French chef Joel Antunes of Le Logis in Cognac, France, will be the third chef in residence at Auburn University’s 1856 – Culinary Residence, the teaching restaurant in AU’s Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center.
Antunes begins his year-long residency at 1856 on Aug. 13.
“I’m very excited to learn how 1856 – Culinary Residence and Auburn University combine an educational experience with horticulture, hospitality, and dining,” Antunes said in a media release. “I can’t wait to spend time in the classroom and in the kitchen, helping shape the next generation of culinary professionals.”
The restaurant -- which is named for the year Auburn University was founded and which opened in September 2022 as the centerpiece of the Rane Culinary Science Center -- allows students in Auburn’s Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management to get real-time restaurant experience while they work alongside and learn from seasoned professionals in the culinary industry.
Earlier this year, Southern Living magazine readers selected 1856 as the best new restaurant in Alabama in an online survey for the magazine’s annual South’s Best Awards.
As the third chef in residence since 1856 opened, Antunes follows Atlanta chef and restaurateur Ford Fry, who just completed his 2023-24 residency, and former New York City chef Tyler Lyne of Birmingham’s Tasting TBL, who was the inaugural chef in residence at 1856.
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Born and raised in southern France, Antunes earned his culinary stripes in some of France’s top restaurants before serving as the executive chef at the Bangkok Oriental Mandarin Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, and then moving to London to open Les Saveurs, which earned a Michelin star during his time there.
Antunes later came to the United States to lead the Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead before he ventured out on his own to open Joel Restaurant, for which he earned a James Beard Foundation Award as Best Chef: Southeast in 2005.
He subsequently served as the opening executive chef at the historic Capital Hotel and its restaurant, One Eleven, in Little Rock, Ark., before he returned to France in 2022 as the chef in residence for Forbes Travel Guide at Le Logis, a luxury hotel in Cognac.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Chef Antunes to Auburn,” Hans van der Reijden, founder and CEO of Ithaka Hospitality Partners, said. “His global culinary expertise, especially when combined with his experience as a James Beard Foundation Award winner and recipient of a Michelin star, will provide an invaluable resource for students.”
Dishes inspired by Antunes’ decades of international experience will be available to 1856 guests on the a la carte lunch menu and on a multi-course tasting menu during dinner service.
1856 -- Culinary Residence is at 205 South College St. in Auburn, Ala. For reservations and more information, go here.