{"id":28870,"date":"2026-11-15T09:23:41","date_gmt":"2026-11-15T08:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/non-categorise\/theo-cesarini-freedom-for-two\/"},"modified":"2026-11-15T09:23:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-15T08:23:41","slug":"theo-cesarini-freedom-for-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/portrait\/theo-cesarini-freedom-for-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini, Freedom for Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s morning at the F.P. Journe restaurant. Before the guests arrive, the tables are set with tablecloths, the dishes are arranged, and the glasses are polished. In front of him, Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini has placed a pen and, right next to it, a pair of kitchen tongs. Dominique Gauthier comes over to greet us. A few moments later, Th\u00e9o says to me with his characteristic simplicity: \u201cIf I\u2019m here, it\u2019s thanks to him.\u201d \u201d As our conversation unfolds, I find myself thinking back to a recent lunch\u2014the precision of the sauces, the artistry of the textures, and that ingredient-driven cuisine I love so much about Dominique Gauthier. Working alongside him, the sous-chef brings a classic elegance to this restaurant, as well as a passion and liveliness that I find appealing. It\u2019s high time to discover him…<\/p>\n

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Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini at the F.P. Journe restaurant \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About 20 resumes<\/h2>\n

At age fifteen, Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini enrolled in the hospitality school in Grenoble\u2014partly to please his grandmother, let\u2019s be honest. His grandfather ran a restaurant, though his true passion was car rallies. Th\u00e9o, on the other hand, developed a taste for cooking through his professional experiences. With his high school diploma in hand, he flipped through the Michelin Guide, printed twenty cover letters, and just as many r\u00e9sum\u00e9s. His career began with the Pourcel brothers in Montpellier, where he spent two years\u2014first in pastry, then in the kitchen\u2014before returning to be closer to his family.<\/p>\n

At the Auberge de Bressieux, Xavier Vanheule reignited his passion for the trade. One day, Vanheule retrieved an avocado peel from the trash can that still had some flesh on it. \u201cWhen I buy an avocado, I pay for the whole thing.\u201d Th\u00e9o still remembers that lesson. In 2018, he joined Le Chat Bott\u00e9 as a commis chef. For five years, he learned how to prepare appetizers, side dishes, fish, and meat. Working alongside Dominique Gauthier, he discovered above all that it\u2019s possible to be demanding, enjoy what you do, and feel respected.<\/p>\n

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The dining room at the F.P. Journe restaurant in Geneva \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Caf\u00e9 de la Plage<\/h2>\n

After five years at Le Chat Bott\u00e9, Th\u00e9o realizes just how much the luxury hospitality industry has taught him. But managing the bar and room service keeps him extremely busy, leaving him little time to devote to haute cuisine. He confides in Dominique Gauthier about his desire for a change and makes him a promise: if the chef ever starts a new venture elsewhere, he\u2019ll join him. Th\u00e9o then reunites with Jacopo Romagnolli at the Caf\u00e9 de la Plage. Although more accustomed to managing a hotel kitchen staff than to changing a menu on the fly, he nevertheless develops a taste for a more instinctive style of cooking. When Dominique Gauthier contacts him about the opening of the F.P. Journe restaurant, Th\u00e9o keeps his word and asks for the freedom to create his own dishes. The chef entrusted him with certain creations and the weekly menus.<\/p>\n

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Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini in the kitchen \u00a9Edouard Amoiel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

49 Rue du Rh\u00f4ne<\/h2>\n

In the small kitchen at 49 Rue du Rh\u00f4ne, the duo rediscovers some of the flavors of Le Chat Bott\u00e9 in simpler dishes. They cook with the same high standards and, as Th\u00e9o puts it, \u201csometimes with a little less fuss.\u201d He enjoys making p\u00e2t\u00e9s en cro\u00fbte, a recipe idea he never would have imagined while working at the Geneva luxury hotel. He discusses his ideas with Dominique Gauthier, while standing his ground when a dish is particularly close to his heart. The Michelin star\u2014which he\u2019s proud to have earned with the team\u2014has led him to ask himself a question he didn\u2019t ponder as much when the restaurant first opened: To what extent can he incorporate the bistro style into an establishment focused on gastronomic elegance?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to give this young man a chance to shine,\u201d Dominique Gauthier told me several times. That\u2019s just the kind of person the chef is\u2014attentive to the people around him. At F.P. Journe, Th\u00e9o has found a rhythm that suits him. The restaurant is closed on weekends, and this stability has allowed him to experience fatherhood and devote time to his family. On Mondays, he returns to his little kitchen with the same enthusiasm. There will be new dishes to create and perhaps even a p\u00e2t\u00e9 en cro\u00fbte to perfect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever since he started at Le Chat Bott\u00e9, Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini has admired Dominique Gauthier\u2019s cooking just as much as his approach to leading a kitchen staff. At F.P. Journe in Geneva, the young sous chef\u2019s confidence shines through even in the weekly menus, where he lets his love for bistro cuisine shine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini, Freedom for Two | Restaurant Geneva | Edouard Amoiel","description":"Ever since he started at Le Chat Bott\u00e9, Th\u00e9o C\u00e9sarini has admired Dominique Gauthier\u2019s cooking just as much as his approach to leading a kitchen staff. At F.P."},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_restaurants-par-lieux":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_style-de-restaurant":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[358],"tags":[],"restaurants-par-lieux":[353],"style-de-restaurant":[],"class_list":["post-28870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-portrait","restaurants-par-lieux-geneva"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28870"},{"taxonomy":"restaurants-par-lieux","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/restaurants-par-lieux?post=28870"},{"taxonomy":"style-de-restaurant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amoiel.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/style-de-restaurant?post=28870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}