FRENCH CHEF COOKS UP A STORM.docVIP

FRENCH CHEF COOKS UP A STORM 　　French chef Gregory Louraichi has rubbed shoulders with Michelin-starred celebrities and worked in some of China’s bestknown French restaurants. He opened Greg’s in one of Xiamen’s most exclusive neighborhoods in 2011 and has become a household name in his adopted city. 　　 A rags-to-riches story 　　Louraichi， 35， from Arcachon， a popular seaside resort near Bordeaux in France， has spent much of his life behind a stove. If he comes across as an affable sort of man， he can be a ruthless perfectionist in his kitchen.“I was 13 when I joined the école h？telière d’Arcachon. I started work at 17，” he recalled with a sense of pride. 　　Louraichi had spent six years honing his skills in restaurants in France when finally opportunity beckoned. “My best friend went to China， and I followed him to Guangzhou， capital of Guangdong Province in south China， in 2003. I didn’t have a penny to my name when I got there，” he said with a shrug. 　　He went on to work for La Seine， a hallmark of French cuisine in China at the time， and was soon opening branches in Shanghai and Beijing. After a stint in Hong Kong at La Villa with international chefs， he came back to the mainland and got married. He then embarked on a consulting career， and it was during a wine event in Xiamen that some influential people noticed this gifted Frenchman in his mid-20s. His four-year tenure with Sofitel was his major breakthrough： the indefatigable Louraichi managed this French premier hospitality company’s restaurant business in Xiamen and Dongguan， another city in Guangdong. 　　The birth of his two sons during this period was a clarion call for change： “I had been toying with the idea of opening my own business， and I found a great location in what used to be a café called Xiamen Xiamen.” It was in the winter of 2011. 　　Louraichi kept collaborating with Sofitel. He took part in a major event with the world’s most renowned chefs， the Sofitel Star Chef， in Xiamen in 2012. H