Yannick Alléno creates an association in tribute to his son
The head of the Pavyllon spoke in the columns of the Journal du Dimanche on his fight since the death of Antoine last May.
It is alongside Antoine’s mother, Isabelle, and her second son, Thomas, that chef Yannick Alléno granted a long interview to Sunday newspaper (JDD)published this Saturday, September 17.
An interview during the course he returns to the terrible tragedy that befell his family on May 8: his son, Antoine, died after being hit by a driver, while he was parked at a red light on son scooter. He was only 24 years old.
The driver was already known to law enforcement. He was indicted for homicide and aggravated involuntary injuries, and remanded in custody. Four months after the death of his son, the head of the Pavyllon officially launched the Antoine Alléno association on Tuesday. The goal: to help the relatives of young victims of violence.
Support families in all the steps
The chef has indeed detailed the dark night that he and his family have lived: “ beyond the obvious shock of the loss of our son, we found ourselves confronted with a dehumanization that was difficult to live with. And this despite all the support we were lucky enough to receive. When we woke up despite everything, we wondered how it was possible that we were there in a country like France. And how to spare others what we have been through.
The night of the tragedy, we arrived at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris. A gloomy room, with a dilapidated chair. We were handed a piece of paper, the contact of a person in case we needed psychological support. And then that’s all. Not even a glass of water. At 3 o’clock in the morning, we are all three distributed on our side. The next day you want to see your child. It happens at the forensic institute, a sordid building behind the Gare de Lyon. You see your kid behind glass. »
Through this association, Yannick Alléno hopes to help families and support them, even in the administrative procedures: “ it’s a detail, but I received a bill for 19 euros: the price of our night transport by ambulance to the hospital! (…) They were able to return Antoine’s body to us in thirty-six hours. Some families have waited three weeks… It’s not possible “, he continues.
” When Antoine died, families we contacted via social media. (…) There is nothing worse than the death of a child and you are alone to face it. The aim of the association is to offer families moral, psychological and financial support. adds Isabelle, Antoine’s mother.
Not wishing for state subsidies, ” to stay free », the association collects funds. From dinners organized by big names in the kitchen, such as Hélène Darroze or Christophe Bacquié, to a charity dinner organized in Monaco for wine lovers, initiatives have multiplied.
“We killed our child”
During the interview, the JDD also questioned Antoine’s parents and brother about the expected legal response to the driver. ” I forbid myself to think of him, to pronounce his name says Isabelle. “On a perpetual catch. Now we have to live with it and transform it adds Thomas.
Chef Alléno, for his part, wants, for the moment, ” put [son] energy in a positive dynamic so that no one experiences what[ils ont] lived. But he clarifies: I’m not sure I want to consider what happened on May 8 as an accident. For me, it’s a crime. We killed our child. »
The author of the detained events is still on remand. While awaiting the trial and the official creation of the association, those close to Antoine Alléno are also focusing on this major project, born during the first confinement: the restaurant Burger Père & Fils, in Paris, which Antoine had created with his Father and of which he had taken the lead.
A commemorative plaque must also be unveiled in Beaupassage, in the seventh arrondissement, this Tuesday. ” A memorial in his honor, as is necessary for all the children who disappear in these tragic conditions », comments Yannick Alléno.
After the tragedy, the brigade is elsewhere ” kept weldedsays Thomas. Not a single one left. Anissa, second to Antoine and passenger on the scooter, injured after the collision, has become its leader. ” She said : “ give me the flag, i’ll take care of it » », explains Yannick Alléno.
The chef, Isabelle and Thomas ended the interview with a few words to define their missing son and brother. ” Antoine wanted to prove that he had his place in the middle. One summer, he did an internship which went very badly. (…) He held on, he went all the way“says his mother.
” He was very proud of our name but never used it as a pass. On the contrary, he wanted to exist and be recognized by his first name. He was always in the gift of himself . (…) Antoine was a good guy, the boss is generous: on the evening of the tragedy, he was there because he was driving Anissa, his second, home. Like every evening after the service, even if it was not his way and it lengthened his journey adds Thomas.
“He was very generous. If a diver needed 200 euros, he allocated it from his pocket“, completes his father.