Award-winning chef Julien Royer is co-owner of Odette, a three Michelin-starred modern French restaurant located at the iconic National Gallery Singapore. Born into a family of 4th generation farmers in Cantal, France, Julien spent his childhood foraging and harvesting in his family’s backyards. It cultivated in him an appreciation for all that Mother Nature has to offer. To this day, those experiences continue to shape his philosophy and inspire him to bring authenticity to the table, underpinned by the principles of French cuisine though his years in Asia have infused his approach with a sense of place. 

In addition to being chef-owner of Odette, he is chef-patron of Claudine, a neighbourhood French restaurant for the present day, as well as founder of one Michelin-starred Louise, a French bistronomy-style restaurant in Hong Kong. As a restaurateur, Julien has come to be recognised around the world for bringing a refreshing perspective on French dining and takes pride in grooming the next generation of talent, providing a platform for people to shine.

Guided by a lifelong respect for seasonality, terroir and artisanal produce, Julien has devoted years to forging lasting relationships with some of the world’s finest boutique producers, taking pride in offering guests a unique opportunity to taste exceptional ingredients at their peak. Julien’s first venture into the kitchen under the legendary Michel Bras in Laguiole instilled in him a respect for the integrity and purity of each ingredient in every dish. His career then took him from the French West Indies to London, before landing in Singapore in 2008. He has presented at events including Madrid Fusion Manila, a prestigious culinary conference, Ubud Food Festival, where he was the only Singapore-based chef present as one of the headlining personalities, and at Chefs Club in New York. He has served as mentor as well as judge at the San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition, and was one of twelve global culinary superstars featured at Hangar-7’s illustrious Michelin-starred guest chef concept Restaurant Ikarus, Austria.

Singaporean Vincent Tan spearheads the beverage programme at Odette and curates a dedicated wine list that is unconstrained by region or label. He applies a human-centric approach guided by winemakers’ philosophies, showcasing makers who share Odette’s passion for terroir, product and craft.

In 2012, Vincent was awarded the Johanninger Wine Scholarship, which led him to an immersive apprenticeship at the Johanninger Winery in Germany. There he developed a thirst for learning about the intricacies of wine-making and its resulting characteristics; with this knowledge and experience, he hopes to help diners cultivate a richer appreciation of wine. In 2015, Vincent won Singapore’s National Sommelier Competition and was the runner-up in Sopexa’s Asia’s Best Sommelier in French Wines 2016.

Vincent is also a Certified Sommelier accredited by the Court of Master Sommeliers and currently holds a Level 3 Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. He started his career at the tender age of 19, but has since played a key role in establishing the wine and beverage programme at several restaurants including Verre, Corner House and presently, Odette.

Beyond his work at Odette, he is passionate about nurturing the next generation of sommeliers and works closely with the Sommelier Association of Singapore to develop training programmes. Having developed a rewarding career built on a deep passion for wines, Vincent hopes to inspire young, aspiring sommeliers to follow their passion.

A graduate of Savoie Léman in Thonon-les-bains, France, Dan Zenou has had a remarkable career having spent time at many prestigious restaurants around the world including Angler*, Seven Park Place*, Vue de Monde and most recently, Pollen Street Social*. At Angler, he was on the team when the restaurant earned its first Michelin star.

Since joining Odette, Dan has been committed to delivering service of the highest standard, ensuring that every step of the guest experience is well thought out and carefully executed. His ferventness and keen eye for every aspect of hospitality have taken him from Head Waiter to Restaurant Manager.

Chef Julien’s right-hand man in the kitchen, Chef de Cuisine Adam Wan has worked alongside Chef Julien for the better part of his career since 2011. Originally from Malaysia, Adam fondly remembers time spent with his grandmother at local markets and building wood fires for her cooking. Recognising her commitment to ensuring his family had lovingly prepared meals to sit down to and the power food had to bring people together inspired him to enroll into culinary school. At 20 years old, he relocated to Singapore and after a chance encounter with Chef Julien – then helming JAAN at Swissotel the Stamford while Adam was on the line at the former Equinox restaurant one floor below – Adam was invited to join JAAN, soon rising the ranks to Junior Sous Chef. He was a key member of the opening team at Odette in 2015, assisting in initial R&D and helping to conceive the menu.

Meeting Chef Julien was a turning point in his career; the duo have forged an indescribable bond and unique working chemistry ever since. Under Chef Julien’s tutelage, Adam has worked his way up to Chef de Cuisine, now leading the kitchen brigade, mentoring and grooming his colleagues, while also playing an instrumental role in ongoing menu development to consistently uphold the highest standards. 

Adam has accompanied Chef Julien on several overseas gastronomic experiences. Together, they took on Ubud Food Festival 2016 in Bali, presented at Madrid Fusion Manila 2017, and brought the Odette experience abroad to the prestigious Chefs Club in New York, Restaurant Ikarus in Hangar-7, as well as a four hands with Chef Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur.

Since graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, Pastry Chef, Louisa Lim has honed her craft at several Michelin-starred establishments in France and at home in Singapore. While living in France, she was motivated by the passion the French had for their professions and was inspired to follow her dreams of becoming a pastry chef. Within a year and a half, she worked her way from intern to Pastry Commis at Michelin restaurants Hexagon and Histoires in Paris. She then moved on to reopen restaurant Apicius under the guidance of Pastry Chef Marc Lecomte and Jerome Chaucesse, Meilleur ouvrier de France – Pâtissier Confiseur 2015.

Bringing with her a keen eye for detail, Louisa joined Odette in 2019 where she works closely with Chef Julien to imagine desserts to satiate both the Eastern and Western palate. She is constantly pushing the boundaries, challenging herself and leading her team to incorporate ‘hot kitchen’ techniques in pastry, meld contrasting flavours together in harmony and create desserts which balance the menu while drawing the Odette experience to a delightful and delicate close. In 2023, she was named Asia’s Best Pastry Chef.