Chef Olivier Tucki

Restoring Lafarques to its former glory, in a resolutely contemporary setting with creative, modern cuisine: this was the commitment Chef Olivier Tucki made when he took over the prestigious gastronomic estate in autumn 2017.

People are at the heart of this Burgundian chef’s philosophy, whether meeting local producers to discover new regional products or providing table service to share in his guests’ emotions.

Meet a passionate chef who trained at the Paris School of Hospitality and worked with the greatest Michelin-starred establishments.

Olivier Tucki, the guest is at the center of all your attention, you love to share...

Yes, and it begins with personalized hospitality. In keeping with this magnificent traditional house, such a beautiful legacy from Mr. and Mrs. Lafarque. When I took over the establishment, I wanted it to be both a rebirth and a renewal. Twenty years ago, Lafarque was a flagship establishment in the region. A reference that held the prestigious “Relais & Châteaux” label. When you wanted to dine well, this place was the obvious choice. I love the charm of this house, it’s a true inn, warm and comfortable. A country house, but one that also offers the greatest luxury. When you enter our house, we welcome you with joy and always with a smile. Time stands still, and we are here to share this moment by offering you the finest service possible.

You are a chef who readily leaves your kitchen... Curious?

I am present at every service. Because I feel completely connected to the guest. I welcome them, greet them, I want to take care of them. I am convinced that in life, in our professions, it is people who make all the difference. My cuisine is a cuisine of character, committed, with a true identity. It therefore makes perfect sense for the chef to be present and for guests to be able to see him. So yes, I often leave my kitchen during service, as do all the other members of the brigade. It’s a mindset, and constantly facing the guest’s feelings, their comments as well as their delight, strengthens the team. We work for one another, in service to our guests. And I think it shows.

This is also a valuable lesson you offer to future chefs...

Michel Lafarque was a two-Michelin-starred chef. And a remarkable sauce maker. But he was also a formidable entrepreneur: everything here was well thought out, everything he put in place still works today. Then there was Samuel Blanc, also Michelin-starred. My mission is to restore this house to its former excellence, and to bring at least as much pleasure to guests. People often tell me: “Such enthusiasm! Such passion!” But it is above all about sharing. I bring my young recruits out with me, I take them to pick aromatic herbs in the park, for example. They are amazed, their eyes light up… (smile). But by sharing in this way, we are always stronger. And we become stronger ourselves. And we also feel better about ourselves…

Tell us about your cuisine, this love of local produce

It’s the common thread. The plate tells our story, that of the heart we put into our work. Also the story of our small producers, because the local network is very important to me and therefore very present in the kitchen. We work with the Ferme de la Haute Desnié (La Reid/Theux), an organic producer in a short supply chain that has its own permaculture school. We use their birch sap, among other things. For meats, we offer, among others, Walloon lamb: the Ardennais Tacheté. Our charcuterie comes from Muls butcher shop in Spa. I have an excellent cheese affineur in Aywaille, and I discovered a delightful local beer made with wild blueberries near Vielsalm. Our organic asparagus, in season, comes from the Herbisoeul farm. Wednesday is the fishmonger’s day, who comes directly from Erquy (Brittany) to deliver his finest selection. My plate is a reflection of all these encounters made throughout my career. Encounters with wonderful people, for quality products. I always come back to this human aspect, essential in my view.

You also do your own foraging... It doesn't get more local than that!

This afternoon, for example, I prepared scallops with wild garlic, thanks to this wonderful wild garlic that grows abundantly in our garden and which I use in a green juice thanks to its richness in chlorophyll. I pick many wild herbs in the estate’s park. Sweet woodruff, valerian, yarrow, violets, wild ivy and wood sorrel, also called “little wild sorrel”… I do my shopping before each service, from spring until September. And we also have our own morels! We are on the Theux fault line, rich in limestone, which explains the presence of morels as well as wild garlic. Eating well is not so complicated. We work with what we have, our plates reflect our region. We don’t eat the same things here as in the lowlands, that is… in the city (laughs)!

This local spirit, this pride in local produce, applies to both the content of the plate and the presentation: our marinated langoustine is, for example, presented on a schist stone from the Vesdre valley. For the rest, we roll up our sleeves and always ensure we use the entire product: our meats arrive on the bone and their carcasses are used for stocks; the fish are whole, the bones are used for fumet, and the shellfish trimmings for infusion; we smoke our own salmon, we make our bread, the petits fours…

The Remarkable Journey of Olivier Tucki

  • Paris School of Hospitality (France)
  • The Connaught Hotel* in London (Great Britain)
  • De Bijgaarden** (Belgium)
  • Radisson SAS Balmoral in Spa (Belgium)
  • Sea Grill** in Brussels (Belgium)
  • Manoir de Lébioles in Spa (Belgium)
  • Hostellerie Lafarques in Pepinster (Belgium)

Come discover Olivier Tucki’s cuisine