Alexandre Couillon is the French chef behind La Marine, the three-Michelin-star restaurant in the fishing village of L’Herbaudière on the island of Noirmoutier, off France’s Atlantic coast. Built on the daily catch of the Noirmoutier fish auction and the plants Couillon gathers along the shore and grows in his own garden, La Marine became, in 2023, one of France’s most celebrated restaurants and the only three-star in the Pays de la Loire region.
The son of a Noirmoutier shrimp fisherman, Couillon took over his parents’ seasonal family restaurant in 1999 with his wife Céline and, over two decades, transformed it into a temple of contemporary seafood cooking rooted entirely in the island.
TL;DR
- French chef, born 9 December 1975 in Dakar, Senegal; raised on the island of Noirmoutier from age seven
- Chef of La Marine in L’Herbaudière, Noirmoutier, which he took over from his parents in 1999 with his wife Céline
- La Marine earned its third Michelin star in 2023 — the only new three-star in France that year
- Cooking built on the Noirmoutier fish auction, foraged coastal plants and his own vegetable garden
- Featured in the Netflix series Chef’s Table: France (2018)
Alexandre Couillon key facts
| Born | 9 December 1975, Dakar, Senegal (family from Noirmoutier) |
| Nationality | French |
| Restaurant | La Marine, L’Herbaudière, Noirmoutier (taken over 1999) |
| Michelin stars | Three (third star awarded 2023) |
| Style | Contemporary seafood; foraged coastal plants; garden produce |
| Training | Michel Guérard, Georges Paineau, Thierry Marx, Pierre Lecoutre |
Early life and training
Alexandre Couillon was born on 9 December 1975 in Dakar, Senegal, to parents from Noirmoutier — a seamstress mother and a shrimp-fisherman father. The family returned to the island when he was seven, and the sea and its produce shaped him from childhood. He trained under several major French chefs, including Michel Guérard, Georges Paineau, Thierry Marx and Pierre Lecoutre, building a classical foundation he would later turn entirely toward the ingredients of his home island.
La Marine and Noirmoutier
In 1999 Couillon and his wife Céline took over La Marine, his parents’ seasonal restaurant in the harbour village of L’Herbaudière, and set about turning it into a serious year-round destination. Céline runs front of house while Alexandre leads the kitchen. The restaurant’s identity is inseparable from the island: Couillon rises at dawn for the Noirmoutier fish auction, gathers edible plants along the shoreline, and draws on his own vegetable garden, so that the menu changes constantly with the seasons and the catch.
Signature style: an exploration of the ocean
Couillon’s cooking is an authentic exploration of the ocean and the edible plants of the coast. Fish and shellfish from the Noirmoutier market, sea vegetables and shoreline herbs, and produce from his garden form a cuisine that is precise, restrained and deeply tied to place. Rather than importing luxury ingredients, he builds three-star cooking out of what the island itself provides, which is exactly what set La Marine apart on its way to the top of the Michelin Guide.
Michelin stars and recognition
La Marine climbed the Michelin ladder over many years before reaching the summit: it was awarded its third star in the 2023 Michelin Guide France, the only restaurant in the country to gain a third star that year, and it has remained the sole three-star restaurant in the Pays de la Loire region. Couillon’s profile was further raised by his appearance in the Netflix series Chef’s Table: France in 2018.
Awards and recognition
- Third Michelin star for La Marine, 2023 (only new three-star in France that year)
- Sole three-Michelin-star restaurant in the Pays de la Loire region
- Featured in Netflix’s Chef’s Table: France, 2018
- Relais & Châteaux member
Alexandre Couillon in context
Couillon is part of a French generation that has built world-class restaurants far from Paris, rooted in a specific landscape. His produce- and place-driven approach connects him to chefs such as Alain Passard, whose vegetable-led cooking reshaped French fine dining, Mauro Colagreco on the Mediterranean coast, and Anne-Sophie Pic, another of France’s defining three-star chefs.
Follow Alexandre Couillon
La Marine — official restaurant page →
Alexandre Couillon FAQ
Where is La Marine?
In the harbour village of L’Herbaudière on the island of Noirmoutier, off the Atlantic coast of the Vendée in western France.
How many Michelin stars does Alexandre Couillon have?
Three. La Marine received its third Michelin star in the 2023 Michelin Guide France and remains the only three-star restaurant in the Pays de la Loire.
What kind of food does he cook?
Contemporary seafood cooking built on the Noirmoutier fish auction, foraged coastal plants and his own vegetable garden, changing with the seasons and the daily catch.
Where is Alexandre Couillon from?
He was born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1975 to a family from Noirmoutier, and grew up on the island from the age of seven.
Who runs La Marine with him?
His wife Céline Couillon, who runs front of house; the couple took over the restaurant from Alexandre’s parents in 1999.
