Yannick Alléno heads up prestigious training restaurant

Published: January 25, 2025 by Gill Harris

Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno has taken over as head of the restaurant-school of the Lyfe Institute, previously known as the Paul Bocuse Institute. Situated in the heart of Lyon, the institute trains 1,200 students a year in gastronomy and hospitality, attracting aspiring professionals from around the world.

Alléno said: “Running this restaurant makes me proud and happy, and therefore even more responsible for the quality of what we transmit to young people in this training.”

The Lyfe Institute restaurant is set to close in June for a refurbishment lasting up to six months, with an investment of €2m to €3m. Upon reopening in December 2025, the restaurant will be guided by the same strict standards as Alléno’s Pavyllon establishments in Paris, London and Monaco.

In addition to the Lyfe Institute, Alléno has been named executive chef for the iconic Orient Express Train and the Orient Express Corinthian, the world’s largest sailing yacht.

The 56-year-old trained under esteemed chefs such as Gabriel Biscay and Roland Durand at prestigious establishments such as Le Royal Monceau and Sofitel Sèvres. In 1999, he earned his first Michelin star at Scribe in Paris, followed by a second in 2002. By 2007, his tenure at Le Meurice, where he started work in 2003, had culminated in three Michelin stars. In 2008, he founded the global Yannick Alléno Group. Under his leadership, Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris became the most Michelin-starred independent establishment in the world, boasting six stars across its three restaurants, Alléno Paris, L’Abysse, and Pavyllon.

Alléno, who is renowned in particular for his innovative techniques in sauce preparation and flavour extraction, holds an impressive 16 Michelin stars across his 17 restaurants worldwide.