Gilles Reinhardt

Coming Up

Training at École hôtelière Strasbourg gave Gilles Reinhardt the technical base for a long apprenticeship at L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges in near Lyon. Inside one of the most exacting addresses in French gastronomy, the work demanded rigor, repetition, and respect for the plate. From 2000–2004, he served as sous-chef there, working in a kitchen where every gesture mattered and every service tested control. From 2004–2018, he moved into the Head Chef role, carrying responsibility for the kitchen with the same disciplined authority. Since 2018, Gilles has been Executive Chef of L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, a position that extends his connection to the house rather than shifting it. The role speaks to continuity: the stewardship of a culinary identity built on exactitude, craft, and fidelity to tradition.

Where They Are Now

L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges remains the center of Gilles Reinhardt’s work, and his name is closely tied to the restaurant’s established character. Where many chefs are defined by movement, his path is defined by depth in one place, one philosophy, and one way of cooking. Over time, that has produced a professional identity shaped by patience and repetition, with the same language refined until it can be spoken cleanly and without hesitation.

Signature

Signature dishes include nage de homard en gelée. The dish sits within the same register as the rest of Gilles Reinhardt’s cooking: classical, composed, and shaped by restraint. It reads as a technical expression of French tradition, where discipline carries more weight than display.

In Their Words “I liked the approach and the philosophy, so that is why I will follow them.”

Honors

Gilles's honors include Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF). Within French culinary distinction, it marks recognition of technical mastery and sustained commitment, and it sits naturally beside a career defined by precision, endurance, and long service to a single house.