#FOOD: LUCIE BEGINS A NEW ERA

This Spring, Lucie begins a new chapter with Chef Michael Angeloni at the helm, guiding the Michelin-recommended modern French restaurant through its evolution. Marking this transition is the debut of an à la carte offering and a refined raw bar experience centred around the restaurant’s signature bar.

On May 13, 2026 Lucie welcomed Chef Michael Angeloni as Partner & Executive Chef, joining Toronto restaurateur and Founder, Yannick Bigourdan and new Co-Owner Adam Teolis. Together, the three also own and operate three Toronto hot spots – The Berczy Tavern (listed as one of Foodism’s top restaurants for 2026), Notte Ristorante, and the newly opened Pasta Privato.

Nearly two decades ago, Angeloni and Bigourdan first connected in Toronto’s restaurant scene at Splendido, where Angeloni worked as a sous chef under the mentorship of Bigourdan and Chef David Lee. Working in the Splendido kitchen was one of several early experiences that grounded Angeloni in the discipline and precision of fine dining. It was there that the foundation for Bigourdan and Angeloni’s working relationship was formed. Now, years later, they reenter the world of French fine dining together, at Lucie.

“There’s a history there that you can’t really replicate,” says Bigourdan. “We’ve worked together long enough to understand how each other thinks.”

“Michael also knows what Lucie stands for at its core and brings a perspective that will allow it to grow,” he adds.

A New Way to Experience Lucie
Lucie has built its reputation on a refined menu experience – precise, restrained, and deeply focused. That foundation remains at the heart of the restaurant. Under Angeloni, it continues in a new, more personal way with the introduction of an à la carte menu that brings flexibility to the dining room for the first time. On this menu guests can expect:

Beef Pithivier – tenderloin encased in pastry, finished with mushroom jus and pomme purée

Seared Turbot – finished with kombu, miso, and roe

Tagliatelle – with beurre blanc and Ossetra caviar

“Classical cooking is a language, and at Lucie, we’re using it to say something Canadian,” says Angeloni. “The technique is rigorous, the ingredients are local, and the hospitality is the kind you’d find at a grandmother’s table. That combination is what this restaurant is.”

At the centre of this shift is also the introduction of a raw bar – reimagining Lucie’s central bar as a destination in its own right. It’s designed to feel inviting and approachable: a place for oysters and wine, small plates at the counter, or a full meal that unfolds informally. Raw bar offerings will include King Crab, Lobster Claws and PEI Mussels.

“Lucie already has a very clear identity,” says Angeloni. “The goal isn’t to change that – it’s to open it up. To give people more ways to come in, more ways to stay, and more reasons to return. For me, it also feels like a return to my French roots, which is exciting at this stage in my career. I’m looking forward to putting my own perspective on that foundation and expressing it through the dishes at Lucie in a way that still feels true to what the restaurant is.”

From Shared Kitchens to Shared Vision
Angeloni brings more than two decades of experience across some of Toronto’s most influential kitchens, each contributing to a style defined by discipline, clarity, and restraint.

His early career included work under Grant van Gameren at The Black Hoof, where he developed a foundation in whole-animal butchery and ingredient-driven cooking, followed by fine dining experience at Splendido with Chef David Lee. He went on to hold roles at L’Unità Enoteca and Grand Electric before stepping into leadership positions across The Berczy Tavern, Notte Ristorante, and Pasta Privato.

Bigourdan remains closely involved as Founder, continuing to guide Lucie’s long-term vision, while Teolis oversees day-to-day operations. With Angeloni leading the kitchen, the restaurant enters its next phase with continuity at its core and a renewed sense of flexibility in how it welcomes guests.

About Lucie
Lucie is where French technique meets Canadian terroir. A kitchen built on classical discipline and guided by the belief that the most extraordinary ingredient is often the one grown closest to home. Chef Michael Angeloni brings a grandmother’s warmth and a chef’s precision to every plate: foundational stocks, exacting butchery, and sauces built the old way, applied to the seasonal bounty of this country. The result is food that is visually refined and deeply comforting, served in a room that feels as alive as it does welcoming. It is Michelin-recommended.