“Toulouse loses one of his best addresses”: the chef of this starred restaurant announces the closure of his establishment

It was on his Instagram account that Chef Balthazar Gonzalez announced the sad news. Seven years after its inauguration, its Hédone restaurant will close its doors on February 20. A page has turned to the young chef, awarded with a Michelin star since 2020. Back on his career …

“All history has an end, that of the hedone will be Thursday, February 20, 2025. These seven years have been rich in pleasure, in sharing and in emotions. My different teams and I will keep an extraordinary memory of this great adventure “said the chief, for whom it all started when he was a child. “”The only way not to be scolded by my parents because I had bad grades was to eat them! “ He likes to tell. This is how quite naturally, Balthazar turned to cooking studies. Well he took it! Trained with the greatest (including Joël Robuchon), the young Parisian established himself in Toulouse and was quickly hailed for his creativity and his talent. Designated “young talent” in 2017 by the guide Gault and Millau, he then obtained a Michelin star in 2020.

It is no coincidence that Balthazar Gonzalez baptized his Hédone restaurant, in reference to the Greek goddess of pleasure and enjoyment. His ambition? please! This is the raison d’être of the chief. “” Our job is to give pleasure to the customer above all “He explains.

At the start, his restaurant was designed a bit like a table d’hôtes, with a unique table, where all customers ate the same thing, and at the same time. A daring bet! If he changed the formula to return to a more classic format, the chef absolutely wanted to keep a restaurant on a human scale. Hédone therefore offers only 14 covers, to stay close to customers and the kitchen is open to the room.

The young chef’s credo? A passionate and instinctive cuisine, based on fresh and raw products, the vast majority of Occitans. By offering explosive and unexpected flavors, Balthazar Gonzales had been able to give a real identity to his table.

The news seems to have aroused a certain emotion with those who were able to taste his cuisine: “Thank you for the memories that we had the chance to create around your table”, “Naaaaaan my favorite restaurant. Good good Continuation! ” Or “One of our best experiences in Toulouse” can be read in comments from the post which announces the closure of the hedone.