Keynote SpeakerThierry Marx

Thierry Marx is a famous chef in France. He is a proponent of Molecular Cuisine and runs several well known restaurants including the Mandarin Oriental in Paris. The general public know him for his role as a judge on Top Chef which aired on M6 TV channel.

Marx was born in Paris and grew up in the 20th district in the Ménilmontant. Born into an immigrant family, he aspired to become a baker. To provide the means to succeed but also on the advice of his grandfather, he joined the Companions of Duty in 1978.

Aged 20, Marx joined the army as a paratrooper in the Marines and became a blue helmet in Lebanon in 1980. Upon his return to France, he did his best to drive out the dark demons of war by undertaking various odd jobs as a security guard, warehouseman and carrier of funds.

Marx finally returned to cooking, working as chef’s assistant to Ledoyen, Taillevent and Robuchon. He later became chef at the Regency Hotel in Sydney and there followed an Asian cooking adventure in Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Marx specialises in molecular gastronomy which he developed with the physicist Bibette. It is through this unique molecular cuisine that he has managed to stand out and leave his mark by challenging traditional cooking methods.

In 2010, Thierry Marx became one of the judges on the TV show Top Chef on M6. In April 2010, the oversaw the entire restoration of the Mandarin Oriental in Paris where he opened the restaurant Bespoke by Thierry Marx, Camellia and a pastry counter.

In early 2013 Marx opened a school of rehabilitation in his childhood neighbourhood of Ménilmontant where ex-prisoners but especially dropouts can reintegrate into society by learning a culinary trade for free. And as a reward for his sterling efforts, Marx was among those promoted in 2013 for the Legion of Honour. He was awarded the prestigious civilian and military medal to the rank of Chevalier.

Thierry Marx won his first Michelin star at Roc en Val de Tours in 1994 and a second in 2000.