About us
A story that begins with a slightly crazy challenge
In 2004, a software engineer with a passion for fine food and good wine set himself a challenge: to create a website celebrating and promoting French gastronomy. That man was Ivan Couet. His idea? A portal dedicated to regional products, winemakers, producers — all those unsung artisans who keep our culinary traditions alive.
The site was initially called "A French Touch" — a way of telling the world that French cuisine is much more than a restaurant menu, it's a way of life. Very quickly, to enrich the content, Ivan began adding recipes gathered here and there, tested in his own kitchen, written with the enthusiasm of an enlightened amateur. With his lifelong friend Benoît Liénard, they spent sleepless nights writing, reading, learning, building — page after page, article after article.
When the original name conflicted with a registered trademark, the site became AFTouch-Cuisine.com. A name that preserves the original spirit, that "French touch" so dear to us, while asserting its culinary vocation.
The encounter that changed everything
After a few months of existence, hard work and shortened nights, Ivan received a message. An enigmatic message, and even — let's be honest — a slightly provocative one. A certain Patrick Asfaux, having heard about the project through an article in Femme Actuelle magazine, warmly congratulated the author on his initiative... while reproaching him, quite vigorously, for the quality of his recipes.
That day, Ivan Couet was in a joyful mood. Far from being offended, he challenged the said Patrick to do better. What Ivan didn't know was that he was dealing with a Michelin-starred chef, freshly retired, and overflowing with energy that retirement had done nothing to diminish.
From this improbable encounter was born a sincere, deep friendship, and a common goal: to protect and transmit our shared heritage, the love and art of French gastronomy.
Chef Patrick Asfaux: a true gentleman of gastronomy
Chef Patrick Asfaux is what the French call a "Mossieur" — passionate, sometimes stormy, but with a rare generosity and always eager to help. The proof: over 10,000 messages left on this site to answer the many questions from AFTouch-Cuisine visitors. Imagine how lucky we are — a Michelin-starred chef, right here, just a click away, to guide us and share all his secrets.
An exceptional career
Patrick Asfaux ran for many years the famous restaurant À Sousceyrac, a Parisian institution in the 11th arrondissement, where he earned his Michelin star. In this legendary venue, he had the honour of welcoming presidents of the Republic, ministers, artists and stars of his era — all drawn by his generous, authentic cuisine, rooted in the terroir of Quercy and South-West France.
Awards and distinctions
- Michelin Star — Restaurant À Sousceyrac, Paris
- Maître Cuisinier de France — Title awarded by the Association of Master Chefs of France
- Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit — French Republic honorary distinction
- Member of the Académie Culinaire de France
- Prosper Montagné Prize Laureate — One of the most prestigious awards in French cuisine
- Gold Medal of the Académie Culinaire de France — The Academy's highest distinction
- Best Lièvre à la Royale in France Trophy — Romorantin 1990, awarded by Nicole Olmeta
- Toque d'Or du Quercy — In tribute to his roots and loyalty to regional terroir
But beyond titles and awards, what defines Patrick Asfaux is his inexhaustible passion for passing on knowledge. Every recipe he publishes on AFTouch-Cuisine is a masterclass disguised as a practical guide. Every answer he leaves on the forum is an act of generosity. He doesn't cook to impress — he cooks to share, so that everyone can, in their own kitchen, rediscover the taste of authentic things.
Beautiful encounters
AFTouch-Cuisine is also the story of improbable and wonderful encounters that only a passion for gastronomy can create.
Stéphane Dubarry is the finest example. A former loyal patron of the Michelin-starred restaurant À Sousceyrac, a refined gourmet and epicurean at heart, he discovered the site and simply never left. For years, he animated the forum with an erudition and generosity that command respect — a true inexhaustible well of knowledge on everything related to the history of our terroir, its products, its recipes and its key figures. His comments, always well-documented, often peppered with delicious anecdotes, transformed the AFTouch-Cuisine forum into a unique place of exchange, where people come as much to learn as to cook.
And that is the magic of AFTouch-Cuisine: a passionate software engineer, a generous starred chef, an erudite epicurean, and thousands of visitors who share the same love of fine food — all gathered around the same virtual table, that of French gastronomy.
The team behind AFTouch-Cuisine
Ivan Couet
Founder & Developer
Software engineer by training, gastronome by passion. Since 2004, he has been bringing the site to life daily, developing tools, moderating the forum and ensuring every visitor finds what they're looking for.
Chef Patrick Asfaux
Michelin-starred Chef & Culinary Director
The beating heart of the site. His recipes, advice and presence on the forum make AFTouch-Cuisine a unique place where haute cuisine becomes accessible to all.
Stéphane Dubarry
Culinary Historian & Contributor
Passionate about the history of gastronomy, he enriches the site with his encyclopaedic knowledge of the origins of dishes, regional traditions and the culinary anecdotes that make our heritage so rich.
AFTouch-Cuisine in numbers
Since 2004, AFTouch-Cuisine has become one of the reference sites for French gastronomy:
Our mission
AFTouch-Cuisine is not a recipe site like any other. Here, every recipe is verified, tested and approved by a Michelin-starred chef. Every text is written with the aim of informing, transmitting and inspiring. We don't publish to fill pages — we publish to share a heritage.
Our belief is simple: French gastronomy belongs to everyone. It is not reserved for starred restaurants or culinary schools. It is in your kitchen, in your hands, in the pleasure you take in preparing a good meal for those you love.
This is the belief that has driven us for twenty years. And it is this belief that will continue to guide us, recipe after recipe, season after season.