Antoine Moreau
Executive Chef
Guardian of the pass and the seasonal menu.
Our Story
A restaurant born of obsession
For over a decade, Lumière has pursued a single idea: that dining, done with total devotion, can become one of the great arts.
The Beginning
From a six-table bistro
In 2012, Élise Fontaine took over a shuttered six-table bistro on Rue Saint-Dominique with a modest inheritance and an immodest ambition. She had no formal training — only an unshakeable belief that the meals worth remembering are built from honesty, patience, and the very best of what the season offers.
Within four years, Lumière held its first Michelin star. Within seven, its second. Today it is regarded as one of the defining tables in Europe — yet the philosophy has never changed since that first evening service.
The Founder
Élise Fontaine
Élise leads Lumière with a hospitality philosophy borrowed from the great houses of Kyoto: omotenashi — anticipating a guest's needs before they are spoken. She personally greets every table and confirms every reservation.
"Luxury is being seen, remembered, and cared for. Everything else is decoration."Élise Fontaine · Founder
The Chef
Antoine Moreau
Antoine trained under Alain Passard at L'Arpège before spending three years in the Japanese highlands studying shun — the philosophy of peak seasonality. His cooking is defined by restraint: never more than four elements on a plate, each one chosen because nothing else would do.
47
Artisan suppliers
100
% Seasonal
0
Compromises
Our Philosophy
Three principles, unwavering
I.
Season First
The calendar writes our menu. If it is not at its peak this week, it does not reach your table.
II.
Provenance
We know every grower, fisher and forager by name. Trust is our only certification.
III.
Restraint
The discipline to remove until only the essential — and the inevitable — remains.
A Journey
The Lumière Timeline
2012
The Doors Open
Élise Fontaine opens a six-table bistro on Rue Saint-Dominique, cooking a single daily menu.
2014
Antoine Joins
Antoine Moreau returns from Japan and takes the pass. The tasting-menu format is born.
2016
First Michelin Star
The Guide awards Lumière its first star, praising its "startling seasonal clarity."
2019
Second Star
A second star follows, alongside Gault & Millau's Chef of the Year for Antoine.
2022
The Cellar
Our subterranean cellar expands to 900 references, curated by head sommelier Marguerite Vidal.
2024
World's 50 Best
Lumière enters the World's 50 Best Restaurants at No. 14 — its highest honour yet.
Behind the Table
The Team
Fifty-two people bring each evening to life. These are a few of the faces who lead them.
Élise Fontaine
Founder & Host
The heart of the room and its hospitality.
Marguerite Vidal
Head Sommelier
Curator of 900 cellar references.
Luc Bernard
Pastry Chef
Author of the legendary Valrhona soufflé.
Behind the Scenes
A Day at Lumière
