‘Master Chef’ Pierre Landet

A native of Toulouse, France, Pierre began cooking at the early age of 6 and decided to become a chef in his teens. In time-honored tradition, he began an apprenticeship at a local restaurant at only 14, where despite tasks such as cleaning sheep testicles, he persevered, even winning first place in the regional meilleur apprenti de France.

Having served in the army and as a chef to a general, Pierre worked his way up the line, starting as a cook at the one-Michelin star Restaurant Pujol in Blagnac, southwestern France, under Chef Marcelin Pujol, where he learned to master sauces. He then moved to Paris to work at the venerable Taillevent, a three-Michelin star restaurant, under Claude Deligne. He subsequently went to Cannes to work with esteemed chef Jacques Chibois at the two-Michelin star Hotel Gray D’Albion. During the four years Pierre worked in his kitchen, Chibois became his mentor. It was also where he first met and worked closely with Chef Jean-Michel Diot. Pierre immersed himself in the Mediterranean-style cuisine of the South of France, learning to cook with vegetables and olive oil instead of the duck fat common in the cooking of Toulouse.

After working as sous chef at the Michelin-star Les Muscadins in Mougins in Provence, Pierre took his first executive chef position at the Hotel Thalazur, a three-star hotel and spa in the South of France. When the opportunity to work in New York arose in 1993, he jumped at the chance, reuniting with Jean-Michel Diot at the Brasserie Des Theatres before becoming executive chef at the Barbizon Hotel. Pierre spent the next six years preparing family meals and lavish parties as the private chef for the Wildenstein family of international art dealers. Missing the excitement of restaurant life, he began consulting with the Dorino Restaurant Group, which owns multiple restaurants Manhattan and Long Island, including Bistro Cassis and Bistro Citron, where he served as Executive Chef.

Pierre took over the kitchen at Cercle Rouge in the fall of 2006, working with owner Georges Forgeois to transform the restaurant’s menu from its original concept into a classic French brasserie showcasing his talent and knowledge of traditional and modern French cooking.

Pierre was awarded with the distinction of Master Chef of France ‘Maîtres Cuisiniers de France’, one of the greatest honor’s a French chef can achieve.