catelan, as his best dessert. For him, the secret to a good dish is to bring out the flavor of the products.  With the authority of someone who was one of the first French chefs to arrive in Brazil, Guerin evaluates the national cuisine: “Brazil has evolved in terms of raw materials (ingredients) and today boasts high quality products”, he states.

Guerin’s passion for cuisine started when he was still a child.  “My mother was cook in a castle of a Noble Frenchman.  With her I learned the classics of French cuisine such as steak au poivre and coq au vin”, he explains.  The family influence does not restrict itself to his mother: Guerin’s paternal grandfather was a baker and the owner of a bakery where Gaston Lenôtre began his path to success.  Guerin states that his favorite foods are the traditional bread, cheese and wine.