Guillaume Momboisse is chef at the starred restaurant Le Sept, in Toulouse. Although his business is doing wonderfully, he decided to start from scratch and open a new establishment, even if it means losing his star. His secret: a taste for challenge.

It is a star that will have to be reconquered. Toulouse chef Guillaume Momboisse recently announced the closure of Le Sept, a Michelin-starred restaurant, on June 11. Exit this renowned establishment which offered a breathtaking view of the Saint-Sernin basilica. He had obtained the precious sesame only seven months after its opening, in 2018.

And this closure “has nothing to do with the health crisis or the lack of staff”, assures the young prodigy of 32 years. Reference to the starred restaurant La Promenade near Toulouse, whose chef Nicolas Thomas had no choice but to close last April, for lack of staff.

No, Guillaume Momboisse simply decided to close the Seven for “do something new” and start from scratch. Even if it means losing its star in the Michelin guide. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take”he says.

Because, on paper, everything smiled on the young chef, who notably cut his teeth in Aix-en-Provence at the starred restaurant Dan B., and in the two-starred establishment of Pascal Devalkeneer, in Brussels. “I’m only 32, everything works great, and we’re fully booked every day.”

“But I felt that I was coming to the end of this adventureresume Guillaume Momboisson. When I got up in the morning, I had no longer asked for the desire to come to work in the restaurant, and it is from there that you have to know how to question yourself.

Someone who describes himself as someone “hyperactive” and who has never stayed more than two years in the same establishment felt “the need to evolve”. “I don’t see what more I could do at Le Sept, how I could still improve the customer experience”he confides.

So he decided to sell his restaurant and plans to open another. “in the center of Toulouse”, early 2023. The premises (more spacious) are purchased, work is in progress. Problem: the stars of the Michelin Guide crown the restaurant, and not the restaurateur and his team.

“We will work to get her backhe declares. It’s a real challenge, but I’d rather take the risk of losing it than not being sincere in my cooking.” His team remains restrained, as does his culinary universe. “I’m really lucky to have a team that follows me in my delirium”he slips.

In his new establishment, the chef from Toulouse intends to innovate in terms of the customer experience. Already, the kitchen will be on the same level as the room, and not in the basement as is the case at seven. “It will be a fairly strong concept, I want my customers to be in contact with my cuisine. But I don’t prefer to reveal myself too much for the moment.”

pour the kid “school failure” who found himself “by chance” to work in a restaurant, there is no doubt. His choice was the right one. “The Seven One was a very beautiful story, a beautiful painting of which I am proudhe declares. But I prefer to leave when there are only good memories.”

While waiting for the opening of his new establishment in 2023, Guillaume Domboisson will be present this summer on the Quai de la Daurade with an ephemeral restaurant. For those (already) nostalgic for Le Sept, a consolation prize: it will be the same cuisine, but à la carte.