Cyril Molard’s restaurant Ma Langue Sourit is one of Luxembourg’s most prestigious gourmet addresses. Despite his outstanding achievements of two Michelin stars and a score of 18.5 in the Gault&Millau guide, Cyril Molard remains very much down-to-earth.
The owner of fine dining restaurant Ma Langue Sourit in Moutfort comes from a humble background, owing his successful culinary career to hard work alone.
Cyril Molard grew up in Cornimont, in the Vosges region, where his parents ran a butcher’s shop. “I used to help out in the evenings, on Sundays…We lived directly above the shop,” he recalls. As a child, he dreamed of becoming “a professional footballer or handball player…” But a minor heart defect meant he wasn’t destined for a career on the pitch. After some deliberation, he opted to study for a vocational qualification in butchery, graduating as second-best apprentice in Lorraine, before going on to obtain an advanced vocational certificate in Nancy and coming top in the region.
Back in the Vosges, he met Éric Goddyn, crowned ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) charcutier-traiteur’ (Best Artisan Butcher in France) in 1995 and today in charge of products at Thiriet. “Éric put me in touch with André Lenormand – also an ‘MOF’ – in Orléans, and I went to work for him.” Cyril Molard thrived here, becoming more and more involved in the cooking side of Lenormand’s high-end catering business. Then, at a dinner party helping out chef Guy Krenzer, Krenzer offered him a job in Paris. And not just anywhere in Paris: Molard found himself working as a ‘garde-manger’ at Lapérouse – one of the first restaurants in Paris to be awarded three Michelin stars. It was the start of his career in the kitchen.
Shortly afterwards, Guy Krenzer, both a ‘Best Artisan Butcher in France’ and ‘Best Artisan Chef in France’ titleholder, set sail for horizons new, but not before helping his kitchen crew secure new posts. “I set off to work for Emmanuel Renaut, now a three-star Michelin chef at Flocons de Sel in Megève,” in London and Haute-Savoie, but then life called him back to Cornimont, to help his parents. There, a friend encouraged him to apply for a job at La Lorraine in Luxembourg City.
“It was tough going, but I was used to the stress of working in a top kitchen.”
“The chef there at the time was Patrick Käppler, from the Robuchon school. There was a gourmet restaurant on the first floor and I became his sous-chef. It was tough going, but I was used to the stress of working in a top kitchen. I loved it!” It was here that Cyril Molard met Anne-Sophie, now his wife, colleague and mother of his children. His next career move took him to Le Royal, where he stayed eight years and became executive chef. But at the age of 37, Molard, now a father, handed in his notice at Le Royal and moved to Moutfort, where he put together a first-rate team, including his sous-chef from Le Royal, Frédéric Riffaud. “The following year, I obtained my first Michelin star,” he smiles. A star he has retained ever since, adding a second to his name in 2018. “It was a difficult time for me. My mother had died a few months earlier, while having minor surgery,” he says sadly. “I lost my lust for life for pretty much everything. I felt so low I didn’t even want to go to the Michelin ceremony.” But he went anyway, and was presented with his second star.
It was then that Cyril Molard decided to get his act together. And he did so, in style. The awards have been flooding in ever since! He became Gault&Millau Chef of the Year, with the guide also awarding him 18.5/20 (the highest score ever awarded to any restaurant in Luxembourg). Ma Langue Sourit was named a ‘Grande Table du Monde’ (one of the best restaurants in the world). He was invited to cook at the exclusive Villa Louise, where he delighted diners with his culinary creations, and to the prestigious Hangar-7 in Salzburg as its Chef of the Month. This tireless chef also organises charity dinners and galas, collaborates on menus with renowned chefs, trains amateur chefs for competitions, takes part in the World Pastry Championships and works on dinner cruises in the Caribbean alongside other Michelin-starred chefs.
It therefore comes as no surprise when the 52-year-old tells us he works “around 90 hours a week”! And in his free time? Well, when he has any, he enjoys spending time with his teenage sons and – “far too rarely” – fishing. “I also love music. As I live an hour’s drive from the restaurant, I have time to listen to music in the car. I like a variety of artists: Julien Clerc, Simple Minds, Jacques Brel...” His little treat to himself when he’s not indulging others!”
MA LANGUE SOURIT
1, Rue de Remich — L-5331 Moutfort
Tel. +352 / 26 35 20 31
www.mls.lu