Camille Tardif & Julien Lucas
Freedom and Creativity come together as one
After a career interspersed with experiences in some of the world's finest establishments, in 2020 Camille and Julien chose, as they like put it, to take flight.
In Luxembourg, they opened La Villa de Camille et Julien, a restaurant whose wholly transparent name perfectly encapsulates their desire to share their world, rich from past experiences and, above all, to express who they are.
In their Villa, Camille and Julien have divided up their roles to perfection. And yet this doesn't mean that their areas of expertise are totally opposed. On the contrary, they complement each other in a way that may not seem obvious at first, but which becomes clearer the more time you spend with them.
Camille and Julien offer each other the precious gift of freedom. While Camille shapes the restaurant's interior in her own inimitable style, moving away from traditional codes, changing elements here and there in line with her mood, and breathing a real sense of vitality into the décor, Julien brings a truly original stamp to his dishes, breaking away from current trends and offering a feast for the taste buds from the first to the very last bite.
Around them, they have built up a team who are eager to be part of this creative and authentic way of working and the resulting vibrant atmosphere is a real bonus for all those passing through their doors, colleagues and customers alike.
It also enables the young couple to envisage yet more innovative projects, always in the same spirit of moving forward, growing, and helping others to grow.
Julien's culinary Journey
Raised by parents who were restaurateurs, Julien saw his path mapped out from an early age. Despite having an interest in baking, his father quite naturally steered him towards a hotel management school.
The chef initially returned to his roots in Lorraine, spending three years at the Brasserie-Restaurant Le Lion d'Or in Strassen in Luxembourg, followed by a spell in Paris at the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant (overseen by Alain Ducasse) and then a stint as sous-chef at Joël Robuchon's La Grande Maison in Bordeaux.
This was followed by a first experience of running a hotel in Guadeloupe, alongside Camille, before they both settled in Burgundy at the Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu.
Julien's first position as Head Chef came in Chantilly at the Table du Connétable, the restaurant of the Auberge du Jeu de Paume, where his talent was quickly picked up on. So much so that, when he decided a year later to open his own restaurant with Camille, most of the kitchen team followed him to Luxembourg to be part of this new adventure.
At La Villa de Camille et Julien, he knows he has found the ideal setting in which to develop his signature style. In this home environment, he can take the time to refine and develop his skills, motivated by this desire to find his own way, not through provocation, but by gently shaking up the conventions of gastronomy. And in doing so, establish himself as one of the most exciting chefs of his generation.
Camille's story
Born in Normandy and brought up in Marseille, Camille chose to study hotel management, influenced by a passion for travel that she inherited from her parents and an uncle who was a luxury hotel manager. She trained at the Ecole Vatel in Nîmes and did a number of internships in mountain resorts and on the French Caribbean island of St Barts, with the ambition of joining the prestigious Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts chain.
This goal was achieved in San Diego, California, where she completed an 18-month Manager In Training (MIT) programme at the Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara before leaving to help open the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, where she and Julien met.
This was followed by the opening of the Four Seasons Hotel London on Park Lane, where Camille discovered the vibrant and instructive world of the night, heading up a team of 30 people, before returning to France to the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, as assistant to the Head Receptionist.
Next came the challenge of running a hotel on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe with Julien for a year. Then it was back to France, to the Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu.
After working for a recruitment platform specialising in the luxury sector, Camille realised that, more than anything else, she needed to be on the "ground". So, the idea of joining forces with her husband on a joint project made perfect sense.
La Villa de Camille et Julien has given her the opportunity to showcase her flair for interior design, her passion for hospitality and her finely honed management skills, while also offering her a solid starting point for new ventures. The entrepreneurial spirit that burns so brightly within her certainly holds the promise of exciting projects to come.