Frédéric Molina, Chef at the Moulin de Léré in Vailly

Frédéric Molina

I am from a small wine growing area in the south west of France, called Madiran. I grew up on the family farm where my parents, when younger, ran an inn and restaurant cooking good local food.My father now works as a wine grower and has passed on his love of the land and the surrounding nature to me. The artisan has always held a special place in my family and my father has not allowed me to forget this. My mother and grandmother gave me their love of cooking and all things food! My origins still play a role in who I am and what I cook today.

From a very young age I started to study cookery with hotel and restaurant management, but soon realised that my studies would be followed by apprenticeships overseas. After many experiences in working and cooking abroad in Ireland, Italy, Australia, Asia, Spain and France I decided I wanted to use my 15+ years of experience to set up something for myself.

A contemporary cuisine

"I demand responsible cooking, whether for me or for my customers, I seek products with high environmental quality.This necessarily requires an effort, because we must be interested in producers, see where they are located but also how they The Moulin de léré is above all a philosophy of work, concentrated around the product and the producers, favoring proximity to enhance local wealth, deepen human contact and reduce the ecological impact."

"The cuisine of today, uses what is available, respects the seasons, uses everything, including bones for broths and stale bread for desserts, uses salt and sugar sparingly, uses good fats, little meat, lots of vegetables, and which is based on gentle and energy-saving methods of preservation such as lacto-fermentation ... This cuisine, which we thought 'Yesterday is actually the kitchen with the most future.'

Territory, mountain and lake, heritage, heritage, human, natural, local, ecosystem, season, history, respect, typicity, dynamic, know-how, contemporary, singular, unique