The farmer chef

of the Loire

The morning mist clings to the Loire, softening the outlines of Blois’ royal skyline. Beyond the riverbank, rows of vegetables glisten with dew as Christophe Hay bends to inspect a handful of young shoots. A few steps away, the citrus greenhouse breathes out its perfume - yuzu, kumquat, and lime, ripening under glass even in the heart of the French winter. In the distance, Wagyu cattle graze unhurriedly on lush pastures, their calm presence a reminder of Hay’s guiding philosophy: time, patience, respect. This is not the usual stage for a Michelin-starred chef. But Christophe Hay has never sought the usual path.

Of rivers & herds

Not far from the garden, Hay tends to his herd of Wagyu cattle, introduced to the Loire as a personal challenge to master ethical cattle farming. These animals, raised slowly and free from stress, produce meat of extraordinary depth - a nod to his grandfather’s dairy farm, yet refined through his own vision of responsible gastronomy.

The Loire River itself, often overlooked as a source of fine produce, is another of his larders. Working with fisherman Sylvain Arnoult, Hay celebrates pike, perch, catfish, and shad - fish once central to royal banquets, now returned to the table with dignity. Each dish becomes a conversation with history, reviving forgotten flavours while protecting the river’s biodiversity.

“Ingredients are the main axis of our dishes. We create our dishes by thinking first of the plant, then we think of technique & creativity.”

Rooted in the land

Born in Vendôme, raised by farming grandparents and a butcher father, Hay grew up with an instinctive respect for terroir. After years spent in Paris and Orlando kitchens, he chose to return home, trading the glamour of international postings for the authenticity of the Loire Valley. “I wanted to cook where I belong,” he often says, and everything he does since has flowed from that decision.

A garden with a voice

At Fleur de Loire, Hay’s culinary vision begins in the estate’s 1.5-hectare permaculture garden, where seasonal vegetables, herbs, and rare fruits shape an ever-evolving menu. Step into the greenhouse and discover citrus fruits thriving against the odds in the Loire. Their zest and juice bring brightness and balance to dishes rooted in the earthy, riverine, and pastoral flavors of the region.

Black gold & heritage

From the forests near Chambord, the season brings truffles - the Loire’s “black gold.” Hay partners with local trufficulteurs to unearth them, crafting tributes like La Carpe à la Chambord, a dish that fuses ancestral recipes with contemporary precision. These rituals tie his cuisine to a broader cultural memory, anchoring his innovation in tradition.

A living ecosystem

Fleur de Loire is more than a gastronomic address. It is an ecosystem - a place where the garden, greenhouse, pastures, river, and forest all feed into the kitchen. Guests who dine there are not simply eating a menu: they are tasting the Loire itself, distilled into flavours both humble and exalted.

For Christophe Hay, cooking is inseparable from farming, fishing, and stewardship. He is not only a chef, but a farmer of flavours, a guardian of heritage, and a storyteller of the river. To share a meal at his table is to encounter a landscape alive on the plate - the mist of the morning garden, the patience of the herd, the cool depths of the Loire, the forest’s hidden treasures - each bite an invitation to know the valley more deeply.