i. Biography
Before Loïc Villemin became chef of Toya in Faulquemont, France, the restaurant was already being shaped as a working expression of craft. In June 2010, he opened the place conceived by the chef and his family, with his father helping him design it, giving Toya the structure of a house built through shared decisions rather than restaurant convention.
The Climb
Loïc Villemin trained at Lycée hôtelier de Metz before beginning the sequence of kitchen posts that formed his technique. He refined his craft as commis/Chef de formation sous Jean-Georges Klein at L'Arnsbourg, then continued as Chef de formation sous Nicolas Le Bec at Restaurant Nicolas Le Bec in Lyon, where each stage of the kitchen would have sharpened his pace, his discipline, and his sense of precision. From there, he moved onward as Chef de formation sous Patrick Bertron at Relais Bernard Loiseau, then as Chef de formation sous Arnaud Lallement at L'Assiette Champenoise, and finally as Chef de formation sous Laurent Peugeot at Le Charlemagne. Taken together, these steps read like a structured education in fine dining: patient, layered, and increasingly exacting. Today, Loïc is founder and chef of Toya (since 2010).
Today
Since 2010, Villemin has been founder and chef at Toya in Faulquemont, a restaurant built around his own decisions in both layout and cooking. Opened in June 2010 and entirely conceived by him and his family, with his father helping him design the place, Toya is anchored in a close-held working method. The cuisine is creative, local, and zero-waste, and it follows a responsive rhythm: the day’s menu is shaped by what has arrived, by the season, and by the chef’s own inspiration at that moment. The result is a kitchen that adjusts to conditions rather than forcing them into a fixed script. Among the dishes shown in the restaurant’s imagery are *Omble chevalier gravlax / chou rave / œufs de brochet / caviar / huile aneth* and *Tartelette a la farine de colza / émulsion ricotta fumée et Colza / les premiers Radis roses / groseille et graine de coriandre préservés de l'été dernier*. Read as dish names, they point to a cuisine that works through texture, contrast, and preservation, holding the present alongside what has been kept from the previous season.
Recognition
Loïc's honors include Michelin Guide, one Michelin star, Four toques (2019), and Gault & Millau d'Or Grand-Est (2017). Taken together, these distinctions place Toya within the Michelin and Gault & Millau frame as a restaurant marked by sustained work, steady development, and a defined sense of place.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Loïc
Where did Loïc Villemin train or study?
Loïc Villemin trained at Lycée hôtelier de Metz.
What recognition has Loïc Villemin received?
Michelin Guide, one Michelin star (2011).
