Tilman Fertitta's master chef receives prestigious French agriculture award

A Houston chef has received one of France’s most prestigious honors. Jean-Luc Royere will receive the Ordre du Mérite agricole (Order of Agricultural Merit) in a private ceremony on Tuesday, April 16.

Presented to people who have a connection to agriculture such as farmers, winemakers, and chefs, the ministerial Order of Agricultural Merit was established on July 7, 1883, by French Minister Jules Méline. It is awarded by the French Minister of Agriculture. Former French president François Hollande will present Royere with his medal, according to a release.

Royere has been a Houstonian since July 14, 2017, when he accepted an offer to be the executive chef at The Post Oak, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s 38-story, 250-room luxury hotel. By his own account, the chef was one of the hotel's first five employees, tasked with helping it earn an elite five star rating from the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide. Currently, it’s the only hotel in Texas to earn a five star rating that’s also home to a five star spa.

The chef tells CultureMap he spent his career preparing for his current role. At just 24 years old, he moved to America even though he’d never been to the U.S. before.

“Since a very young age, I was always attracted by America. It was something I couldn’t explain,” Royere says. “I told my dad, ‘I don’t know if I’ll be gone 20 days, 20 months, or 20 years.’ I left and never came back.”

After working at a French restaurant, he started working at a hotel in 2002. Over the course of his career, he’s worked for different Mandarin Oriental properties as well as locations of the Ritz Carlton and other luxury hotel brands.

“I love hotels because everything is happening 24 hours a day. It requires you to be very creative and manage teams and pass along your vision,” he says.

“Since 2007, I’ve only done five star properties. The level of luxury is always something good to be a part of, because it gives you an opportunity to achieve at a high level. It gets you out of your comfort zone to start creating.”

Royere earned a Master Chef of France award in 2017, which paved the way for his current honor. He had the support of Houston’s Consul General Valérie Baraban. While he appreciates the recognition, he acknowledges that it takes a team to operate a hotel at such a high level.

“The team that I have, seven or eight of them have been working with me for more than a decade,” he says. “Bigger than any medals, that’s what it is for me.”

So how does a chef celebrate receiving one of his country’s highest honors? It’ll start with champagne and hors d'oeuvres at the hotel. Then he’s planning to hit the down with friends and colleagues.

“I don’t know where yet. We may do something at different restaurants, just enjoying the evening,” he says.