Thibaut Sombardier

The Path

At Sellae (Paris, France), the cooking is built from ingredients that do not need dressing up to hold attention: butter foaming around sole, lobster set beneath a gratin crust sharpened with Savora, escargot folded into ravioles, chocolate and praline turned into mousse. Thibaut Sombardier works in a register of texture and clarity rather than spectacle. Shell, wheat, butter, cocoa — the language is direct, bistro-driven, and clearly French. Thibaut Sombardier trained at Larivoire, Le Meurice, and Carré des Feuillants. That sequence points to a kitchen formation shaped by precision and restraint, with the kind of discipline that shows in timing, plating, and the handling of flavor. The work reads as exacting without being stiff. He later worked as chef at Mensae in Paris, France and chef at Les Parisiens in Paris, France (from 2022), roles that kept the cooking in a legible register rather than a theatrical one. Today, Thibaut is chef of Sellae.

The Work Today

Today, Sombardier is chef at Sellae in Paris, a restaurant that serves as a clear expression of what bistro cooking can still be when it is treated seriously. The plates are built around readable products and direct sauces, with dishes that present themselves cleanly and without excess. That approach is visible in the signature works. Demi-homard gratiné à la Savora et ses frites sets lobster, condiment, and potatoes in the same frame, keeping each element distinct while tying them together through heat, crust, and crispness. It is a dish that relies on balance and control; nothing is hidden, and nothing needs to be. What is notable in Sombardier’s kitchen is proximity — to ingredients, to service, and to the kind of dish a guest registers first through texture. The cooking stays close to the product and close to the table, with a directness that suits the bistro form.

Signature

Thibaut's signature dishes include Escargot ravioli, Veal sweetbreads, Warm chocolate mousse, Ravioles d'escargots, and Mousse au chocolat-praliné.

In Their Words “Those moments are always exceptional! We are as close as possible to what we love.”

Acclaim

The recognition around Sombardier is tied as much to named dishes as to named dining rooms. His résumé runs through Antoine, Mensae, Sellae and Les Parisiens, all in Paris, but the real continuity is the persistence of bistro cooking as a serious craft — a cuisine that looks simple on the plate and demands control in the kitchen. Demi-homard gratiné à la Savora et ses frites works through crust, shell, and heat, with richness held in check by the clarity of its construction. Ravioles d'escargots bring in earthier material, folded and contained, and keep comfort inside a composed format. Mousse au chocolat-praliné finishes in a darker register, with chocolate softened by praline and presented as a dessert grounded in restraint rather than display.