Franck Giovannini
Henceforth, Franck Giovannini assumes direction of the cuisine at the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville, a veritable institution of Swiss and worldwide gastronomy, where Brigitte Violier has taken over the reins. He bears the responsibility for a brigade of more than twenty highly qualified, experienced staff members, all of whom he knows very well. After having shared many years of friendship and of work with Benoît Violier in Crissier, as he developed his culinary excellence, he is now in charge of conceiving the restaurant’s menus according to the rhythms of the seasons, thus continuing the outstanding achievements of Frédy Girardet, Philippe Rochat and Benoît Violier.
The impressive professional background of Franck Giovannini begins at the Auberge de la Couronne in Apples where he completed his apprenticeship with Claude Joseph in 1992. Once he had obtained his Swiss Federal Certificate, he left for Vancouver where he worked in the kitchen of a gourmet caterer. Then went to New York where he worked with the chef Grey Kunz. After a first stage as chef de partie at the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville with Frédy Girardet, Franck Giovannini went to Boston. In the year 2000, he came back to the establishment in Crissier, recently taken over by Philippe Rochat, and to his friend Benoît Violier who convinced him to become the sous-chef de cuisine. When the latter took over the restaurant in 2012, Franck Giovannini was appointed chef de cuisine. Furthermore, the 42-year-old is very keen on cooking competitions, a passion that he shares with his cuisine team. He has won the Swiss selection of the Bocuse d’Or twice, came third with a Bocuse de Bronze in 2007, and was awarded the ‘Prix du poisson’ at the finale in Lyon. Today, Franck Giovannini is the president of the Swiss Bocuse d’Or Academy.