Guillaume Nonnet, Dorian know-how
Guillaume Nonnet got his start in the restaurant business while on vacation in Normandy. Still very young, he learned the beginnings of the trade in his grandmother’s restaurant. Despite his parents’ reluctance, he nevertheless decided to train in the hotel trade, a field that attracted him. With his diploma in hand, he set off to discover England, settling and working in London for a year and a half, where he met his partner. This marked the start of a multi-city tour. After London, Guillaume decided to pursue his career in his uncle’s brasserie in Monaco. He started out as a waiter, and gradually worked his way up to manager.
Hungarian transmission
His partner is Hungarian. The couple pack their bags and head for Budapest, where Guillaume works as a butler for a family. His activities are manifold: cooking, organizing receptions, tending the garden, chauffeuring and looking after the children, who he teaches to cook. It’s a job in which he thrives, and one which he feels has been the most rewarding of his career. The fact that he’s involved in so many different areas and can pass on his passion to a future generation is something he really enjoys.
When he felt the urge to start a family, he remembered the advice given to him by a Monegasque client on the advantages of settling in Geneva, which he decided to do. The proximity to nature and the size of the city seemed perfectly in tune with his vision of a home. Indeed, after London, Monaco and Budapest, Guillaume wanted to get away from the euphoria of big cities and aspire to more peace and quiet.
Career in Geneva
He then began a career in the dining room, first at Le Lacustre in Bellevue, then at Brasserie Lipp, his longest professional experience in the same establishment. The position of “runner” – or commis de salle – was followed by that of chef de rang, which he held for eight years. After the pandemic, a project with friends saw the light of day with the opening of L’Olivier de Provence in Carouge. Unfortunately, hopes were not fulfilled. Guillaume called back his former boss, who offered him the position of room manager at Brasserie Lipp. Having to manage his former colleagues, who are much older and more experienced than he is, is a huge challenge for Guillaume. But thanks to his passion for his job and his colleagues’ recognition of his know-how, the experience proved a success. In fact, Guillaume preaches management by example and doesn’t hesitate to put his hand to the grindstone, which inspires respect and enables him to earn a well-deserved place in his team.
The departure of his boss forces Guillaume to leave Brasserie Lipp, especially as he doesn’t share the same love or vision of the business as the new management. The end heralds a new beginning when Florian Le Bouhec, attracted by the young room manager, asks him to join his team. For Guillaume, it’s the start of a new adventure at Le Dorian, where he surrounds himself with waiters he knows and who share the same sensitivity to the profession as he does, and where former Lipp customers are already delighted and happy to have him back.
