Julie Berchoux, the Chef Behind Berchoux

Who is Julie Berchoux, the chef of the 18th

When people talk about Julie Berchoux the chef, they first think of an unusual path: thirty years spent in Michelin-starred kitchens before setting down her knives in a neighbourhood table, at 16 rue de la Fontaine du But, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. A few minutes from the Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro station, she has made Berchoux a flexitarian, homemade and anti-waste restaurant, where the cooking stays affordable with a lunch menu at 15 €.

The restaurant bears her name, and she is the one who signs the cooking day after day, since 2020. Julie Berchoux the chef is no distant figure: you will find her behind the stoves, putting together a dish of the day that changes with the rhythm of the morning market. This page looks back at her journey, the way she cooks and the approach that guides her Montmartre table.

Thirty years of Michelin-starred cooking

Before opening her own table, Julie Berchoux spent thirty years in Michelin-starred kitchens, alongside houses that have shaped French gastronomy: Robuchon, Ducasse, Taillevent and Fauchon. This time in demanding kitchens forged her rigour, her feel for produce and her technical mastery, qualities she now puts at the service of a simpler, more everyday cuisine.

This background explains much of what ends up on the plate at Berchoux. The chef chose to leave the starred world to cook differently, without giving up on standards: fresh produce, homemade dishes and constant attention to flavour. It is this experience that sets Julie Berchoux the chef apart from a simple neighbourhood restaurateur.

The chef's homemade flexitarian cooking

At Berchoux, Julie Berchoux the chef has chosen flexitarian, homemade cooking. Vegetables take pride of place, without leaving out lovers of meat or fish. Everything is prepared on site, from what the market offers in the morning, which gives a living menu and a dish of the day that changes with the seasons and the day's arrivals.

This approach carries through to the affordable options: a lunch menu at 15 €, homemade sandwiches at 12 €, sweet treats from 5 to 7 €. The chef shares her dish of the day live on Instagram, where regulars find out each morning what is on the stove. It is neighbourhood cooking, but carried by a hand that learned the trade in the very best houses.

An anti-waste approach embraced since 2020

The other hallmark of Julie Berchoux the chef is her anti-waste commitment, concrete and embraced since the opening in 2020. The rule is simple: we cook what the market offers in the morning, and unsold items become the dish of the day rather than being thrown away. Nothing is lost, everything finds its way onto a plate.

This commitment extends beyond the kitchen, with reduced packaging thanks to reusable containers, a small library of books at 1 € and a speciality bread supplied by Bun's Bakery. These gestures, modest but consistent, reflect the chef's vision: a responsible neighbourhood table, where quality goes hand in hand with common sense.

The house's signature carrot cake

It is impossible to talk about Julie Berchoux the chef without mentioning her carrot cake, which has become the signature of the house. Described as world famous, it is regularly mentioned on Google, TripAdvisor and even in the English-speaking press. For many visitors passing through Montmartre, it has become a reason to step through the door.

This carrot cake sums up the chef's spirit well: a simple classic, made with care and consistency. It goes alongside a Google rating of 4.7/5 from 298 reviews, which confirms how attached customers are to this table. Behind this success lies the same rigour gained in starred kitchens, applied to an everyday pastry.

Flexitarianism, at the heart of the chef's cooking, is a dietary approach whose environmental benefits are detailed by ADEME.

Frequently asked questions about Julie Berchoux the chef